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As I looked at the website for the Fresh Catch Seafood Market, pride warmed my chest. We were closer than we’d ever been to unraveling the mystery around Maddie’s father’s death, and I’d just found the key clue that might get us some real answers. Who knew what else we might discover now that we’d put these pieces together?
Movement by the table caught my eye. Slade tapped Maddie’s arm and slid his finger down to her elbow with a familiarity that turned the warmth inside me into a prickly heat. “I knew having you on the case would be worth it. Nice work.”
Maddie ducked her head with a hint of a blush, but her returning gaze was nothing but avid. “Logan found the most important part. I just happened to notice that detail in the photo.”
Slade scooted closer to her in his chair and leaned his forearm on the back of hers so his hand rested against her shoulder. “And those sharp eyes pointed us in the right direction. Don’t sell yourself short. You’re a great asset to the team, Piccolina—and not just because of that great ass.”
Maddie’s blush deepened, but her eyes sparkled at the same time. My hands clenched at my sides, the unwelcome memory of the two of them disheveled and flushed among the library shelves rushing to the front of my mind. He looked like he was just a few minutes away from leading her back out there and having another go—and she appeared to be totally on board.
I reined in my irritation as well as I could and pasted on a tight smile. “Tone it down, Galvezo. We’ve still got an investigation to carry out here.”
Slade flicked his gaze my way with obvious amusement, and my gut twisted. I recognized his mischievous expression—and I knew that he hadn’t been happy about my interference with his pursuit of Maddie before. He wasn’t going to back down if he didn’t think he should have to.
“I’m just making sure to give credit where it’s due,” he said in a teasing voice. “I appreciate your contributions too.” Then he turned back to Maddie, running his fingers along her jaw in a way that sent a fresh flare of jealousy searing through me. “But you don’t just have sharp eyes, do you?”
Maddie raised an eyebrow, but her gaze stayed locked with his. “What do you mean?”
Slade’s mouth curved into a seductive grin. “You’ve got that sharp tongue too. Such a lovely combination. I’m looking forward to seeing what else every part of you can do… but especially that tongue.”
Maddie’s cheeks turned outright red. She grabbed Slade’s hand to move it away from her face but kept holding on to it. “I don’t think this is the best place for this conversation.”
His grin grew. “I can arrange plenty of other times and places.”
I just about bit my tongue off in frustration. That was enough. I couldn’t stand here and watch him hang all over her while they practically fucked with their eyes in front of me. We had leads to track down. We didn’t need the distraction.
If I didn’t get him away from her right now, I wasn’t totally sure what my fists might do next.
I motioned to him and Dexter briskly. “We should get on with following up on the new information. You two, go scope out the seafood market. Madelyn, I want to talk to you for a minute.”
I couldn’t help reverting back to using her full name even though I’d allowed myself more familiarity in the last couple of days. Her gaze darted to me with a tensing of her mouth that didn’t make me feel all that wonderful about it.
Slade gave me a considering look, but he got up from his chair with a squeeze of Maddie’s hand before letting it go. “The boss has spoken. Come on, Dex. Let’s see how fishy this place is.”
Dexter stood, taking on the deadpan tone of his typical jokes. “If it isn’t fishy, it’s not much of a seafood market.”
Slade snorted and elbowed him on their way out. Maddie had stood up too, her arms crossed over her chest in a defensive stance that twisted me up for totally different reasons.
“What did you want to talk to me about?” she asked in a cool tone as the door clicked shut behind the guys. Her dark blue eyes bored into me as if piercing right through to everything I’d wanted to protect her from. Reminding me how much I’d already failed at that goal.
All my frustrations collided into a mess of emotions I couldn’t hold in any longer. “Is this how you’re going to be part of the investigation from now on?” I demanded, waving my hand toward where she and Slade had been sitting.
Maddie knit her brow. “What are you talking about?”
The words kept tumbling out even as I suspected I’d regret them. “Last time you were here you fucked Slade in the library. Now you’re practically humping him in the office. Are you only staying on the case so you can screw him all over the city?”
Maddie winced, but her eyes narrowed at the same time. “What does it matter to you what I do with Slade as long as it doesn’t interfere with the investigation, which as far as I can tell it hasn’t so far? You didn’t think about me for a second afteryoufucked me. At least Slade is sticking around.”
Her voice broke in the middle of her retort, and the anger inside me snuffed out in an instant. She sounded so certain, and yet she was so far from the truth. Did she really believe I’d pushed her away that easily, that I hadn’t given her a second thought since that night two years ago?
Somehow I’d thought we’d be past that affront—that she’d understand why I’d ghosted her now that she knew about the murder investigation. I’d told her I’d been trying to protect her.
But I hadn’t really spelled out how our personal interactions factored into my decisions, had I? After the way I’d been treating her since the moment she’d walked back into my life—hell, since the momentI’dlast walked out of hers—maybe it wasn’t surprising that she couldn’t set aside the past so easily.
I stared back at her, opening my mouth and then closing it again with instinctive hesitation.
“Right,” Maddie said, grabbing her purse and turning to go. “Since obviously you don’t have anything worthwhile to say to me—”
“Wait.” I sprang forward, catching her by the elbow before she could make it to the door. As she stopped, the feel of her warmth through her sleeve set off a flicker of attraction over my skin. I dropped her arm automatically.
