Temperature's Rising (7 page)

56

Karen Kelley

“Not me.” She shook her head. “I don’t have to. Being a real estate agent may not be nine to five, but it’s certainly more normal than the hours you keep, and I don’t hold anyone’s fate in my hands.” Her answer was pat. Almost like she’d memorized it, and maybe she had. He felt like there was more to her story, but he wouldn’t question her. She might just want to see if the grass was greener on the other side. Hell, he couldn’t fault her for that. Like he told himself before—

she wasn’t meant to be a cop.

Something in the air seemed to shift between them.

Like she realized they were actually carrying on a conversation, and he didn’t think she liked him that much.

And why should she? Not after he’d arrested her. At the very least, she seemed edgy around him.

Suddenly, though, it seemed like she was closing herself off from him. He wasn’t sure he liked the feeling, but one thing was certain—she was definitely safe.

No matter how bad her father wanted to see his little girl married to a cop, and he’d already guessed as much, she refused to date one. She’d said so herself. And even though she was damn easy on the eyes, he didn’t have to worry about becoming involved with her. He could relax.

“You were right.” He stared at her, liking the way her eyes widened just slightly when she looked at him.

“About what?” she asked.

For a moment he forgot everything except the expec-tant look on her face; then he remembered what he’d wanted to tell her. “The stew. It was good.” She suddenly laughed. His senses absorbed the light and beauty of the sound. The dying notes wrapped around him, bringing an unfamiliar longing that settled in the center of his chest. He held his breath, not wanting the moment to escape.

“I’m glad you liked Dad’s cooking.” The spell broke and Conor exhaled. What the hell had TEMPERATURE’S RISING

57

just happened? One minute he had everything under control, and in the next, he was lost in the sound of her laughter, and wishing he could get to know her better.

Abruptly, he stood, reaching for her bowl. “Here, I’ll take the dishes to the sink.”

“I can do that.”

She sprang from her chair, grabbing her bowl, but instead of ceramic, her hand closed over his. The room grew quiet. Her fingers were soft and warm. His insides quaked.

Her pupils dilated, and she leaned just a fraction toward him. The urge to pull her into his arms and taste the sweetness of her mouth was almost unbearable. Conor didn’t think she’d put up much resistance.

Hell, why not? One kiss wouldn’t hurt. He set the bowls on the table and pulled her into his arms, lowering his mouth to hers.

Damn, she tasted sweet . . . and hot. She snuggled closer to his body. Softness and heat wrapped around him. He tangled his fingers in her hair, wanting her closer still.

Tremors swept over his body. He slid his hand down her back, then around to cup the fullness of her breast. He could feel the nipple tighten when he barely brushed across it.

She moaned. He stilled, ending the kiss, moving his hand away. Damn, what the hell was he doing? He knew the answer, though. He was seducing the chief ’s daughter in the chief ’s kitchen.

Had he really thought Jessica was safe?

He had to end what he felt before it got out of control.

All he needed was the chief to walk in on him and Jessica having a go at it on the kitchen floor. There was only one way to kill anything that might be starting between them.

He drew in a deep breath as he stepped away, picking up the bowls off the table. “You know, it might be a good thing you didn’t pursue law enforcement.” She jerked her hand away from his. “Why do you say that?”

58

Karen Kelley

“You’re soft.”

Her shoulders stiffened. It was for the best, he told himself, even as an empty feeling began to swallow him.

“Soft.” She put some distance between them, then planted her hands on her hips.

Damn, she looked sweet, even though right at this moment she reminded him of a cute little kitten spitting and hissing at him.

He cleared his throat. “In a nice way, I mean. You’d never have made a good cop. You’re lacking that hard edge, the gut instincts it takes to be good at the job. I suspected as much when I found out you were an ex-cop. I mean, not even an ex-cop would let herself get arrested for soliciting. No, selling property suits you much better.” Her eyes sparked. “I’m so glad you approve of my job choice, Officer Richmond,” she ground out between her teeth. “If you’d been around sooner, you could have saved me the trouble of going through the academy. And, if I remember correctly, you were the one who jumped to conclusions. I was selling property, not my body. I only let you take me in because I needed a ride.”

