Pulling out her phone, she quickly dialed her chief. He was at the hospital, but she was immediately patched through to his cell.
“Murphy,” came his gruff answer.
“I have a problem.”
“Lacy?”
“Yeah. Listen, there’s this forest ranger who got tapped to model, and now, I can’t get into the shoot area. One of the males was attacked on the site, but I’m being shut out because they see me as a civilian,” Lacy hastily explained. She really didn’t want to be on the phone when Ethan came back out. “I need to know how you want me to proceed.”
“Can he be trusted?” Murphy asked. “It may be better to bring him in than to send a male officer since he’s already established.”
“Yes, I believe he can be trusted. His main concern right now is my safety, so there’s a good indicator.”
“Then do it, and report in tonight.” The curt order was followed by a series of beeps, signaling the end of the call.
So much for checking on the model—her partner Bruce—who’d been electrocuted. She just hoped the effects on his body were temporary, or he could kiss his career as an officer goodbye with the nerve damage that he’d suffered.
As of her update the day before, he’d only been able to say one thing: “Angel.”
His “budding” relationship with her was known around the shoot, and he was assured that Angel, one of the other models, was all right. She was extremely eager to go for a visit, proclaiming her love for him and insisting that she be allowed to see him, but the authorities wanted the injured man’s statement before allowing anyone in. It was a safety precaution, but loved ones rarely understood that. It was a well-known fact that Bruce was a bit of a ladies man, so Lacy wasn’t too surprised to hear of him hooking up with one of the models, but the accident did set off her internal alarms. Well, that and the fact that nobody could explain exactly how it had happened.
Unsure of how to broach the subject of her being undercover, Lacy decided to simply show him her badge. That alone should prove to him that she belonged at the crime scene.
She’d just pulled her gun—in the holster—from her oversized purse, when a low snarl sounded outside her car door.
Her first instinct was to move away, but her brain kicked in and reminded her that fear was just what the wolf wanted. Instead, she tapped the glass and waved.
Lacy’s hand stopped, however, when she noted the gun in Ethan’s hand.
“Get out of the car, Lacy, and keep your hands where I can see them,” he ordered, a strange look in his eyes.
Regret?
“If I get out, Cujo here will attack me,” she pointed out, in case the snarling wolf had escaped his attention.
“She won’t if you don’t have the gun in your hand,” Ethan promised.
“Fine, I’ll put it on the dash. I was only trying to show you this.” Pressing her badge to the window, Lacy kept both palms against the glass as well while he cautiously moved forward.
“You’re with the state police? But—”
“I’m undercover, Ethan.”
His eyes widened, and he merely blinked at her confession.
“While you were inside, I called my superior to get permission to bring you in on the investigation. He was going to send another detective out here, but you’re already established at the shoot, and we can’t afford to have this guy think we’re on to him.”
“Get out of the car, and let me hug you,” he ordered.
Now, it was Lacy’s turn to blink. What the hell had him ordering her to hug him?
“I need Storm here to see that I like you and that you’re a friend.” Okay, now, that made sense, seeing as the canine was still eyeing her like a rawhide.
Slowly opening the door, Lacy was glad when Ethan came to her, and when he wrapped his arms around her, things got even better.
It had been so long since Lacy had been hugged that she luxuriated in the moment, short as it was. The problem was, when they pulled apart and Lacy took a step back, the wolf snarled again.
Ethan smiled at the furry beast before looking back to her. “I’d say I’m sorry to do this, but I’m not.” And with that, he pulled her into his body once more, sealing his warm lips over hers.
The kiss was slow and sensual, a melding of mouth and tongues with a rhythmic advance and retreat which mimicked a much more erotic act.
Her moan was echoed by his own while her body went up in flames. Every part of her seemed to strain to get closer to Ethan, but the ping of his cell phone effectively broke the spell.
She had a job to do! Lacy was ashamed of herself. She’d never allowed herself to become that distracted before. Then again, she’d never met a man who kissed like Ethan, either. She’d never craved a man this desperately.