She stopped abruptly. Eyes wide, she fought the urge to shiver. “Whoa.”
“Yeah.” Justin deposited the clasps near Grace. Taking a deep breath, he rolled his head left and right, popping his neck, before dropping into his chair. “Nothing better than baptism by fire.”
“I’m not Baptist.”
He grinned. “Neither am I.”
“Welcome to the fold.”
His laughter was deep and heartfelt. “You kill me.”
“Second note to self. ‘Boss instructed me to kill him.’”
“Ha.” Sliding down in his chair, he crossed his hands over his abs. “I set up the therapy room. Can you do me a favor?”
She hesitated before answering. “Sure.”
“Nothing nefarious.”
“Okay.”
“I want you to take some very particular notes.” He leaned forward, arms resting on his knees. “While I’m talking to him, I want you to surreptitiously sketch whatever tattoos he’s advertising. I’m going to bet he’s got quite a few and that none of them spell out Mom.”
“Right. They’ll have meaning,” she murmured, scribbling. “We might have to consult a member of the police’s gang unit to figure out what they mean. He’s not going to own it. At least, not right away. And somehow I doubt there’s much available to the average person in the way of a field guide for amateur tattoo identifications. Can’t imagine there’s a huge call for that kind of stuff at local bookstores.”
Justin reached out and gently touched her knee.
Heat crept up her legs. A whimper caught at the base of her throat. Her eyes snapped from his fingers to his face.
“You’re pretty calm about this. That’s damned attractive.”
“It’s my job to remain calm and objective.” If his voice was deep and sexually charged, hers was full-on Marilyn Monroe breathy.
Justin’s eyes blazed, blue irises deepening as his pupils widened. He scooted to the edge of his seat and wheeled over to Grace. Propping his hands on the arms of her very stationary chair, he leaned into her personal space. “Do I make you nervous?”
“You make me crazy.” The admission snuck out without her conscious permission.
“I can settle for crazy.”
“You can’t just kiss me whenever you want, Justin.”
He arched a brow. “What if you kiss me?”
“Not going to happen.”
“And why is that?”
“Lunch was a mistake. I try to learn from those. I won’t be kissing you again.”
Surprise flashed across his face. “That was a mistake?”
“Yeah.” Her answer was so faint she followed it up with a vigorous nod to make sure he got the point.
“I don’t agree.”