everything except the feel of his mouth on
hers.
To Brad it felt like
drowning; he was lost in the taste of her. It wasn’t until he heard
the soft moan deep in her throat that he realised what he was
doing. He let her go abruptly, then cursed again when she stumbled,
as dazed as he was.
“ Alicia...I-”
“ No, don’t
say anything.” Despite an unsettling ringing in her ears, her other
senses were returning. She seemed to have mastered speech. “I
shouldn’t have pushed you that way. I’m sorry.”
“ If I don’t
have enough self-control to resist crossing a line, then I
shouldn’t be doing the job.”
She felt her heart do a
slow roll in her chest at his words. But she could see he was
battling with his conscience so she did the only thing she could.
“Look. Let’s take a step back. There’s got to be a way to deal with
what’s between us.”
He was afraid that the
only way forward was to pull himself off the case. “I need to
think.” He could still taste her on his lips and it was driving him
crazy.
“ I’m not sure
where we go from here, Brad, but the kiss doesn’t have to prevent
you from doing your job.”
“ It already
is, because right now that’s all I can think about.”
She ignored the way that
made her feel because they both needed breathing space. “For now
let’s rewind a little.” It took an effort but she stepped aside so
he could move past her. “Goodnight, Brad. I’ll see you at
0600.”
He felt like a coward for
accepting her peace offering but it was the only sane thing to do.
He resisted his need to touch her and walked out into the night
before he did something he’d regret.
Chapter
9
It should have surprised
him to walk into his room and find Kelvin sprawled out on the
couch, but it wasn’t the first time.
“ Should I
even bother locking up?”
“ Nah, it’s
not worth the effort, big man.”
Brad turned to see JJ
helping himself to a soft drink from the fridge. “Hey, JJ, I don’t
suppose there’s any left in there for me?”
JJ grinned as he threw
the bottle over. “Not many. We’ve been here hours.”
Kelvin raised an eyebrow
at the comment. “We’ve been here twenty minutes, tops.”
“ If I’d known
you were breaking in I would’ve stocked up.” Brad cut across to a
chair and lowered himself into it on a long sigh. Kelvin’s eyebrows
rose again in question, but he didn’t get time to follow up on
it.
The door swung open
dramatically. “Am I late for the party?” Susannah asked in her
usual way. “It’s nice of my boys to start without me.”
They would always be her
boys, and had been since the four of them turned Brad and Kelvin’s
dream into a reality. She was the whirlwind behind their
operation.
“ There’s one
cooling for you, Suez.” JJ pointed to a bottle on the table
opposite Brad.
“ You’re an
angel.” She blew him a kiss and went to grab the water.
Brad watched her kick off
her shoes and curl up beside Kelvin. Their impromptu get-togethers
were becoming a habit; it was like they homed in on the time and
place and tipped up without the need for arrangements.
“ This is a
sorry excuse for a kitchen,” JJ complained as he rummaged in
drawers for snacks.
“ It’s called
a kitchenette. What do you expect them to do with a space this
size?” Kelvin asked, grinning over at him.
“ We’re at
Lundwood Studios, baby. I expected to be impressed.”
Susannah chuckled as she
patted the seat next to her. “Come and take a load off. You’re
making the place look untidy.”
He complied, but not
without grumbling something about party food under his
breath.
Brad sat back and watched
the three of them – his world felt right again whenever he spent
time with his family.
“ So...”
Kelvin said, using his firmest stare.
Brad let out another long
breath. “Tough one. She’s...”
“ Yeah, she
is.”
JJ almost choked on a
mouthful of beer. “I hate it when you guys do that. Do you have to
talk in
hers.
To Brad it felt like
drowning; he was lost in the taste of her. It wasn’t until he heard
the soft moan deep in her throat that he realised what he was
doing. He let her go abruptly, then cursed again when she stumbled,
as dazed as he was.
“ Alicia...I-”
“ No, don’t
say anything.” Despite an unsettling ringing in her ears, her other
senses were returning. She seemed to have mastered speech. “I
shouldn’t have pushed you that way. I’m sorry.”
“ If I don’t
have enough self-control to resist crossing a line, then I
shouldn’t be doing the job.”
She felt her heart do a
slow roll in her chest at his words. But she could see he was
battling with his conscience so she did the only thing she could.
“Look. Let’s take a step back. There’s got to be a way to deal with
what’s between us.”
He was afraid that the
only way forward was to pull himself off the case. “I need to
think.” He could still taste her on his lips and it was driving him
crazy.
“ I’m not sure
where we go from here, Brad, but the kiss doesn’t have to prevent
you from doing your job.”
“ It already
is, because right now that’s all I can think about.”
She ignored the way that
made her feel because they both needed breathing space. “For now
let’s rewind a little.” It took an effort but she stepped aside so
he could move past her. “Goodnight, Brad. I’ll see you at
0600.”
He felt like a coward for
accepting her peace offering but it was the only sane thing to do.
He resisted his need to touch her and walked out into the night
before he did something he’d regret.
Chapter
9
It should have surprised
him to walk into his room and find Kelvin sprawled out on the
couch, but it wasn’t the first time.
“ Should I
even bother locking up?”
“ Nah, it’s
not worth the effort, big man.”
Brad turned to see JJ
helping himself to a soft drink from the fridge. “Hey, JJ, I don’t
suppose there’s any left in there for me?”
JJ grinned as he threw
the bottle over. “Not many. We’ve been here hours.”
Kelvin raised an eyebrow
at the comment. “We’ve been here twenty minutes, tops.”
“ If I’d known
you were breaking in I would’ve stocked up.” Brad cut across to a
chair and lowered himself into it on a long sigh. Kelvin’s eyebrows
rose again in question, but he didn’t get time to follow up on
it.
The door swung open
dramatically. “Am I late for the party?” Susannah asked in her
usual way. “It’s nice of my boys to start without me.”
They would always be her
boys, and had been since the four of them turned Brad and Kelvin’s
dream into a reality. She was the whirlwind behind their
operation.
“ There’s one
cooling for you, Suez.” JJ pointed to a bottle on the table
opposite Brad.
“ You’re an
angel.” She blew him a kiss and went to grab the water.
Brad watched her kick off
her shoes and curl up beside Kelvin. Their impromptu get-togethers
were becoming a habit; it was like they homed in on the time and
place and tipped up without the need for arrangements.
“ This is a
sorry excuse for a kitchen,” JJ complained as he rummaged in
drawers for snacks.
“ It’s called
a kitchenette. What do you expect them to do with a space this
size?” Kelvin asked, grinning over at him.
“ We’re at
Lundwood Studios, baby. I expected to be impressed.”
Susannah chuckled as she
patted the seat next to her. “Come and take a load off. You’re
making the place look untidy.”
He complied, but not
without grumbling something about party food under his
breath.
Brad sat back and watched
the three of them – his world felt right again whenever he spent
time with his family.
“ So...”
Kelvin said, using his firmest stare.
Brad let out another long
breath. “Tough one. She’s...”
“ Yeah, she
is.”
JJ almost choked on a
mouthful of beer. “I hate it when you guys do that. Do you have to
talk in
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