of her, the part that admired his loyalty and tenacity, that couldn’t deny the sharp pull of attraction. He was damn sexy when he was going all Rambo and Rebel Without a Cause, even if it was the most reckless attitude she’d ever witnessed. She swallowed and cleared her voice, not liking the way her thoughts were tumbling through her head. “And just where do you plan to take this evidence?”
“Back to my place.”
“It’s evidence and needs to be logged properly,” she maintained stubbornly. “You’re dangerously close to going rogue. Don’t screw your career trying to avenge your brother.”
“I’m not killing my career. I’m chasing leads. You already had a chance to dig deep into this case. You were content to look at the surface, and that’s just not the case with me. When I’m done learning whatever I can from the contents of the envelope, I will log it properly. Until then, it’s not leaving my side.”
She could tell it was no use arguing with him on this point. She’d been around enough stubborn men to know when the smartest course of action was to back down and try a different tact. Motto for the day: Fight smart. “Fine. But I’m coming with you. I need to make sure the integrity of the case remains unsullied, even if you are using unorthodox methods. And that point is nonnegotiable.”
Holden probably didn’t like her terms, but he didn’t shoot them down, either. Holden was a lot of things—stupid wasn’t one of them. At least they had that in their favor.
Soon enough, they arrived at Holden’s apartment, and Jane had to tamp down the mild flutters erupting in her belly at the memories surfacing. She could chastise herself all day for allowing her thoughts to wander, but she enjoyed the seductive allure that came with lingering over that brief time in her life. She couldn’t lie—they’d enjoyed some good times. “Did it ever occur to you when you were apartment shopping to consider a place that didn’t look like a prison from the outside?” she asked with a healthy dose of sarcasm, and he responded with a grunt. Such a Chatty Cathy, she wanted to grumble. Would it kill him to engage just a little? She followed him through the gated entrance and then up the long flight of stairs to his door. From the outside, the nondescript gray building was nothing to look at, and since everything was covered in snow, not a hint of foliage was visible, either. “Not much for ambiance,” she said under her breath, to which Holden just kept walking.
“I’m not interested in making the place look inviting. The less traffic, the better.”
“Such the people person,” she said, walking into his spacious apartment. The first time she’d seen his place, her jaw had dropped to the floor. Never in a million years would she have imagined such an awesome bachelor pad tucked in this building. It was like something featured in Architectural Digest, with its high ceilings and polished bamboo flooring, and the decor was tastefully masculine without appearing to lack a woman’s touch. Holden had knocked down the walls connected to three more apartments, which heightened the chic appearance and immediately told people that this wasn’t your average apartment. And seeing it again, not just through the sliver of an open door like the other night when she’d visited him, was enough to fill her with awe all over again. “God, I’d forgotten how much I covet your apartment,” she blurted.
The tiniest quirk of a smile was his only response as he tossed his keys into a small ceramic bowl by the door. He went straight to the gleaming kitchen and grabbed a bottled water from the stainless steel refrigerator and tossed another to her. “Sorry, but it’s a package deal. Can’t have the apartment without me,” he said with a shrug. “And you’ve already kicked me to the curb.”
Why’d he have to constantly bring up their past? It was getting old. She turned to face him. “Can you stop being a
“Back to my place.”
“It’s evidence and needs to be logged properly,” she maintained stubbornly. “You’re dangerously close to going rogue. Don’t screw your career trying to avenge your brother.”
“I’m not killing my career. I’m chasing leads. You already had a chance to dig deep into this case. You were content to look at the surface, and that’s just not the case with me. When I’m done learning whatever I can from the contents of the envelope, I will log it properly. Until then, it’s not leaving my side.”
She could tell it was no use arguing with him on this point. She’d been around enough stubborn men to know when the smartest course of action was to back down and try a different tact. Motto for the day: Fight smart. “Fine. But I’m coming with you. I need to make sure the integrity of the case remains unsullied, even if you are using unorthodox methods. And that point is nonnegotiable.”
Holden probably didn’t like her terms, but he didn’t shoot them down, either. Holden was a lot of things—stupid wasn’t one of them. At least they had that in their favor.
Soon enough, they arrived at Holden’s apartment, and Jane had to tamp down the mild flutters erupting in her belly at the memories surfacing. She could chastise herself all day for allowing her thoughts to wander, but she enjoyed the seductive allure that came with lingering over that brief time in her life. She couldn’t lie—they’d enjoyed some good times. “Did it ever occur to you when you were apartment shopping to consider a place that didn’t look like a prison from the outside?” she asked with a healthy dose of sarcasm, and he responded with a grunt. Such a Chatty Cathy, she wanted to grumble. Would it kill him to engage just a little? She followed him through the gated entrance and then up the long flight of stairs to his door. From the outside, the nondescript gray building was nothing to look at, and since everything was covered in snow, not a hint of foliage was visible, either. “Not much for ambiance,” she said under her breath, to which Holden just kept walking.
“I’m not interested in making the place look inviting. The less traffic, the better.”
“Such the people person,” she said, walking into his spacious apartment. The first time she’d seen his place, her jaw had dropped to the floor. Never in a million years would she have imagined such an awesome bachelor pad tucked in this building. It was like something featured in Architectural Digest, with its high ceilings and polished bamboo flooring, and the decor was tastefully masculine without appearing to lack a woman’s touch. Holden had knocked down the walls connected to three more apartments, which heightened the chic appearance and immediately told people that this wasn’t your average apartment. And seeing it again, not just through the sliver of an open door like the other night when she’d visited him, was enough to fill her with awe all over again. “God, I’d forgotten how much I covet your apartment,” she blurted.
The tiniest quirk of a smile was his only response as he tossed his keys into a small ceramic bowl by the door. He went straight to the gleaming kitchen and grabbed a bottled water from the stainless steel refrigerator and tossed another to her. “Sorry, but it’s a package deal. Can’t have the apartment without me,” he said with a shrug. “And you’ve already kicked me to the curb.”
Why’d he have to constantly bring up their past? It was getting old. She turned to face him. “Can you stop being a
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