“No, I wouldn’t have been exhausted.” He leaned closer and took a lock of her hair, caressing its length. “But I would have wanted to get to know you before, well…you know.”
Kurt swore in her ear. “Are you kidding me? He’s really going to revert back tothattopic?”
“Why, Austin?” she asked, trying to ignore Kurt’s voice. At this moment, she wished she wasn’t wearing the earpiece. “Why would you have wanted to get to know me?”
“You’re different.” He shrugged. “I can’t put my finger on it, but you’re a mystery to me. At times I think you’re just like those other women Derek set me up with, but then you do or say something that throws me off…that makes me believe you are more.”
She forced a small laugh, still trying not to allow him to completely melt her. “Austin, you still don’t know me. Why do you say these things?” When he opened his mouth to reply, she placed her fingers on his lips, quieting him. “Because from life’s experience, men who over-flatter me only want one thing. And well, I can’t respect a man who is like that.”
His gaze narrowed as he held her hand to his mouth. Slowly, he placed soft kisses on her fingertips. As she stared into his green eyes, they darkened with desire. Her heart hammered in a different rhythm, but it was not panic. She couldn’t understand why she wasn’t worried right now.
Gradually, he smiled. “And you are very smart to have figured that out so soon in life. But,” he shook his head, “if I had felt that way about you when we first met, I wouldn’t have wanted to jump in the sack. You see, I, too, have experienced love’s hard lessons, and I guard my heart very carefully.”
Was he just saying the words she wanted to hear, or was he being serious? Where were her gut feelings now when she needed them? “I see we have one thing in common.”
“I’m sure we have more,” his hand moved from her hair to her face, close to her mouth, “but we just need to discover what they are.”
“And how you do you suggest we do that?” After she’d said it, she couldn’t believe she was talking this way. Wasshetrying to seduce him? Nah, couldn’t be right.
“I have an idea.” His voice softened as he leaned closer. His gaze stayed on her mouth.
She held her breath, waiting for the moment she’d feel the electricity buzzing through her from his passionate kiss. It could only be better this time, since she didn’t think he was the murderer now.
As his lips touched hers, she closed her eyes. Warmth immediately spread through her, and she held back the sigh that was ready to release from her throat. But no, she couldn’t let him know how severely her body reacted to his kiss.
“Britt,” Kurt whispered. “What’s going on? Why do I hear heavy breathing?”
She sighed, but it wasn’t because of how pleasurable it was to kiss Austin. How could she have forgotten about Kurt?
She quickly pulled back and stared into Austin’s surprised eyes. “I, um, I have a better idea.” She licked her lips. “Let’s, um… Do you arm wrestle?”
Austin’s eyes widened even more. “Arm wrestle?”
Chuckling, she moved off the couch and back toward the table. “Yes. Arm wrestle. You’d be shocked how well one can get to know another person just by arm wrestling.”
“Heehee,” Kurt’s voice rumbled from her ear. “Britt, you haven’t changed a bit. I remember our first arm wrestle.”
Inwardly, Brittany growled. She didn’t want him in her ear. Not now. She wanted to get to know Austin so that she could make the decision of whether he was a killer or not. With Kurt’s words influencing her, she doubted she’d be able to make the right decision.
Austin smiled and moved from the couch, coming toward her. “It’s been a while since I’ve arm wrestled, but now seems like a good time.”
She smiled—genuinely smiled, and her heart lifted. She finally felt she could handle any situation now. That’s what she needed in order to crack this case. Although she was undercover, she wanted to be herself. And starting now, she’d do that.
