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He frowned, looking a little confused. "And just who was I supposed to tell?"
She shook her head. "No one. I just... None of those officer friends you were talking to today seemed to know."
He snorted sourly. "Like they would've believed me even if I had told them. By the way you completely ignored me, I couldn't believe it myself."
"Oh, you poor baby," she crooned mockingly, stroking his hair to give herself a reason to touch him again.
He glowered and caught her hand. "Or maybe I haven't said anything because I don't have a clue where I stand with you. Spending two nights together doesn't exactly mean we're going steady. I'm not sure if they were freak incidents or if we're actually starting somet
hing. Hell, I was fully prepared to get kicked out on my ass when I came in here tonight."
"Were you?" she murmured, grinning as she tugged free of his hold to trace her finger up his nicely-defined chest. "How cute."
He caught her hand again. "Not cute," he retorted. "It's called damned confused. Since we've done this on three different occasions, I'm guessing we can no longer call it a one-time deal."
"Why, Malloy," she murmured, lying down on her stomach next to him and resting her chin on her hands to bat her lashes like a schoolgirl. "Are you asking to go steady? I'm flattered."
Now she really had him flustered. And she loved it. She loved that he wanted something more than sex. Her belly tightened with excitement.
"Damn it," he muttered. "I'm not asking to—"
Cursing under his breath, he sat up and pinned her with a dark look. "Look, when I sleep with a woman, I don't share. So, if we're going to continue this—whatever the hell it is—it's going to be exclusive. You might as well consider your little county councilman officially blocked."
"County councilman?" she repeated before rolling her eyes. "You mean Cole?" She snorted and sarcastically replied, "Yes, I'm sure he'll be crushed." She must've been a lot slower on the uptake than she realized because it took her another second to comprehend what he was saying. "Wait a second. What do you think you know about me and Cole?"
He shrugged, not exactly meeting her gaze when he answered, "There's some gossip going around about you and him."
"That we're sleeping together?" she asked, incredulously.
Sure, she'd expected Malloy to kiss and tell but she hadn't thought Cole would ever start rumors, especially false ones. It made her supremely happy he'd never gotten past a goodnight kiss.
"Just which one of your deputy friends heard I'd been with Cole?"
That question seemed to amuse him. "Actually, they each thought you were sleeping with a different person. I can't remember which one of them pinpointed DiAngelo."
"So, which one of them was right about who I've actually been entertaining in my bedroom?"
Giving her a cocky grin, Malloy answered, "I was."
"You..." Willow stopped breathing. So, he had tattled. She didn't want to dwell on the disappointment pulsing through her, but it kept swirling around her stomach like an annoying gnat that refused to go away, bothering her more with each breath she drew.
"I said I knew who you hadn't been sleeping with: any of them."
The relief bloomed in her chest. Willow couldn't help but smile. "Did you?" she answered. "How did they take that?"
"They called me an ass."
She laughed and curled toward him, pressing her back against his chest and spooning into a comfortable spot. He sneezed and pushed her hair out of his face.
"Well, they're right about one thing." She grinned, closing her eyes and feeling suddenly very content. "You are an ass."
Behind her, Malloy made a growling sound and pinched her hip. "Watch who you're calling names, woman, or I'll let the entire department know who really warms your bed."
He was bluffing, and they both knew it. Making a purring sound deep in her throat, she cuddled closer. "So, who else am I supposedly doing?"
He yawned and evaded the question. "Why do you keep your kitchen light on at night?"
She blinked, curious as to why he wouldn't answer her. "I don't."
