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.“Charlie?” he asked softly.“I’m okay.”Seth had no choice but to take Charlie at her word.Not that she’d have let him comfort her if she was upset, but it was worth being the one to break their silence to let her know he was there.Seconds later, the dimly lit room went dark as Charlie turned off the light one last time.For one idiotic moment, Seth thought he heard her sob.Nah.She’s not the type.No woman who faces down…how did she put it? Street thugs, murderers and rapists.That woman wouldn’t let something like a witness’s demise get to her like that.She’d had more restful nights sleeping on her father’s lumpy couch, less doubts about herself at thirteen, when all her friends were getting their periods and she was the Lone Ranger with a flat chest and no visits from Mother Nature.Nothing like driving through a blistering storm, having the man who proposed to you turn you down in bed and your partner calling with news that your cold case just went into deep freeze—all within a matter of hours.How did the old saying go? A day that had been a total waste of makeup.Her one consolation was that she and Seth would soon be flying home, that she could get back to work on the Martin case and either investigate Wanda Schoonover’s murder or regrettably close the darned thing out, chalking up months of hard work to just that, tons of work on a job that just didn’t bring the desired results.Not all of them turned out well—she knew that when she joined the department.And what of Seth Taggart? Was she willing to give up on the one relationship in her life that had held promise, hope, desire and passion? The hell of it was that he hadn’t abandoned her…them.Nothing like that.It was simply as if they’d never existed, never loved.The relationship hadn’t died, so there was no body to mourn, no goodbyes left unsaid, just the memories that—in the only analogy she could conjure—were becoming more and more like some pastry with the filling torn out of it.She knew what she’d tasted had been sweet, and she’d looked forward to devouring all of it, but after one bite, she found herself betrayed.Not by the food itself, but by some invisible yet painfully tangible knowledge that she was left empty and wanting.And there didn’t seem to be a damned thing she could do about it.The storm had died, and the two of them still had much to do before boarding their return flight, but Charlie resented having to work in the same clothes she’d worn the day before when she had clean clothing, toiletries, makeup and perfume back at the other hotel.Seth didn’t look much better than she felt.He’d hung his clothing in the bathroom and let steam from his morning shower help with some of the wrinkles and signs of usage, but she’d seen him looking more rested and fresh.They had all but avoided one another since rising.Whereas they’d at least been civil the night before, even after she’d handcuffed him and he’d rebuffed her, the tension between them today was a thick fog of misunderstanding and unspoken feelings.She had half a mind to toss him back onto the bed and force him to deal with her before they drove across town to see what the staff of Hotel Álcazar had to say about Ms.Lawson’s short stay there.“I know it seems I’m always apologizing for not feeding you,” Seth began, “but I just want to get out of here, check with the hotel and see what we can do about piecing some of this together if that’s okay.”“Sure.” She knew how he felt.Business first, then pack and get home.Seth, however, surprised her.“I want to spend another day here.”Charlie scoffed.“I can’t take off work.”“You don’t have to be back until Monday.Tomorrow is Friday so that gives us plenty of time if we take the red-eye home Sunday night.I promise I’ll treat you to some decent meals, even give you that bourbon and backrub you said I owed you.But we can get more accomplished here than we can back in Houston.”He hadn’t said please, but she could see a hint of imploring behind those smoky-colored eyes.“Seth, if this is about last night, there’s no need for…”He stopped what he was doing and walked toward her.At first, she thought he was about to kiss her, but he lifted his arms and caught a towel falling off the rack directly behind her that would have landed on her head.Slowly, he replaced the item, his body pressing against hers, triggering her response to flee.When he looked down the length of his nose at her, she knew he saw the heat coming from her face.Why couldn’t she keep from blushing every time he was near?Seth’s lips parted.“I know that.This isn’t an apology or a goodwill gesture.”She felt her nostrils flare as she remained silent, refusing to let her wounded heart overcome her common sense.“Then what is it?”He dipped his head, brushing his mouth against hers.“You tell me.” She felt his hands resting gently on her shoulders then tensing when their lips touched.Seth’s tongue flicked out to taste her lips.“All I know is that I’ve done my best to keep from hurting you.Then you talk to Julio, or whoever he is, on the phone, and the two of you seem thick as thieves.Maybe I’m jealous.Maybe I’m just weak where you’re concerned.”The aching she’d felt the night before flared, a monster needing to be fed, nurtured.Damn it, but she didn’t need this complication.“William…” She pushed away from him.“William can damned well wait,” Seth said, drawing her back into his arms.“He’s been well paid, fed and more than compensated for having to sleep alone in a nice, big bed instead of on the floor [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]