heard the air escape his throat. He really wished she hadn’t told him that.
“Although I’m not exactly the sultry type.” She gave a one-sided shrug. “I guess I’m too skinny. And, well, not what you’d call exotic. I’m more girl-next-door.”
“You?” He gave her an incredulous look. “I never had any girls next door that looked like you.”
She blinked. Her eyes really were beautiful, emphasized by long, thick lashes only slightly darker than her hair. Which meant she hadn’t had to use mascara.
“I… Thank you?” she said hesitantly. “If that was a compliment?”
“It was.” He had to clear his throat to relieve the gruffness.
“Oh. Well.” There was a pause before she murmured, “Who’d have thunk?”
Once again, he almost laughed. She’d had to ruin the touching moment between them.
“I’m full of surprises,” he agreed.
Her smile was merry and less…sharp than the earlier ones. “Yes, you are. So tell me, Captain MacLachlan, what do you do for fun?”
Fun. He had to think for a minute. How often did he do anything that he could call “fun”?
“I play basketball.” Suddenly he was smiling. “I gave Judge Lehman a bloody nose with my elbow in one of our last games of the season.”
Jane chuckled. “And you had the nerve to appear in his courtroom.”
“He repaid me with an elbow to the gut. I dropped to my knees retching.”
Her full-bodied laugh rang out.
“Like that image, do you?”
“I’m embarrassed to admit how much I do.”
He was still smiling, something he hadn’t expected to do in her company. She was irritating, all right, but also not as unlikable as he’d wanted to believe. Smart, edgy, amusing. He might enjoy spending time with her if he wasn’t so attracted to her. The combination was too threatening to a man who knew his limitations.
“Oh, it looks like they’re done.” She scrambled to her feet.
For an instant, Duncan had no idea what she was talking about. He was too busy taking in the sight of her long legs looking coltish even as she rose with the same grace she did everything. Skinny? No, she was willowy, slender, but definitely not skinny, which implied bony. Her curves were perfect, feminine.
Tito and Hector. That’s who she was talking about. Duncan’s head turned sharply and he saw the man and boy walking toward them. Tito had regained some reserve with his father, but not as much as when they arrived at the field. There was visible warmth between them, Duncan saw with narrowed eyes.
And he’d done a piss-poor job of observing them. He’d been too busy lusting after Tito’s Guardian ad Litem, the woman who’d decided a murderer was a fine and dandy father for a boy already flirting with trouble.
Damn, Duncan thought in shock. Maybe she was right. He was known for his intense focus. Maybe he couldn’t do two things at once.
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CHAPTER FOUR
DUNCAN CALLED IN THE LATE afternoon a couple of days later to let Jane know he couldn’t make it to Hector and Tito’s second outing. She was disappointed, she knew, only because the whole thing was so ridiculously awkward. With Duncan there, her position felt less awkward. He was a distraction. Without him, she was left lurking like some kind of Peeping Jane.
Hector had taken Tito to a game arcade, which had the boy really excited. Hanging around the arcade, as noisy as it was, pretending she was interested in other people playing games while really keeping an eye on her targets, pretty much sucked as an evening’s entertainment. She so didn’t fit in. Plus, she’d been on her feet all day, and now for close to two additional hours, and she was beat and hungry and getting grouchy.
Finally she saw the two heading toward her. “You’re still here?” Hector said, when they reached
“Although I’m not exactly the sultry type.” She gave a one-sided shrug. “I guess I’m too skinny. And, well, not what you’d call exotic. I’m more girl-next-door.”
“You?” He gave her an incredulous look. “I never had any girls next door that looked like you.”
She blinked. Her eyes really were beautiful, emphasized by long, thick lashes only slightly darker than her hair. Which meant she hadn’t had to use mascara.
“I… Thank you?” she said hesitantly. “If that was a compliment?”
“It was.” He had to clear his throat to relieve the gruffness.
“Oh. Well.” There was a pause before she murmured, “Who’d have thunk?”
Once again, he almost laughed. She’d had to ruin the touching moment between them.
“I’m full of surprises,” he agreed.
Her smile was merry and less…sharp than the earlier ones. “Yes, you are. So tell me, Captain MacLachlan, what do you do for fun?”
Fun. He had to think for a minute. How often did he do anything that he could call “fun”?
“I play basketball.” Suddenly he was smiling. “I gave Judge Lehman a bloody nose with my elbow in one of our last games of the season.”
Jane chuckled. “And you had the nerve to appear in his courtroom.”
“He repaid me with an elbow to the gut. I dropped to my knees retching.”
Her full-bodied laugh rang out.
“Like that image, do you?”
“I’m embarrassed to admit how much I do.”
He was still smiling, something he hadn’t expected to do in her company. She was irritating, all right, but also not as unlikable as he’d wanted to believe. Smart, edgy, amusing. He might enjoy spending time with her if he wasn’t so attracted to her. The combination was too threatening to a man who knew his limitations.
“Oh, it looks like they’re done.” She scrambled to her feet.
For an instant, Duncan had no idea what she was talking about. He was too busy taking in the sight of her long legs looking coltish even as she rose with the same grace she did everything. Skinny? No, she was willowy, slender, but definitely not skinny, which implied bony. Her curves were perfect, feminine.
Tito and Hector. That’s who she was talking about. Duncan’s head turned sharply and he saw the man and boy walking toward them. Tito had regained some reserve with his father, but not as much as when they arrived at the field. There was visible warmth between them, Duncan saw with narrowed eyes.
And he’d done a piss-poor job of observing them. He’d been too busy lusting after Tito’s Guardian ad Litem, the woman who’d decided a murderer was a fine and dandy father for a boy already flirting with trouble.
Damn, Duncan thought in shock. Maybe she was right. He was known for his intense focus. Maybe he couldn’t do two things at once.
Visit www.dpgroup.org
for more free ebooks uploaded by our generous members
CHAPTER FOUR
DUNCAN CALLED IN THE LATE afternoon a couple of days later to let Jane know he couldn’t make it to Hector and Tito’s second outing. She was disappointed, she knew, only because the whole thing was so ridiculously awkward. With Duncan there, her position felt less awkward. He was a distraction. Without him, she was left lurking like some kind of Peeping Jane.
Hector had taken Tito to a game arcade, which had the boy really excited. Hanging around the arcade, as noisy as it was, pretending she was interested in other people playing games while really keeping an eye on her targets, pretty much sucked as an evening’s entertainment. She so didn’t fit in. Plus, she’d been on her feet all day, and now for close to two additional hours, and she was beat and hungry and getting grouchy.
Finally she saw the two heading toward her. “You’re still here?” Hector said, when they reached
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