“There are other ways to get a ride than being arrested.

All you had to do was ask. And from what I’ve heard, it was your decision to quit law enforcement. Right? You’re not upset with something I said, are you?”

“Upset? Upset! Why would I be upset?”

“I didn’t think so,” he lied. “I need to run some errands, so tell your father I enjoyed his cooking and the company. If he wants to discuss the burglaries, he can contact me at home in a couple of hours.” He set their bowls in the sink.

“I’ll be sure and tell my father exactly how much I
enjoyed
visiting with you, too.” She followed as he strode toward the front door. He could almost feel the daggers landing in his back.

Shuuuuuu . . . thunk!

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59

He hesitated at the front door, then turned. Damn. Her expression could’ve been carved from stone, but she still made a pretty sexy statue.

Jessica De Milo, except she had the arms to caress him . . .

or slap the shit out of him if he didn’t get the hell out of her life.

It was a damn shame they couldn’t have met at a different time or place. Some things weren’t meant to be. He certainly wouldn’t be the one to corrupt her. He had
some
ethics, but he did hate leaving her with a bad impression of him.

He opened his mouth, but no words came. What could he say? That he didn’t mean what he said?

No, he’d done the right thing. Long-term relationships never seemed to work out for him, and being the boss’s daughter, Jessica spelled trouble with a capital T. It was only one step up from being a preacher’s daughter.

“See you around.” He opened the door. Then why did he feel lower than a sunken ship?

“I doubt it. I don’t get to the station that often.” Her words were clipped.

Conor took a deep breath as he stepped outside. All the way to his car he told himself he
had
done the right thing. Sometimes doing the right thing sure felt wrong, though.

Chapter 5

The front door opened and Jessica’s father hurried inside. “Has Conor left?”

She uncrossed her legs and tapped her toe as she scowled at her obviously unrepentant father. “You’re three hours late, and you didn’t fool me one iota.” He closed the door and tossed her the keys to her Mustang. She deftly caught them.

“How’d it go?” He hurried to the sofa, rubbing his hands together. “I knew you two would hit it off right from the start.”

Maybe her father needed to call Dr. Parker and make an appointment to have a CT scan of his brain. It definitely wasn’t functioning right. “The first time I saw Officer Richmond, he arrested me! How did you get an attraction from that encounter?” His forehead puckered. “That’s irrelevant. He saw you on the corner and stopped. Never discount the role fate plays in your life.”

Fate? She could think of a dozen other words, and
fate
wasn’t one of them.

And her father wasn’t showing one bit of remorse. He TEMPERATURE’S RISING

61

acted like an engagement announcement was just around the corner. She couldn’t believe he harbored such notions. On second thought, this was her father—the matchmaker.

Well, she was about to burst his bubble. “If I never see Conor Richmond again, it’ll be too soon. The man is full of himself.” And darn it, why did he have to be such a great kisser? A spark of electricity had jumped between them. At least, that’s what it had seemed like to her. Electricity and fire and . . . Damn, he was doing it to her again.

Being attracted to him ticked her off almost as much as Conor did. He’d said she was soft. Where had he gotten that impression? She was thoughtful for a moment. Unless her cousins had been scamming him. Very possible.

Once they’d told a rookie that she had three boobs.

When curiosity got the better of him and he’d asked to see her chest, she’d punched him in the nose.

They were always pulling some kind of prank. She grinned inwardly. Of course, she was just as devious.

Like the time she’d put pretzels on every desk—the really salty kind—then made sure there was water in the coolers so they would drink plenty of it.

Devious? Oh yeah, she’d put an OUT OF ORDER sign on the men’s restroom at work, after Saran-wrapping the toilet seats in the ladies’ room.

She’d stayed in her Aunt Gloria’s office, with the door partially open. They’d grinned and high-fived when the yelling began. Sometimes she amazed herself. Her smile slipped.

They still hadn’t retaliated.

