“That means his alibi is nonexistent.”
“True. As far as we know, no one can account for his whereabouts at the time of the murder. He claims he never met Ella. I don’t know whether to believe him or not. It’s a good thing I fell in the water. It made him open up. Leave it to the witch to break the ice—or, in this case, the surface of the water.” I laughed softly, hoping to lighten the mood.
It had the opposite effect.
The laughter died on my lips as Derrick’s hand cupped my jaw. His thumb brushed the side of my cheek, and I swallowed, nerves tingling, caught in the silent moment.
“I won’t let anything happen to you. I’ll keep you safe, I swear it.”
His promise made my heart pound. The carriage lantern illuminated his stark features, and I struggled to find the words to answer him.
“Nothing will happen to me, and even if something did, it wouldn’t be your fault. I hate what Olivia said to you. You’re not responsible for Ella’s death because you didn’t solve the other murders. I haven’t known you for long, but I know you care about your cases and the people in this kingdom. I admire that.” I wet my lips as a flush warmed my cheeks. “I admire you. More and more every day.”
A string of emotions played across his face, his expression moving from denial to desire in a heartbeat. He pulled me closer to murmur my name, the rough sound quickening my pulse. When his lips found mine, soft and achingly slow, his tongue against the seam of my mouth teased a moan low in my throat. Derrick reacted to the sound like I’d struck him with magic, deepening the kiss.
My heart drummed faster. Need burned a path through my body. I moved against him, running my hands over the wall of his muscled chest. This was crazy! We were supposed to be acting, and yet none of this felt like an act. Not the longing that coiled low in my belly or the raw urgency he poured into our kiss.
We broke apart, breathing heavily.
“Tessa…” His voice shook as lust darkened his gaze.
“More,” I breathed. “Please, more. Almost warm.”
He growled, capturing my chin between his fingers and fusing our mouths together. His hands fisted my wet hair, slid down my damp skin, and air caught in my lungs as his knuckles brushed the underside of my breast. They skimmed lower, until his fingers locked around my hips and dragged me onto his lap. With my palms flat against the back of the carriage seat, my head fell on my shoulders at the warmth of his mouth on my collarbone. Derrick tasted my skin, stroking the column of my neck and banishing the cold and any lingering fear.
When his lips found mine again, he cradled my face in his hands. Slowly, he pulled back with a reluctant groan to rest his forehead against mine.
“You admire me, huh?”
“Don’t let it go to your head, Detective.”
The carriage rumbled over ruts in the road, swaying us closer together. Derrick wrapped his arms around my waist. I was warm all over, shivery but not from the cold, as his earlier words washed through me:I’ll keep you safe.That kind of vow was addictive to a witch who courted disaster as much as I did. It shook something loose inside me—something I hadn’t ever dared hope for.
“Looks like we saved the best of our act for when no one was watching. Mr. Lincoln will be so disappointed.”
His mouth brushed over mine again, then trailed slowly along my jaw. “Who’s acting? I’ve wanted to kiss you again for days.”
“You have?” My breath hitched at the delicious tracks his fingers made over my skin.
“Yes, every time you force my hand and get your way. You’re relentless.”
“That doesn’t sound like a compliment, Detective.”
“Mmm…it doesn’t, does it? How about stubborn, headstrong, unshakable?”
“You’re not getting any warmer. Sounds like you’re out of practice.”
“Maybe I am.” He smiled, and I melted beneath it until a worry surfaced.
“Aren’t you afraid this might be one of my spells? That you’ll wake up tomorrow and wonder what hit you?”
Derrick paused and met my eyes. “You forget, I investigated you. You aren’t that good at magic.”
My laughter filled the carriage. “My secrets are exposed.”
“Something tells me I’m only scratching the surface of your secrets.”
I wanted to tell him everything right then. He might understand, and maybe we could work together to handle Argus. But when I opened my mouth to try, he captured it in another lingering kiss.
