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It’d taken nearly two dozen stitches to sew up the wound, but it could have been so much worse. If Rocky hadn’t found him on the patio, Jamie might have frozen to death.
“I don’t know how long it’ll be before I can get back to the ranch,” Cullen continued. “But keep an eye on things. And if you hear anything about the investigation, let me know.”
“I can let you know that Rocky believes you’re guilty,” Mack readily admitted.
That came as no surprise whatsoever to Cullen. And Rocky wouldn’t be the only one who thought he’d killed his ex-girlfriend. That was why it was important to Cullen that the snake who’d killed Alexa be caught. He didn’t give a rat what people thought of him, but this could spill back on Leigh if enough gossips thought she wasn’t doing her job by not arresting him.
Cullen ended the call with Mack and sent a text to Rosa to check and see how she was doing. He also made a mental note to give her a huge bonus for everything she was having to deal with right now. When he got a quick answer that she was okay, Cullen frowned and wished he had another text or call so he wouldn’t keep thinking about Leigh.
Specifically, about a naked Leigh in the shower.
Well, at least the thought of her managed to clear out some of the cobwebs from his head. The thoughts of joining her, naked, cleared out a whole bunch more. Over the years he’d never forgotten her, but being around her like this had a way of reminding him that forgetting her was impossible.
He finally heard her turn off the water in the shower, and Cullen hoped that would quell any notion of him going in there. It didn’t. Because he started to think about her dressing. Leigh had had an amazing body as a teenager, but he was betting she’d gotten even more amazing over the years.
Cullen was certain he looked guilty, and aroused, by the time Leigh came out of the bathroom. But she didn’t notice, thank goodness, because she had her attention pinned to her phone.
“I got the search warrant for Alexa’s home and office,” she said, still focusing on the phone screen. “I’ll be going through her emails, phone records, et cetera. Is there anything you’d like to tell me before I look at them?”
Cullen didn’t answer right away, and he did that on purpose. He waited for Leigh to lift her gaze and look at him. “I hadn’t been in touch with Alexa in months, but it’s possible she kept some old emails or texts from me,” he explained. “If so, there won’t be any threats.”
“Nothing that can be construed as a threat?” she pressed.
He gave a weary smile and went to her. “No. I don’t make a habit of pouring out my heart—or my temper—in emails or texts.”
She met him eye to eye. “Did you pour them out verbally?”
“Not threats. Promises,” he clarified, causing her to frown.
“Promises,”she repeated. “Spoken like a true bad boy.”
“I’m not a boy,” Cullen stated. It was stupid, but he wanted to prove that to her. Prove it in an equally stupid way. And he did that by leaning in and brushing his mouth over hers.
It was too light of a touch to qualify as a kiss, but it sure as hell packed a wallop. He could have sworn that he felt it in every inch of his body.
He pulled back, gauging her reaction, and didn’t think he was wrong in that she’d felt it, too. There was plenty of heat in her eyes, and it wasn’t just anger that he’d done such a stupid thing.
She smelled good. Damn good. And her scent didn’t have anything to do with the soap. No. This was her own underlying scent that added an extra kick to the effects of the kiss that hadn’t been a real kiss.
“Leigh?” someone called out from the front of the building.
She backed away from Cullen as if he’d scalded her, and she groaned. Because it was her father’s voice.
“Leigh?” Jeb called out again, and Cullen heard the man’s footsteps heading their way.
Cullen didn’t move, but Leigh sure as heck did. She put several feet of space between them and turned to face her father head-on when Jeb stepped through the open door. Cullen faced him, too, and he saw the instant sweep of Jeb’s gaze. From Leigh to Cullen. Unless Jeb was an idiot, then he was no doubt picking up on the heated vibes in the room.
Cullen didn’t see Jeb often, which he was sure both of them considered a good thing, and it’d been several years since he’d laid eyes on him. It seemed to Cullen that Jeb had aged considerably during that time. He looked older than his sixtysomething years, and being out in the cold hadn’t helped his appearance. His face was chapped and red. His lips, brittle and cracked.
“The roads are closed. You shouldn’t have come,” Leigh insisted.
Cullen had to hand it to her. Her voice was solid, and she never once dodged her father’s intense gaze.
“The county crews salted the roads about an hour ago so they should be opening back up soon. I used my big truck so I could come and check on you.” Jeb paused. “I talked to Rocky, and he told me that Cullen and you had spent the night here.”
Leigh nodded. “We were at the hospital when the roads were closed so we came here.”
Jeb nodded, too, but it was obvious he was processing that. Along with likely trying to decide if his daughter had had sex with a man he considered a suspect.
