AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He shifted his stare to her face, all lit up with excitement. So beautiful that his heart flexed.
It fuckingflexed.
Emotions he had long ago locked in a box and denied ever belonged tohimsettled in his chest like a warm, tingly weight.
He’d lost the woman he wanted to marry to his best friend and vowed never again to give his heart. Now? He didn’t think he could keep Lark from owning it.
His mind was flipping through all of this when she made another noise that brought his focus back to the screen.
She tapped a feminine finger on the glass. “We knew he didn’t live at the place where I picked up the bomb. But are you seeing this?”
He peered at the address, not registering the street name or the block.
Lark cupped his jaw and swung his attention to her. “Don’t you remember? It’s the warehouse on Elk Street. The one that’s abandoned? Where all the people went to drink and smoke dope back in the day?”
His mind connected the dots in a split second. He shoved his chair back, knocking Lark off-balance.
She planted a hand on his chest to steady herself as he reached out to hold her upright. With her face tipped up to his and those eyes blazing with the same expression she looked at him with when she was in the throes of bliss, he almost lost his mind.
Later.He’d kiss her later. Strip off her clothes and make love to her later.
She searched his eyes, and that was all it took to make him give in and stamp his mouth over hers.
He withdrew from the kiss before he let it get out of control. “You make an amazing investigator, doll. Thanks to you, we’ve got a place to look for the kid.”
“I think I did more than give you a place to start looking.”
He waited for what else she was about to drop on him.
Her smile was a little on the smug side. “I’m pretty sure I just added another person to the ranks of your team.”
His brow pinched. “What do you mean?”
Her eyes twinkled. “Me. I’m joining Sentry.”
* * * * *
“No. Just no, Lark.”
She waved a hand at Clay’s forceful reaction to her statement. “We’ll discuss the particulars later. You know, pay, benefits. Vacation time. That’s important. Because, you know, my goal of seeingallthe lakes.”
He rolled his eyes toward the ceiling.
She tapped him on the shoulder. “C’mon. You promised that we’d spend some time at the water.”
With a sigh, he pushed away from the desk. Lark bounced a little in excitement and took off to the door. On the way, she snagged a plaid throw blanket from the back of the sofa and draped it around her shoulders.
Before they stepped outside, Clay insisted on making sure the area was all clear. Only then did he lead her through the thin screen of trees separating the bungalow from the water.
The scent of nature always soothed her. Seeing the glint of the setting sun on the water filled her with more calm than she’d felt in a very long time.
At the edge of the trees, she tripped on a root and careened headfirst toward the shore. But two strong arms hauled her upright and steadied her.
Clay’s lips twisted into a smile.
“Stop laughing at me.”
“Laughing implies noise. I thought you were a word maven.”
