Tender Is The Night(16)

"Okay. If that's what you want." He leaned over, slid one hand around  the back of her head and pulled her into the hot, hard kiss he'd been  wanting to give her since she first walked into his office.

She tensed, her lips parting under his in surprise.

He took advantage of the moment, changing up the kiss to one that was  more persuasive, more compelling, and damn if she didn't kiss him right  back.

Now he was the one who was taken off guard.

The kiss wasn't his anymore. It wasn't hers, either. It was theirs.

It was hot and sexy and more than a little dangerous.

They came to the same conclusion at the same time, breaking apart,  staring at each other in disbelief. Yet, the desire to kiss again was  still there.

"Devin," Kate got out, but couldn't seem to find more words.

He didn't know what to say, either.

"What the hell was that?" she asked finally.

"You said to do what I needed to do."

"And that's what you needed to do?"

"That guy was all over you," he said, knowing that was about the lamest explanation he could have come up with.

"So you decided to get all over me?"

"You kissed me back, Kate."

"I was startled."

"And attracted." He had to go on offense, because his defense was really weak.

She sat back in her seat. "Maybe," she admitted.

His heart sped up at her response. That one word made him want to reach  for her again, but he couldn't do that. He shouldn't do that.

Forcing himself to look away from her soft pink lips and sparkling blue  eyes took about every last ounce of willpower he had. He started the car  and pulled out of the parking space.

They drove back to his apartment in silence. He parked in the garage and they walked up the stairs in more silence.

He opened the front door and led them down the hall, past his office, past his bedroom, and into the den.

Kate walked over to the map and stared at it, but he didn't think her mind was on the pattern of fires.

He went into the kitchen and grabbed two bottled waters out of the refrigerator and took one over to her.

"Thanks," she said, uttering the first word she'd spoken since maybe.

He took a long drink of water, finishing almost half the bottle in one swallow. Kate did the same.

"Okay," she said, facing him. "So that can't happen again."

"Agreed."

"We're working together. We have a case to solve."

He couldn't believe he was the one who needed the reminder, but for a  few minutes, he'd completely forgotten about the obsession that had  driven every waking moment of his life for the past year and a half.  That realization was mind-boggling. He'd never let a woman distract him  from work, not before he left the FBI and not after … until now.

He sat down at the table and opened his computer, because he needed something to look at besides Kate.

"I think we should call Alan Jenkins. I have his information here," she said.

"Go for it."

She punched in the number and put her phone on speaker. A second later, a woman answered.         

     



 

"Is Alan Jenkins there?" Kate asked.

"No. This isn't his number anymore," the woman said abruptly. "He moved out a year ago."

Before Kate could say another word, the phone went to dial tone.

"So much for our lead," she said. "I guess that number was a landline. I wonder if we can find his cell."

"You have more resources than I do. Use them."

"I will, but if we don't get any more definitive information, I think we  should go back to the gym at seven and take that spin class. Maybe  Casey didn't just know Rick but also Alan."

"We don't need to take the class. We'll just talk to her afterwards."

"Oh, I am definitely taking the class," Kate said. "I just need to stop  at my brother's place on the way and grab some clothes. But I could use a  workout. You probably could, too."

Now there was a hint of cockiness back in her eyes. "I probably could,"  he admitted, thinking that the best way to get rid of all the tension in  his body was a hard workout.

"Did you really think I was falling for Pete's lines earlier?" she challenged.

"You looked like you were enjoying his conversation."

"It was an interview. I was working the witness. He liked me. I used it."

"So you didn't like him at all?"

She shrugged. "I don't know him. He's attractive. He probably doesn't have as many problems as you do."

"I don't have problems," he denied.

"Are you kidding? You are carrying a ton of baggage, Devin. I have no  idea what's in all your bags, but I know they're full, and they're  weighing you down."

Her comment was a little too close to the mark, reminding him that Kate  wasn't just beautiful; she was also extremely insightful. "Let's get to  work."

"I never stopped. You were the one who-"

"I don't want to talk about it anymore." Talking about kissing her only  made him want to do it again. "Let's not speak for a while. Think you  can manage that?"

"I can if you can."

"I definitely can."

"You say that, but you keep talking."

He let out a sigh, letting her have the last word. Her triumphant smile  should have pissed him off, but damn if it didn't make him like her  more. He did need a workout. He just hoped he could make it until seven,  before he found another way to quiet her smart mouth.





Eight


Casey Hughes ran an aggressively difficult spin class, Kate thought  three hours later, as she gasped for breath on a one-minute sprint.  Sweat was running in rivers between her breasts, her thighs ached with  exertion, and her heart rate was probably higher than it had ever been,  but she wasn't going to quit, not with the incredibly fit Devin by her  side. He didn't seem to be nearly as winded as she was.

How on earth had she gotten so out of shape? She tried to run at least  three times a week, but it had been a few weeks, she reminded herself.  She'd spent more time on airplanes and sitting at desks in the last  several months. She needed to change that up, or she would lose the  fitness she'd always prided herself on.

When the music and the class finally came to an end, she was filled with  euphoric relief, but she stumbled a little as she got off the bike, her  legs not quite recovered from the punishment she'd put them through.

"Easy," Devin said, putting a steadying hand on her shoulder.

And just like that, all the sexual tension she'd been trying to burn off came right back.

Why him? Why now?

They were pointless questions to ask, because attraction never came on  demand, and it was almost always the wrong person at the wrong time.

"Are you all right?" Devin asked, wiping his face with a towel. "That was a workout."

"I'm fine. Thanks." She stepped away and used her own towel to mop up  her sweat. She'd put her hair up in a high ponytail and was thrilled  when the air conditioning in the gym finally began to register against  the heat in her body. "Casey is almost done talking to everyone," she  said, her eyes on the teacher. "Let's hope she can tell us something  about Alan Jenkins."

She'd been able to find both an address in San Diego and a cell phone  number for Alan Jenkins, but he hadn't answered her call. Hopefully, he  would call her back.

While it was somewhat interesting that Jenkins had left town after the  fire, it could mean absolutely nothing at all. The thread that tied  Jenkins to Baines was about as tenuous as it could be. They needed  someone-hopefully Casey-to give them something else to go on. Otherwise,  they could be chasing a non-existent lead.

Devin led the way to the front of the studio and gave a warm smile to  the attractive brunette with the pretty green eyes and killer body.         

     



 

"Great class," Devin said.

"I'm glad you liked it. You're new," Casey said. "I haven't seen you around here before."

"First time. This is my friend Kate."

"Hi," Kate said. "Thanks for the workout."

"You're welcome. You two kept up pretty well for newcomers. I hope you'll come back."

"Definitely," Devin said. "Would it be possible for us to talk to you for a few minutes?"

"Sure? What about?"

"We spoke to Pete earlier. He said that you were friends with Rick Baines."

Kate immediately noted the change that came over Casey's face when Devin mentioned Baines.

"This isn't about those fires again, is it?" she asked. "Are you cops?"

"No, I'm with the FBI," Kate said. "And Devin is a private investigator."

"I told the FBI everything I knew, which wasn't much of anything," Casey  said. "I worked with Rick, and I thought he was a nice guy, but I guess  he wasn't."

"We actually don't think Baines set the fire," Devin said. "We think he was a victim."

"Really? That's not what everyone said before."

"Things have changed. How close were you and Rick?"

"We weren't close. We were just gym friends. Occasionally, we'd have a  drink together. He was kind of a lonely guy. He told me he had a rough  childhood. His parents were in and out of rehab. He had to live with  relatives. He said working out was one thing that always made him  happy."