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His brows rose even higher. “Are you kidding me? Why would she do that?”
“She said she liked the space and felt like it would be good for our relationship if it was extended a few days.”
Fox stayed quiet for a moment. “Wow.” He went back to his seat, rubbing a hand over his cheek, up into his hair. This created a gap in the buttons on his shirt, giving me a clear view of the tattooed chest, bright colors popping through the gap.
I quickly pried my eyes away, although his gaze suggested I might not have been quick enough.
“Anyways,” I said, waving a hand through the air, half expecting it to get caught in whatever tension was thickening the space between us. “I should veer back to the interview. This isn’t a therapy session, and I really don’t want to have to pay you to psychoanalyze me.”
I was shocked at how much I had opened up to this man. Barely an hour after meeting him and I felt like we’d been friends since Ms. Tina Georgina’s kindergarten class back from 1995.
“Interview, right.” He laughed, a sound that came from deep in his chest. “Listen, Jonah, I think it’s safe to say that you’ve got the job.”
“Whoa, wait… for real?”
“You’ve got good experience as an officer, and you rose in the ranks faster than I’ve seen anyone do in a while. You’re charismatic and sharp, you’ve got drive and passion. You’ve got your Florida detective licensing in order and passed the exam with the highest percentile bracket.” He was smiling, showing off his pearly whites.
It was nice.
More than nice, it drew me in faster than a moth to a campfire.
“Stonewall Investigations would be lucky to have you.”
“I’d be lucky to have you.” My eyes almost fell out of my skull. “Yoouurr blessing. Lucky to have your blessing. Thank you.”
“Of course,” he said, his eyes once again suggesting he wasn’t falling for any of my bullshit.
“So, when can I start?”
“How does now sound?”
Both of my eyebrows jumped. “Oh, okay, yeah. Now’s as good a time as any.”
And with that, I was officially hired as a Stonewall detective, after an interview where I had made a solid and convincing case for myself while simultaneously coming off as a complete and utter fool.
Sexy TV magician, really? Really?
All in all, though, I was feeling more and more confident that coming to this interview and taking this job would be one of the best things to have happened to me in a very long time.
Another good thing?
Meeting Gabriel “Fox” Morrison.
That was one other really good thing. Maybe even the best thing…
5 Gabriel “Fox” Morrison
Jonah had blown my expectations out of the water. All the previous detectives who had come in for a spot were similarly bright and driven, but none caught my attention as much as Jonah Brightly had. There was something about him that had me spinning off my axis. He changed the way I breathed, how I stood, the way I laughed. All from a simple hour or so of speaking with him.
And then the kick to the nuts that I needed: he was straight.
He was going to be a great friend, I could already sense that, but that was all he would be. A great friend and a great detective. I needed to be okay with that and nothing more.
I had to get rid of the fantasies that started cropping up in my head. The fantasies that involved Jonah, his legs spread wide, his body aching for my touch. Mine for his.
Those fantasies would be saved for later, for the shower. I’d handle business and watch as my thoughts of Jonah naked and writhing went away down the shower drain.
“All right,” I said, looking from Jonah before my mind painted a picture of his sexy lips making a trail down my chest with kisses. “Okay.” I glanced at my watch, finding it hard to focus on anything else but Jonah.
He’s straight. He’s got a girlfriend. He’s a new employee.
He’s off-limits.
“I’ve got a case I’m working on right now that I could use your help on. It’s a big one, and I can tell that you and I would work really well together, so I want to bring you on it. What do you say?”
I opened a side drawer and pulled out a heavy black binder. On the cover, written in a bold white marker: Dragon Case.
“Partners?”
Jonah looked at me, a smile on his face that might as well have been answer enough. He leaned forward and grabbed the binder, setting it on his lap and opening it.
“I agree,” Jonah said, already skimming over the first page while he spoke. “I think we’d make a great pair.”
“Good.” I looked away, hiding the growing smile. I felt absurd. Why the fuck was I so happy? It wasn’t like Jonah told me I was winning. What the hell was wrong with me?
