She nodded slightly. “Agreed. I told you that I only wanted to question him. Does it alarm you that he’s not home?”
A.J. shifted his stance and rubbed the back of his neck. “No,” he said slowly. “David’s very social and has a lot of friends. He’s been known to spend a weekend or two with them.”
“You have no idea where he could have gone?”
“No, but I’ll contact my parents and see if they know where he is.”
“What were you doing in his apartment?”
“I just got back from a mission and wanted to see if he’d like to get some dinner.”
“What? No hot dates or big reunions on a Friday night?” she asked dryly.
A.J. cocked his hip, slipping one of his big hands into the pocket of his jeans. He peered at her from beneath his thick, dark lashes. “Do I detect a note of sympathy, Sergeant?”
“Nice try. That pleading, adorable, little-boy look is really good. Do women usually swoon about now?”
He laughed and stepped closer. “Where did you get all that beautiful dark hair?”
The abrupt change in the discussion caught her totally off guard. Most men weren’t able to do it. He’d done it twice in less than two hours. Sienna took a deep breath, knowing she should step back, but he smelled so good, and his voice was so seductive. When he reached out and captured one of her locks, she found that she couldn’t quite swallow.
“So, spitfire. Where did you get this gorgeous hair?” He fingered the lock, the back of his knuckles grazing her cheekbone. His warm touch sent a buzzing sensation through her whole body.
Oh, no. It was rare, extremely rare. But there it was. A.J. Camacho was one of those men.The kind she couldn’t resist. The air crackled, her breathing increased, and she was sure her eyes were dilated. He turned her on just by taking up space. “I’ll tell you if you tell me where you got your blue, blue eyes.”
“My mom.”
He was cute, too. God help her. This time she was the one to laugh.
He leaned in and whispered in her ear. “Swooning yet?”
She was, but she wouldn’t let him know it. “I’d prefer it if you addressed me as Detective Parker.”
“Well, look at that, I outrank you.”
“Too bad. I’m not in the military, remember?”
“Right.” He stepped back. “So, where are we headed next?”
Sienna looked down at her watch and gasped. “I was supposed to be somewhere ten minutes ago.” Adrenaline shot into her system at the disruption of her well-thought-out timetable.Latewasn’t in her vocabulary. “I’ve got to go.” She brushed past him, but he grabbed her arm and twisted her around.
He swung her a little too firmly and she came up hard against a very solid chest. For a moment she just blinked up at him.My God, the man was built.
“Whoa, there. You are quite a bundle of energy.” He smiled at her with that bad-boy grin again. “I hate to bring this up, but my car is still at David’s place, and I have no ride. Since you’re the one who dragged me over here…”
Sienna stepped away from him and eased her arm out of his grasp. “You’re the one who assaulted an officer and caused me to be late. Take a cab. I’m meeting my friends at Enrique’s. Buckner’s apartment is in the wrong direction.”
He shrugged his impossibly broad shoulders. “Enrique’s is a great club. I can grab a cold one until you’re finished.”
“You’re doing this to irritate me, aren’t you?”
“You really are a great detective,” he said, a grin spreading across his face.
“Look, I have to swing by my apartment to change, and I would drop you at David’s now, but that’s across town.” She could barely stand the fact that she was going to be late. She had to minimize where she could.
“These friends sound important to you.”
“They are. We met last year on a case. I never miss my girls’ night out.” She bit her lip and came up with a final decision. “I could drop you by David’s afterward, if that’s okay with you,” she suggested grudgingly.