Once Kissed: An O'Brien Family Novel (The O'Brien Family) by Cecy Robson

but I suppose with all the sleet that’s fallen, they need to put more salt down.”
    I pull her closer to me. “You suppose? Hell, had it been one of your neighbors, EMS would be responding to a broken hip. Who do I need to talk to in order to get this taken care of?”
    She pushes her disheveled hair away from her face and adjusts her glasses. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll phone the super and let him know what happened.” She smiles at my scowl. “Really, it’s okay,” she says quietly.
    Her eyes latch on to mine, and something in her expression changes.
    My frown fades. Damn, she’s smokin’. Perfect heart-shaped face with full pink lips and a set of long, thick lashes to go with those doe eyes. I watch her for a beat, much like she’s watching me. Any other time, with any other woman, and I’d be pulling her in for a long, lazy kiss.
    But here I am, standing in full uniform, trying not to kiss the one woman I’m not supposed to touch.
    Those full lips part like she’s surprised, and maybe something more. My cue to break eye contact. “Sorry,” I tell her. “Let’s get you inside. It’s colder than a yeti’s butt crack out here.”
    “It is rather chilly,” she agrees slowly, clearly taken by my wit.
    I offer her my arm. “Here. Hang tight until we get inside. I don’t want you landing on your ass again.”
    “Um. Thank you.” She motions forward. “This way.”
    We cross the lot, and she slips two more times, but I easily keep her from falling.
    “Got anything going on tonight?”
    “Like a date? No, I’m single.”
    It’s not what I mean. But that doesn’t mean I’m not glad to hear it. I mutter a curse when I realize where my thoughts are headed.
Stay on task, asshole.
“So you’re just gonna watch TV or something?”
    “I don’t watch TV.”
    “You serious? That’s un-American.”
    She laughs again. “Law school doesn’t allow much time for anything but studying,” she says. “And now that I’m helping Declan, I’m going to have to work harder so I don’t fall behind. He mentioned that we’ll be keeping late hours in the coming weeks.”
    “Yeah. Sounds like this case is going to be one massive headache and an even bigger pain in the ass.”
    “It won’t be easy,” she admits. “But if Declan succeeds, it will all be worth it.”
    We step into the small archway. Clear glass doors with long brass handles allow a full view into the lobby. Tess punches in the security code on a keypad to the right, causing the doors to click open. We walk inside and move straight to the elevator at the lobby’s center.
    I jerk my chin to the opposite door. “Any other way in or out?”
    She presses the elevator button. “There are four stairwells, on each corner of the building, that lead to emergency exits in case of a fire or another threat. But they alarm if opened.” The elevator dings and the doors part, but she pauses before stepping through. “You don’t have to follow me up.”
    “Yeah, I do. I need to get a look at the layout.” I wave her in. “After you.”
    I wait until the doors shut tight before whipping out my phone to take notes. “I’ll need the number to your cellphone.”
    “I don’t have a cellphone. It’s not something I can afford at this time,” she says, cautiously.
    “ ’Cause of school?”
    “Among other things.”
    I try to keep my face neutral and not judge. The thing is, she has an iPad. How does she not have a cellphone? “How about a landline? And I’ll need the security code to your building.”
    She spits out the digits, watching me program them into my phone. “Does every tenant use the same code to get in?”
    “No,” she answers. “Each has a different number programmed specifically for them. It’s a feature so if there’s an issue, the police will know whose code was used.”
    “Decent setup.” I pocket my phone, annoyed that none of the other badges bothered to check out the building or ask for the codes. They’re