Touching Silver by Jamie Craig Page A

you in there?”
    Olivia looked up, but her eyes quickly darted away again. “No…no, I don’t remember anything. I’m not sure what happened.” She looked up and flashed a teasing smile. “You know that officer has a crush on you.”
    “Who? Kahl?” He shook his head. “She just wants to work the glamour of street gangs. She was the one who called me in on the other arson. I couldn’t shake her until I hurt her feelings.”
    “She must be resilient then, because she didn’t seem very hurt tonight.” She tilted her head, studying him thoughtfully. “But you really haven’t noticed, have you? Most men would, in your situation.”
    “In my situation? You don’t think I’d take advantage of the fact that she’s got something rosy stuck in her eye just to get her to go out with me, do you?”
    “No, I don’t think you’re like most men.”
    He grunted in agreement, taking a long sip of his beer as he watched her through his lashes. “Kahl wouldn’t want to go out with me anyway. I mean, you’ve seen it. You and I haven’t been able to finish a meal yet.”
    “I’d like to think if we ever went on a real date you’d make more of an effort to stick around for an entire meal.”
    He couldn’t resist treading a bit on dangerous ground. “Why do you think I keep asking you to meet me over food? I figure one of these times we’ll make it through to dessert.”
    Olivia set her bottle down, the humor gone from her eyes. “Isaac…I like you, and that’s why I’m going to tell you that I can’t date you.” She looked at him, almost apologetically. “Well, not you in particular. I don’t date anybody in the department. Ever.”
    For a second, it stung. He hadn’t actually asked her out on a date, though the way the conversation had been heading, he probably would have said the words sooner rather than later. Was it nerve-wracking knowing she was the first woman he’d even entertained the notion of a proper date with in years? Hell yeah. Casual one-night things didn’t count. He had plenty of those.
    But Olivia was different. Well. Had been different. She didn’t date people she worked with. They worked together. Ergo, she didn’t date him.
    The slight hurt fled in the face of the new challenge. She liked him. She’d already admitted as much. That was the worst of the battle.
    “That’s a good policy to have.” He gave her an easy smile. “Keeps things simple.”
    “It does. Simple and professional. You know how gossip travels in the department. They’re worse than my grandmother’s sewing group.”
    “And yet another great reason for me not to have a real partner.” Tilting his head toward the doorway, he nudged her foot with his. “You look tired. Why don’t we go sit down?”
    After a moment’s hesitation, she nodded and led Isaac out of the kitchen. Tiberius waited for them in the living room, and she settled on the corner of the couch, her feet curled beneath her legs. Tiberius stared at her with his big doggy smile, like he was waiting for something.
    “No.” Olivia pointed at the ground. “You’re not coming up on the sofa. Lay down.” She looked at Isaac. “You better sit down fast, before he jumps up here and stretches across the entire couch.”
    Isaac stifled his grin as he sat down on the middle cushion, deliberately choosing a spot close to Olivia to avoid the scenario she warned against. He angled his body and bent his knee so that his brushed against hers. “Can’t blame him for being territorial. I’d probably be doing the same if I was used to being the only man in your life.”
    She ran her hand through her damp hair, letting the strands brush against the back of her neck. A few drops of water clung stubbornly to her skin, just below her ear. “Are you still worried about me?”
    That wasn’t what he’d call it. Not when the sight of a bead of water inching down the side of her neck was forcing him to shift slightly in order to hide his growing