Open Wounds (Harbour Bay #2)(22)
She hadn’t expected him to be there and wasn’t sure how to deal with it. There was something about him that set her on edge. It wasn’t anything he said or did. It was just... him.
She was hyper aware of him, the attraction bone deep. He set her body ablaze, made her grow warm every time he was near. She’d never experienced the sensation before and wasn’t sure if she liked it or not. Her body belonged to her. She didn’t want anyone else to have control over it, but when butterflies fluttered in her stomach every time she caught him looking at her with heat in his eyes, she knew that it belonged to him, if only for the small time they were together.
She’d felt the small spark between them the moment they met. It wasn’t anything spectacular but it was disconcerting. It made all rational thoughts leave her head and left her floundering.
Not that she’d ever act on those desires. She couldn’t share more than her body with carefully selected bed buddies. Some were fine with that. Others wanted more. For them, it was like trying to draw blood from a stone.
She knew her shortcomings which was why she never looked in her place of work for night time entertainment. Not that she had many other choices since she was always working, anyway.
Sensing someone else in the room, he turned his head in her direction. His face showed surprise as his gaze found her. She stopped short of his desk and smiled brightly. As infectious as it was, he smiled as well.
He was too damn sexy.
“Surely it’s not morning already?” he asked, stretching.
“Kind of, but very early morning.”
“So what are you doing here?”
“I couldn’t sleep or rather preferred not to,” she replied, hoping he wouldn’t ask why. The last thing she wanted to do was discuss her very real nightmares with him.
Darryl interlocked his fingers and cupped the back of his head, leaning back in his chair to eye her. “So you came in early,” he concluded. “How did you know I was still here?”
Heat suffused her cheeks. “Um…awkward. I didn’t know you’d be here. I actually came looking for Nick. I thought it was his turn to be on night shift.”
Darryl nodded. “We swapped. But he should be arriving soon, so feel free to wait for him.”
Kellie waved him off with her hand. “Nah, his loss is our gain. I have freshly baked donuts and they’re best eaten hot,” she told him, not exactly displeased by Nick’s absence. Maybe the time spent with Darryl would give her answers as to why her body seemed to sing in his presence. “Besides, maybe I get to actually have some. Nick usually gobbles them up before I have a chance to pig out. You in?”
He nodded as he stood and brought a vacant chair toward his own. He sat back down as Kellie took her seat, placing the box of donuts before him. She crossed her legs and she caught him looking at her naked thighs where the fabric of the skirt had ridden up. Liquid heat pooled low in her belly and her mouth dried. He clenched his hands into fists as if forcing himself not to reach for her, making her imagination soar. Suddenly she pictured him tossing her down on his desk and running his hands up and down her body. She willed herself back to reality and pushed away those decadent thoughts, deciding to save them for when she was home alone.
Darryl took a donut and stuffed it into his mouth. She smiled at the obvious pleasure on his face and was thankful Nick hadn’t been there when she’d arrived. Nick may be good looking, but he’d never turned her on with a single glance like Darryl seemed to do.
“Tell me, what do you think about the case?” she asked him, her gaze probing his brown eyes.
“It was sloppy. At first glance, it looks professional. But I’d say it was a first time killer by the amount of evidence he left behind,” he said.
“That makes sense. An initiation or graduation. Do you believe it could be retribution? It’s a powerful motivator.”
He shrugged and once more leaned back in his chair, dripping the raspberry centre from the donut onto his shirt. He cursed under his breath and swiped the blob with his finger, slipping it into his mouth. When she handed him a serviette, Darryl coloured as if suddenly remembering she was there. That didn’t do much for her ego, she thought, then reached up and swiped the small dollop of raspberry from the corner of his mouth.
His eyes darkened and she pulled away. She was pretty sure they were both skirting close to a sexual harassment suit. He poured some water from his drink bottle on the desk and wiped his shirt clean—or near enough before tossing the soiled serviette in the small trash can beside his desk.
He cleared his throat. “I believe it’s a possibility, and we’ll know more when we investigate further. I don’t like to base my opinions on conjecture. I like hard facts and evidence.”
Kellie leaned forward and scooped up a cinnamon donut before taking a small bite. She chewed thoughtfully.
“Okay, fact…Benedict and Butler were poaching on Coleani’s territory. He isn’t known for his restraint.”
“Coleani didn’t pull the trigger,” Darryl pointed out, playing devil’s advocate. “Lambert did.”
“But you can’t argue that Coleani is up to his ears in this. He may not have made the shot. That would be beneath him, but he was definitely involved and had prior knowledge.”
“I’m not arguing, but what we know and what we can prove are two entirely different things. Coleani has been pulling the strings on his boys for years and everyone knows he doesn’t do his own dirty work anymore. Which is why he’s been so hard to catch. We can’t pin anything on him and have it stick. He’s as slippery as an eel.”