Her father’s frown deepened as he sat across from her, drawing her attention. “What’d Conor do to make you mad?”

Her irritation rose to the surface. “He . . . he . . . .” What exactly had he done? For starters, Conor had 62

Karen Kelley

told her selling property suited her, but hadn’t she said those very same words to her father?

She tapped her toe. “It doesn’t matter. We mix about as well as water and oil, so you can forget about any matchmaking schemes. I plan to stay far away from Officer Richmond.”

Her father was silent, and she wondered if she might have hurt his feelings. She hadn’t meant to come down quite so hard. After all, he only wanted the best for her.

She peeked at him from the corner of her eye. He didn’t look that distraught. He could be hiding his pain, though.

She
was
his only daughter, after all, and she’d always been Daddy’s little girl.

“You may be right,” he finally said.

She breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe she’d
needed
to be a little firm. It was just so damn hard when it was her father. He’d always been there for her. But still, he had to stop butting into her love life. She was a mature woman, perfectly able to pick who she dated.

“How would you like to help me out, though?”

“Help you?” Her eyes narrowed. For all that she loved him, she didn’t quite trust her father not to pull another stunt. She studied him for a moment. He looked innocent enough as he continued to steadily meet her gaze.

“Help you do what?” she asked.

“I need a realtor to show the house next to the burglary suspects. It’s listed through your company, and since you’re still a reserve and have a badge, it’d be perfect for you without getting too involved.” Back in the field? Her heart began to race. A drop of familiar adrenaline trickled into her bloodstream and quickened her pulse.
Take a deep breath
, she told herself.

That life was behind her. Her father only wanted her to show a house, not arrest the criminals.

She could do that and stay uninvolved with law enforcement. The best of both worlds, kind of. She’d even TEMPERATURE’S RISING

63

get to wear a dress. A flutter of excitement skipped up and down her spine. She quickly tamped it down. She’d only be pretending to show a house. Nothing more. The only reason she was remotely considering it was because her father needed her help, but could she really trust him?

“You’re sure that’s all I’d be doing?” She wanted her father to spell it out, just to be on the safe side. He wasn’t about to trap her into rejoining the department.

“Scout’s honor.” He held up his fingers.

“I thought you told me and Gabe they kicked you out of Scouts because you didn’t follow the rules.”

“Old habit.” He cleared his throat and hurried on.

“The burglars are getting gutsy.” Her father leaned forward in his chair, resting his arms on his knees. “They robbed Mrs. Huntley’s home the day before yesterday—

in broad daylight. She was having a garden party in the backyard. They waltzed in and stole everything out of the front rooms—even the area rugs.”

“How? Surely someone saw them.” He shook his head. “Apparently not, or if they did, they paid them no mind. All the extra help claimed they were either in the kitchen putting together trays of food or in the garden, serving. The only one up front was the housekeeper. She’s half blind, got one foot in the grave, and couldn’t identify anyone if she’d wanted to. The only reason Mrs. Huntley keeps her around is because the housekeeper is older than she is.”

“Even so, wouldn’t the housekeeper have suspected something?”

“Apparently not. The burglars told her they were there to remove the stuff for cleaning and she believed them.

When a thundercloud threatened to rain on their get-together, Mrs. Huntley invited her guests inside, and—”

“—and discovered a tornado had already swept through.”

“—and sucked everything up.” He studied her. “So, are you in?”

64

Karen Kelley

She began twisting her top button.
Calm down
, she told herself. It wasn’t like she wanted to return to law enforcement.

But it might relieve her boredom. She hadn’t sold a blasted house since the Randolph home. Even the real estate deal with Troy’s brother, John, had fallen through.

John had decided to open his travel agency in another town. Troy had profusely apologized after his brother missed their appointment the other evening.

Still, she eyed her father and his innocent expression.

It could be another ploy on his part. He didn’t
look
like he had anything up his sleeve.

“It would be just this one time, and I’d only be doing it to help you out.” She wanted him to be perfectly aware of that fact so he wouldn’t get any foolish notions in his head.