is what I do,
after all—but I’m afraid I can’t help you more than that.”
The two men exchanged a look and after a moment Matt nodded.
“That would be a wonderful start. Thanks, Kelly,” he replied
with a smooth, mild tone to his voice.
Kelly frowned, a little uncertain. Despite his words, she
could tell something was off. The glint in his eyes and determined set to his
jaw indicated to her that this was a stubborn wizard, not a man who would give
up or take no for an answer.
“It will be the start and finish of my helping you,” she
insisted. Matthias just grinned, seeming amused by her reaction. He opened his
mouth, appeared about to add something else, but Julian interrupted him.
“Your friend, Red…I mean Olivia…if she would be a help to
you, I really think you should ask her to assist in whatever manner she’s
capable of,” he said. Kelly relaxed and smiled at the blond man. His
hopefulness clearly shone through in his soft gray eyes and his request.
“Red,” Kelly mused with a small smile. “She has the temper
to back up her coloring, you know. Anyway, Liv is a Retriever. I don’t need her
help with my work, but she’s been my best friend since we were very little. I
have to say she’s not usually shy about asking men out. You made an impression
on her, so if you want to make the first move I’d hurry up if I were you. Liv
isn’t the sort to hang around waiting and wondering.”
Julian tilted his head to the side as he listened to her
words. He nodded once and remained silent. Kelly thought the quiet man would be
a good complement personality-wise for her best friend. He seemed rock solid,
calm and unflappable.
For a police officer, he hadn’t appeared to blink or think
twice about speaking with a supposed thief, even sounding her out for some help
with a mission. Someone that tolerant and dependable would be perfect for her
friend, who often moved before she thought her actions through. More than once
in their younger years, she and Liv had needed to extract themselves from some
debacle or other because Kelly had found herself caught up in some crazy scheme
Liv had dreamed up.
Now, for herself… Kelly realized with a heated rush of
desire that she found her mind and soul filled with the image of dark, shaggy
hair and deeper blue eyes than she had ever known existed.
“So where do we go from here?” Matt asked, once again dragging
her mind in from daydreaming. Kelly realized that from the moment Matthias had
walked through her door she had spent more time fantasizing than she had in the
last week or two combined. Determined to retain some semblance of normalcy and
control, she stood up and indicated the door with a wave of her hand.
“I’ll look into the drug. You obviously have my contact
details here, so I’m not that hard to track down. I’ll be in touch when I find
something useful for you.” Kelly hoped that if she sounded in charge the two
men would follow her lead.
Matt and Julian exchanged looks and stood up. Julian reached
a hand into his pocket and withdrew a business card from a slim leather wallet.
“Please call when you find something,” he said.
Kelly felt her heart lift and her stomach sink at the
realization the gentlemen were leaving. A curious mixture of relief at being
let off the hook mingled with disappointment that it had only taken a few firm
words to scare Matthias off her scent. Maybe she’d imagined the depth of connection
between them. If that were true, then she must be a whole lot hornier and
lonelier than she’d realized. Visions of evening after evening spent online on
the matchmaker website flittered through her mind before she squashed them.
“Of course,” she assured Julian as she took the card. They
shook hands and she turned to Matthias, expecting to receive a similar card and
handshake. Instead he stared at her with those gorgeous bedroom eyes and
grinned at her.
“Julian will head back to headquarters,” he said, “and
after all—but I’m afraid I can’t help you more than that.”
The two men exchanged a look and after a moment Matt nodded.
“That would be a wonderful start. Thanks, Kelly,” he replied
with a smooth, mild tone to his voice.
Kelly frowned, a little uncertain. Despite his words, she
could tell something was off. The glint in his eyes and determined set to his
jaw indicated to her that this was a stubborn wizard, not a man who would give
up or take no for an answer.
“It will be the start and finish of my helping you,” she
insisted. Matthias just grinned, seeming amused by her reaction. He opened his
mouth, appeared about to add something else, but Julian interrupted him.
“Your friend, Red…I mean Olivia…if she would be a help to
you, I really think you should ask her to assist in whatever manner she’s
capable of,” he said. Kelly relaxed and smiled at the blond man. His
hopefulness clearly shone through in his soft gray eyes and his request.
“Red,” Kelly mused with a small smile. “She has the temper
to back up her coloring, you know. Anyway, Liv is a Retriever. I don’t need her
help with my work, but she’s been my best friend since we were very little. I
have to say she’s not usually shy about asking men out. You made an impression
on her, so if you want to make the first move I’d hurry up if I were you. Liv
isn’t the sort to hang around waiting and wondering.”
Julian tilted his head to the side as he listened to her
words. He nodded once and remained silent. Kelly thought the quiet man would be
a good complement personality-wise for her best friend. He seemed rock solid,
calm and unflappable.
For a police officer, he hadn’t appeared to blink or think
twice about speaking with a supposed thief, even sounding her out for some help
with a mission. Someone that tolerant and dependable would be perfect for her
friend, who often moved before she thought her actions through. More than once
in their younger years, she and Liv had needed to extract themselves from some
debacle or other because Kelly had found herself caught up in some crazy scheme
Liv had dreamed up.
Now, for herself… Kelly realized with a heated rush of
desire that she found her mind and soul filled with the image of dark, shaggy
hair and deeper blue eyes than she had ever known existed.
“So where do we go from here?” Matt asked, once again dragging
her mind in from daydreaming. Kelly realized that from the moment Matthias had
walked through her door she had spent more time fantasizing than she had in the
last week or two combined. Determined to retain some semblance of normalcy and
control, she stood up and indicated the door with a wave of her hand.
“I’ll look into the drug. You obviously have my contact
details here, so I’m not that hard to track down. I’ll be in touch when I find
something useful for you.” Kelly hoped that if she sounded in charge the two
men would follow her lead.
Matt and Julian exchanged looks and stood up. Julian reached
a hand into his pocket and withdrew a business card from a slim leather wallet.
“Please call when you find something,” he said.
Kelly felt her heart lift and her stomach sink at the
realization the gentlemen were leaving. A curious mixture of relief at being
let off the hook mingled with disappointment that it had only taken a few firm
words to scare Matthias off her scent. Maybe she’d imagined the depth of connection
between them. If that were true, then she must be a whole lot hornier and
lonelier than she’d realized. Visions of evening after evening spent online on
the matchmaker website flittered through her mind before she squashed them.
“Of course,” she assured Julian as she took the card. They
shook hands and she turned to Matthias, expecting to receive a similar card and
handshake. Instead he stared at her with those gorgeous bedroom eyes and
grinned at her.
“Julian will head back to headquarters,” he said, “and
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