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“Okay.”
She yelped when he swung her to the bed, not even noticing that he had already taken her to a spare bedroom. Henry would have backed off after, but her hands clutching his shirt were stronger than he had anticipated and sent him hurtling forward. He slapped his hands on the mattress so he wouldn’t crush her, nearly slamming his forehead to hers. Her breath hovered between them as he searched her face for pain, but there was only her sleepiness.
“I put you down,” he said.
“I can tell,” she shot back, gripping his shirt more tightly. “Maybe you want to get in too?”
That he was tempted was a mystery. That he was tempted beyond belief and ready to crawl into the empty spot beside her was something else altogether, shaking him to the core when he realized one thing was crystal clear last night: Pearl’s hands on him, never letting go and willing to go down with him if things had gotten worse. It morphed into her hands on him now, still not letting go and making him want to lean in and close the distance between them—to steal that kiss she was so willingly offering and find out if she tasted as good as she felt.
“Henry?”
But that was another weakness, and Henry knew he couldn’t afford to show her yet another one. The suspicion that he could have been any man and she would have still given the invitation was another thing that festered in his mind—and it squeezed his chest to the point that he had to remove her hands and finally push off the bed.
“You know that’s a terrible idea, Pearl,” he said.
She peered at him, then yawned and stretched her limbs. He tried very hard to avert his gaze from the way the movement tightened her shirt over her body, allowing him a view of her globes and the stiff points straining against the material. His cock stirred to life, helpless in the vision before him and the onslaught of desire.
“Suit yourself,” she murmured, rolling to her side and burying her nose in the pillow. She sighed in contentment. “Your loss.”
Would she have invited Moon, too, as casually as she had invited him? One of her other men? He brushed the rumination off and walked away before he could overanalyze it, telling himself—no, reminding himself—that it was none of his business. Relief came when he felt his communication device vibrate, the perfect distraction, but that soon crashed when he answered it and Verity’s face floated in the air.
“What’s this I hear about you losing something again?”
“Hello, Grandma.”
“Well?” Verity persisted.
“Just some gemstones and a sculpture. Not our most valuable items, and the rest are untouched.”
Instead of being placated, Verity’s frown deepened. “Gunther has been telling me how Miss Sutton’s not making any progress and how difficult she is to work with. If her difficulty is the cause of the last thievery—”
“It’s my fault,” he said, shocked at his words but not willing to take them back. “Mine, not hers. I was complacent. Miss Sutton has been very cooperative, despite my pressuring, and she has been giving me everything I asked for. I should have anticipated that it wouldn’t be a quick solution just because we involved a skilled witch.”
“But Gunther said…”
“You should listen to me, Grandma, not Gunther. He’s barely in the crime scene and I’m the one working closely with Miss Sutton.”
Silence descended after his steely tone, and he braced himself for Verity’s admonishing. Instead, she sniffed and peered at him closely.
“If you say so. You know how much trust we put in you regarding this, Henry.”
“I know, Grandma.”
“The whole family’s expecting good results and an end to this problem. We can’t have it haunting our legacy for long.”
“Yes. I know.”
“Good. Then don’t disappoint me, and don’t wait until your grandfather calls you.”
Her image blinked out before he could respond.
“Are you sure this is going to work?”
“No, I’m not sure, but that’s what we’re here to find out,” Pearl assured. They were back in their stakeout nights, but this time they were more prepared. “No more separating. We have to track it down together or…”
“Or what?”
“Let’s just say I don’t want to find you naked again, distracting me from catching that shadow.”
