Undercover in High Heels (23 page)

“Hang on.”

I paused. “Yes?”

He leaned in close. I could smell the mingling scents of leather, aftershave, and pure guy as his lips gently skimmed over mine. It was just the slightest of touches, but it made my insides quiver.

Okay, so maybe I could spare a couple of minutes…

But before I could follow through with that thought, Ramirez pulled away.

He took a step back, his eyes intense on me, some emotion building behind them that I couldn’t read. He wiped one hand across his jaw and shifted back onto his other foot. “Listen, Maddie, there’s something I need to say before we go. Something I
want
to say.”

“Okay…” I waited.

Ramirez did another foot shift. He bit the inside of his cheek. He did some more intense staring. If it was anyone but Bad Cop, I’d say he almost looked nervous.

“Are you okay? I mean, if you want to sit down or something we could…”

But I trailed off as Ramirez took a step closer to me and pulled something out of his jacket pocket. Something small. Something round.

Something in a jeweler’s box.

I froze, my heart forgetting to beat as I stared at a
ring box
in his hands.

Oh. My. God.

“Maddie, these past few days have made me crazy. Not knowing where you were was the scariest thing that’s ever happened to me. It made me realize I don’t ever want to not know where you are again.”

And suddenly my heart was beating again. Way, way too fast. Holy shit! Was he proposing? I felt my breath shoving in and out of my lungs at double speed and feared I was hyperventilating. I so was not prepared for this. I mean, marriage? To Bad Cop? He was the love-’em-and-leave-’em type. The bad boy who made your heart go pitter-patter, then rode off into the sunset. He was the I-carry-a-gun-and-I’ll-handcuff-you-to-the-bed-for-a-night-of-really-kinky-sex type.
People like Faux Dad and Mrs. Rosenblatt got married. Not people like Bad Cop.

Right?

Right?

“Look, I know we’ve had our moments lately. And I realize I can be a bit of a jerk at times. But not knowing where you were that one night almost drove me crazy.”

That one night. Right. The one I’d spent at Felix’s house. Sitting in Felix’s kitchen. Drinking Felix’s cappuccino.

Kissing Felix’s lips.

Ohmigod. I’d kissed Felix! I couldn’t say yes to Ramirez now. What about that kiss? What would he say? I mean, it
had
been an accident. It didn’t mean anything. It was all a big mistake. A misunderstanding. Yes, that was what it was, a misunderstanding.

I realized that the panic pounding in my ears was so loud it had drowned Ramirez out. I gave myself a mental shake, willing my heart to stop drag racing.

“…all I’m saying is that I don’t want to keep you out anymore.” Ramirez made a move to open the case.

Instinctively, I slapped a hand over his. “Wait, Jack. I…” I took a deep breath. Here goes nothing. “There’s…there’s something you should know.”

Ramirez looked down at me, his eyes dark and sincere, filled with emotion that this time I didn’t have to guess at. It was plain as day. It was the most tender look I had ever seen from him. My throat suddenly closed up and I couldn’t breathe.

“Just let me say this first, okay?” he asked, covering my hand with his and extracting the box.

I bit my lip. Oh lord, I was going to cry. I was going to bawl like a baby.

And I was pretty sure that if he got down on one knee, I was going to have a heart attack.

“Maddie…”

Oh God, this was it. This was the moment. My stomach churned, those chocolate-covered pretzels threatening to make a repeat appearance.

“I want you to have this.”

Ramirez opened the jewelry box.

I took a deep, fortifying breath, willed my stomach to stand still, and looked inside.

To find a key.

What the…?

“It’s a key to my house.” Ramirez pulled it out of the box and dangled it from his index finger. “I want you to have your own key. That is, if you still want it?”

A key.

I let out a big breath, emotion draining from me. Whether it was relief or disappointment I wasn’t yet ready to examine. But on the upside, I was pretty sure it wasn’t a heart attack.

Ramirez opened my hand and pressed the key into my palm. He’d had a copy made onto a pink metal key with little red lipstick kisses all over it. Very cute. Kinda sassy. Very…me, I realized.

I guess Bad Cop did know me, after all.

“Thanks, ” I said, thoroughly meaning it.

Ramirez leaned in and planted a soft kiss on my forehead. “You’re welcome, ” he whispered. “Is that a yes?”

I would tell him about that accidental kiss. Later. Possibly when I knew he wasn’t armed. But not now. Not in the middle of this perfect proposal of almost cohabiting, or at least sleeping over without notice.

“Yes.”

Ramirez’s grin was so big, twin dimples popped out on
his cheeks. “Good. Now, let’s get to your mom’s before the Terror drools on every available seat.”

I grabbed my purse, slipping my new pink key inside. Somehow it felt a little heavier. Fuller. Actually, it felt kind of nice. Like I had a little piece of Ramirez with me everywhere I went now.

I bit back a big, goofy grin.

“By the way, ” Ramirez said, his lips close to my ear as I closed the door behind us, “I do expect you to use that key tonight.”

My stomach flipped, sending a shiver right down to my toes.

Oh, boy.

“Drag queens meet the high-fashion mob in this fun, fast-paced follow-up to Halliday’s delectable
Spying in High Heels
. This amusing whodunit scores big…Maddie’s winning return, with her bold comical voice and knack for thinking fast on her strappy slingbacks, will elicit cheers from fans of the growing chick mystery field.”

—
Publishers Weekly

“A rather lighthearted, amusing mystery with a shoe-loving heroine…An entertaining and enjoyable read.”

—
Romantic Times BOOKreviews

“For those of us who like Stephanie Plum by Janet Evanovich, this is the same type of tale…a fun, witty mystery that will have you laughing out loud. Her characters are memorable with fast paced writing that moves along to a nice final conclusion.”

—
Midwest Book Review

“Nonstop action…guaranteed to keep chick lit and mystery fans happy.”

—
Publishers Weekly
(Starred Review)

“In her debut novel,
Spying in High Heels
, Gemma Halliday deftly blends chick lit with mystery to create a saucy combination of romance and suspense that is simply irresistible.”

—
Chicago Tribune

“Halliday’s debut is a winner, with its breezy, fast-paced style, interesting characters and story meant for the keeper shelf.”

—
Romantic Times BOOKreviews

KILLER IN HIGH HEELS

SPYING IN HIGH HEELS

MAKING IT ®

September 2007

Published by

Dorchester Publishing Co., Inc.
200 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10016

Copyright © 2007 by Gemma Halliday

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E-ISBN: 978-1-4285-0468-4

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