Relief unfurled and the attraction her fear had tamped down surged. This was the first time she’d been alone in her car with a man in...she didn’t even remember. The few men she’d dated on and off over the last several years had either driven, claiming their vehicles were more comfortable, or she’d met them out for a meal or other date.
“Yes, that’s good news.” She watched him, or rather, felt him in the dark. Her dash light had burned out over a year ago and she’d been too busy to replace it.
“So now I’m going to have to ask to do something you’re not going to like, Bella.” His deep baritone wove a sexy spell around her and she tipped her head back, just a bit. In case he was noticing her lips.
“Okay. What is it?” She smiled in the velvet night, liking the direction things were going.
“I’ve got to go through your house first, to clear it. Protocol.” He opened his door and slid out of the car before Bella’s tingling lips had a chance to realize she wasn’t getting propositioned.
She scrambled out of the car and walked up behind him as he strode toward her front door, his handgun out and reflecting the porch light, which she had on a solar timer. Good thing she didn’t want their relationship to be anything more than business.
Chapter 8
Holden couldn’t get out of the jalopy soon enough, away from the temptation he’d been fighting every. Single. Minute. Of this case. It was no use pretending the attraction wasn’t there, because it was, in spades. Bella Colton hit all his physical buttons and worse, she had a terrific sense of humor.
Nowhere else to go but forward. He pulled out his weapon and heard Bella’s approach behind him.
“Stay behind me, to the right, if you’re not going to remain in your car.”
“Of course I’m not. What if the killer is out here, and attacks me while you’re clearing my house?”
He gritted his teeth. “No talking. Let me work.”
She complied but he gave her thirty seconds. Her naturally curious nature wouldn’t allow her to not ask questions, he’d bet.
The sandy gravel underfoot gave way to smooth red tiles that led to the front porch area, which was really a f
ront patio. A small table and a chair looked untouched, as did the ground around the house. He used his phone’s flashlight to see if there were any footprints or other evidence of a recent unwanted visitor.
“The front looks fine. Give me your key.” He faced her, saw the resistance in her stance.
“I can unlock my own door.”
“Bella.” He stood in front of her, his hand out. “Our deal.”
“Whatever.” She grumbled the last, held out the small ring of keys and dropped them in his palm. Was she careful to ensure they didn’t have any skin contact or was he reading too much into it? The fact that he was turned on by her didn’t mean Bella had any such desire for him. Nor should she—he was here to protect her, find a murderer and then he’d be back to Phoenix. Where he had his life, his job, and no troublesome undercover reporter questioning his every move.
“Stay back until I get the door open and clear the first room. Do you have a front hallway or does it open directly into a room?” He scanned her front windows, all two of them, to try to see what the inside looked like.
“I have a foyer with a skylight, and then it opens into the great room. The kitchen, morning breakfast room and living room all flow into each other. I don’t have a lot of interior walls save for the outer ones.”
“Where’s your bedroom?”
“There are two. The guest room is off the kitchen and the master bedroom is behind that, down a short hall. This is a ranch-style home, one level.” She spoke as if he were a grade-school kid and he couldn’t blame her. He was asking pretty obvious questions for a person who lived in Arizona. The homes were often ranch-style, meaning one level, to help with keeping them cool through the long, hot days. Even with air-conditioning it was impossible to keep a home livable when the temperatures soared well over one-hundred-degrees Fahrenheit. The local joke was that it was a “dry” heat. When the temperature hit triple digits, it was too hot.
“Got it, thanks. I’ll be right back.” He closed the few yards between them and the front door, unlocked it and slowly pushed it open, his pistol ready to fire. As the door swung open, inch by inch, he shone his flashlight inside until he reached around and hit the wall light switch. Sconces on either side of a mission-style framed mirror lit up, throwing a pale golden hue into the room. Bella had done her work and made the place a home, if the various decor touches were any indication. A fluffy white throw draped over a white fabric chaise lounge; in another corner a love seat boasted a spillover of throw pillows, all printed in bright, gregarious colors.
No sign of an intruder. But Holden didn’t allow relief to take away the weight of responsibility from his shoulders. Not yet. Not until they caught and apprehended the suspect.
He methodically cleared out each room, confirming the house was indeed empty, before returning to where Bella stood on the porch. “All clear.” He motioned for her to come inside. “Let’s lock up the front door and you’re free to move about. I’m going to check the back of the house to be sure you’re safe.”
* * *
She watched his retreating backside and only then did she allow herself to sag against the kitchen pantry door. She’d been surprised at how hard Spencer and his K-9 Boris worked situations before, how very tedious and exacting law enforcement was, done right; but this revealed a whole new level of ignorance on her part that Bella hadn’t anticipated. How many times had she heard Spencer say it wasn’t about the firearms, or the physicality of the cop, but the intelligence? The ability to conduct their job under any circumstance?
Holden St. Clair knew what he was doing, displaying a tenacity for doing what was right, no matter that they both were bone weary and dog tired. He could have dropped her off, assumed she’d be fine until the pageant began tomorrow, but instead Holden was conducting an investigation of her home security as if it were the beginning of the day and he had all the energy to be as thorough as when he first woke.
She watched the light beam flash outside the windows, first near the living area and then around to the kitchen, before it disappeared as Holden walked the perimeter of her house. Bella tried to stay focused on the present and what she needed to do to prepare for tomorrow, but her mind and her body couldn’t stop flashing back to moments ago in her car.