Secret Star by Nora Roberts Page B

and do that little thing, handsome, and give me a minute here?”
    He surprised her, and himself, by crouching down first, laying a hand on her shoulders. “Youcould have lost the pearls, lost all of it. You still wouldn’t have lost your memories.”
    Uneasy that he’d felt compelled to say it, he straightened and left her alone. He went directly to the kitchen, pushing through the mess to fill the coffeepot. He set it up to brew and switched the machine on. Stuck his hands in his pockets, then pulled them out.
    What the hell was going on? he asked himself. He should be focused on the case, and the case alone. Instead, he felt himself being pulled, tugged at, by the woman upstairs—by the various faces of that woman. Bold, fragile, sexy, sensitive.
    Just which was she? And why had he spent most of the night with her face lodged in his dreams?
    He shouldn’t even be here, he admitted. He had no official reason to be spending this time with her. It was true he felt the case warranted his personal attention. It was serious enough. But she was only one small part of the whole.
    And he’d be lying to himself if he said he was here strictly on an investigation.
    He found two undamaged cups. There were several broken ones lying around. Good Meissen china, he noted. His mother had a set she prized dearly. He was just pouring the coffee when he sensed her behind him.
    â€œBlack?”
    â€œThat’s fine.” She stepped in, and winced as she took a visual inventory of the kitchen. “He didn’t miss much, did he? I suppose he thought I might stick a big blue diamond in my coffee canister or cookie jar.”
    â€œPeople put their valuables in a lot of odd places. I was involved in a burglary case once where the victim saved her in-house cash because she’d kept it in a sealed plastic bag in the bottom of the diaper pail. What self-respecting B-and-E man is going to paw through diapers?”
    She chuckled, sipped her coffee. Whether or not it had been his purpose, his telling of the story had made her feel better. “It makes keeping things in a safe seem foolish. This one didn’t take the silver, or any of the electronics. I suppose, as you said, he was in too much of a hurry, and just took what he could stuff in his pockets.”
    She walked to the kitchen window and looked out. “Melissa’s clothes are upstairs. I didn’t see her purse. He might have taken that, too, or it could just be buried under the mess.”
    â€œWe’d have found it if it had been here.”
    She nodded. “I’d forgotten. You’ve already searched through my things.” She turned back, leaned on the counter and eyed him over the rim of her cup. “Did you go through them personally, Lieutenant?”
    He thought of the red silk gown. “Some of it. You have your own department store here.”
    â€œI’d come by that naturally, wouldn’t I? I have a weakness for things. All manner of things. You make excellent coffee, Lieutenant. Isn’t there anyone who brews it for you in the morning?”
    â€œNo. Not at the moment.” He set his coffee aside. “That wasn’t very subtle.”
    â€œIt wasn’t intended to be. It’s not that I mind competition. I just like to know if I have any. I still don’t think I like you, but that could change.” She lifted a hand to finger the tail of her braid. “Why not be prepared?”
    â€œI’m interested in closing a case, not in playing games with you…Grace.”
    It was such a cool delivery, so utterly dispassionate it kindled her spirit of competition. “I suppose you don’t like aggressive women.”
    â€œNot particularly.”
    â€œWell, then.” She smiled as she stepped closer to him. “You’re just going to hate this.”
    In a slick and practiced move, she slid a hand up into his hair and brought his mouth to hers.

Chapter 4
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