It had been a very quiet drive into Baltimore, each lost in their own thoughts about what it would mean if the undercover assignment was suddenly scrapped.
Cole slanted a glance at Scott. He wore a button-down shirt, very rare for him, with his best jeans and boots. His jaw was close-shaven today, the sight of that smooth hard angle making her want to touch him. But she didn’t touch and hadn’t touched him since the night in the alley. And he hadn’t touched, either, though she’d seen the dark look of desire on his face several times in the last days.
Something had come between them. That something, she suspected, was X. Scott was being noble. Worried about her, he was spending his nights in his truck with his gun on the seat so that no one could creep up on them unexpectedly.
Was he that worried?
Or, was he just loving the idea of playing gotcha with one very scary scumbag?
Cole waited until they were on the highway before she brought up the subject that had been simmering between them silently for several days.
“About our living arrangements.”
Scott glanced over at her sharply, his expression unreadable. “You’re not thinking anything I haven’t already thought of.”
“Oh.” Because she hadn’t been thinking anything in particular and it sounded as if he had, she decided to let him take the lead in the conversation. Except that he didn’t say another word.
He drove on for another few miles and then took a sudden turn off the highway.
She didn’t ask where they were going or why. But gradually the city gave way to the suburbs and miles later turned into countryside. After a few more turns he had left state roads to drive a two-lane blacktop ribboning out before them in the afternoon sun.
It was apparent that Scott had something else on his mind before they went back to their apartment. If he wasn’t going to say more, she would have to force the issue another way.
Cole lowered her window and let the cooler country air stream her hair back from her face. After a few minutes she kicked off her heels. She’d dressed professionally for her visit to their boss, even wearing a suit. But the heat of summer had her sizzling in her clothes. She began struggling out of her jacket.
Scott noticed how her actions put a strain on the buttons of her blouse so that they gaped a bit, giving him a glimpse of baby-blue satin. That gave him a rush. He was so very glad she was a girl. Even if she was off-limits for the moment.
Once the jacket was tossed in back, she began to unbutton her blouse.
Scott swerved suddenly.
Cole grabbed the dashboard to steady herself. “What was that?”
“Squirrel.” Scott supposed he should keep his eyes on the road. But if she wanted safe driving she needed to stop the striptease. No, what was he thinking? The squirrels would have to take their chances.
She pulled her arms out of her white blouse, revealing a baby-blue cami. The blouse followed the jacket into the backseat, and then she pulled the hem of her cami out of her skirt, letting the scalloped edge float free. As she did so, one tiny strap slipped down her arm.
Scott skimmed it back up onto her shoulder with an index finger. The feel of her warm soft skin riding under his rough finger struck a match to his libido. Didn’t she know what she was doing to him?
“I’m glad you’re feeling a lot better than yesterday.”
Cole screwed up her face. “Almost any feeling would be better than what I was feeling yesterday. I was ready to dig a hole and crawl in.”
Only if he could crawl in after her, and then into her. Yep, he was an asshole. He had wanted her even when she was sick. Now he just wanted her. With that wanting came the need to be territorial.
Scott kept his eyes on the road as a question he wanted an answer to came to mind. “You planning to tell Doc Rob about Noel’s relationship with Sam?”
Propping an elbow on the window frame, Cole looked straight ahead. “I told you I embellished that relationship a bit.”
Scott’s head snapped toward her. “Which part?”
Cole slanted a coy glance at him. He looked mad. Was he jealous? Could that be it?
Her pulse did a happy dance. Men could be so dumb even when the proof of the opposite was right in front of them. Jealous! That had possibilities.
“All of it.”
He did a ninety-degree double take. “You lied. A total lie? Why?”
She shrugged. “Why does anyone lie? Self-protection.”
He couldn’t argue with that.
She played with her hair, wrapping a few strands about her finger. “I may still have feelings for you, Scott. But I have more to lose than you do.”
His expression stiffened. “Oh, I see.” He said each word distinctly, as if each were a whole thought by itself. “For instance?”
She forced herself not to jump to defense mode. She had some things to tell him and he needed to hear them. “For instance, I could very easily fall for you all over again.”