The Detective's 8 lb, 10 oz Surprise (20 page)

“Sorry for bringing you in the back way,” she said. “But it would've have been silly to walk all the way around to the front door.”

It was silly of him to be in the house in the first place, Noah thought grimly. In fact, he felt like a deer tiptoeing into an open meadow. He was just asking for trouble.

“I'm used to entering back doors, Ms.—uh, Bella.”

She laughed softly. “Maybe one of these days you'll tell me about some of those back doors you've walked through.”

Only if he was drunk or had been injected with sodium pentothal, Noah thought.

“That kind of confession might incriminate me,” he said.

Her eyes sparkling, she laughed again and Noah felt the pit of his stomach make a silly little flip. Without even trying, she was the sexiest woman he'd ever met. And her sultry beauty was only a part of the reason. The richness of her voice, the sensual way her body moved, the pleasure of her laugh and glint in her brown eyes all came together to create a walking, talking bombshell.

“You need to remember that information shared between a lawyer and his client is private,” she joked, then pointed to a long pine table positioned near a bay window. “Have a seat.”

He looked at the table and then down at his hands. “I think I'd better wash my hands first.”

Pink color swept over her face. “Oh, I'm sorry, Noah. I haven't really lost my manners. I just wasn't thinking. Follow me and I'll show you where you can wash up.”

They left the kitchen through a wide opening, then turned down a hallway. When they reached the second door on their right, she paused and pushed it open to reveal an opulent bathroom.

“There's soap and towels and whatever else you need. Make yourself at home,” she told him. “When you're finished you can find me in the kitchen.”

“Thanks.”

She left him and Noah entered the bathroom. At the gray marble sink, he scrubbed his hands and face with soap and hot water, then reluctantly reached for one of the thick, fluffy hand towels draped over a silver rack. If his hands weren't clean enough, they'd leave traces of dirt and manure on the towel. It would be embarrassing to have Bella discover he'd messed up her fine things.

Hell, Noah, why are you worrying about a damned towel or tracking up the tile? And why should you be feeling like a stallion suddenly led into a fancy sitting room instead of a barn stall? Bella isn't a snob. In fact, she acts as if she likes you. Why don't you take advantage of the fact?

Disgusted by the voice sounding off in his head, Noah hurried out of the bathroom. The sooner he accepted this payment of hers, the sooner he could get out of here and forget all about her and her warm smile and sweet-smelling skin. He could go back to being a saddle tramp. A man without a family and a past he desperately wanted to forget.

Copyright © 2016 by Stella Bagwell

ISBN-13: 9781488002427

The Detective's 8 lb, 10 oz Surprise

Copyright © 2016 by Meg Maxwell

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