Repeat: hot.
Knowing better than to sneak up behind an armed person who wouldn’t hear his approach, he leaned against the hood of his car, his arms crossed, watching. She was empty and had to change clips, which was when she caught sight of him. Her eyes widened in surprise, and a quick, spontaneous smile broadened her mouth.
Despite the past couple of days, and his own bone-deep weariness, he somehow found a smile of his own and returned it.
“Hi,” she said as she walked over, holstering the nine-millimeter. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”
“I hope the target practice wasn’t on my account,” he said with an apologetic shrug. “I’m sorry I haven’t called.”
“Don’t worry. I don’t shoot guys who don’t call back. Leave the toilet seat up, however, and all bets are off.”
“Noted.”
The smile flashed again, brilliant and honest and so good after all the darkness that he wanted to just lose himself in it. In her.
Yes, they had a lot to talk about regarding the case. He wanted to know if she was okay, if she’d gotten over the nightmare someone had left on her porch. But what he most wanted was to get her alone and make love to her the way he’d planned to Saturday night.
The urge to tug her against him and kiss her overwhelmed him, but he resisted. They were out in public, in a spot where her deputies came for target practice and could pull up at any time. No way would he put her in the position of being disrespected by one of her subordinates.
When he got her alone in private again, though… well, as she’d said, all bets were off.
“You okay?” she asked. “I saw on the news that the body had been found.”
So much for a tender reunion. She was already back into the case. Exactly as he’d expect her to be. “Yeah. It was a rough scene.”
“In Pennsylvania?”
“Right over the state line. Talk about jurisdictional nightmares. But you might be able to help.”
She nodded immediately.
“We’ve got surveillance tape from the mall where the victim was snatched. There’s a good chance the unsub was stalking her, memorizing her movements and her schedule.”
“You want me to watch the tapes? See if there’s anyone who might have had a connection with Lisa on there?”
“I know it’s a lot to ask. We’re talking hours and hours.”
“Of course. I’ll start right away.”
He nodded in appreciation, though he’d had no doubt she would do it. Seeing her wipe a sheen of sweat off her brow, he said, “The car’s still cool. Want to sit?”
She was one step ahead of him, already opening the door and sliding into the passenger seat. Before Dean had even started the engine, she reached for the air-conditioner controls, adjusting a vent to blow cold air directly on her face. She sighed in pleasure as the AC blew tendrils of her hair loose.
Since they were inside the closed car, he risked personal contact, knowing he had to touch her or lose his mind. He reached over, brushing his fingertips over the sensitive spot where her shoulder met her neck.
She turned into his hand, rubbing her cheek against his palm. That was all. The touch was simple, nonsex ual, yet loaded with personal connection. It pleasured him the way even an embrace with any other woman wouldn’t have.
Which said a lot about how much she’d been on his mind in the past few days. How much they’d been on his mind, as crazy and impossible as it was.
“Are you going to be in town for a while?”
He shook his head. “I have to be back in the office tomorrow morning. And tomorrow evening I get to spend time with my son.”
She nodded.
“But D.C.’s not that far a drive,” he said with a slight smile. “I could see myself commuting in the morning.”
“Mm,” she murmured, lightly kissing his palm, “and I am noble enough to save you from the bedbugs at the inn, if you’d like to stay at my place.”
“Thought they didn’t have them. Immaculately clean, you said.”
“Maybe I exaggerated. My bed’s nicer, isn’t it?”
“Infinitely.”
Staring into his eyes, she admitted, “I’ve been hoping you’d come back.”
“I’m back.” His voice was husky, the touch of his hand on her lips sizzling and electrifying. He wanted her again. Badly. “I don’t know which I find more arousing, you kissing my hand, or shooting out that target in under twenty seconds.”
Stacey laughed softly, sounding so sweet and feminine, such a fascinating mix of strength and softness. Wondering about that strength, and how she’d held up after he’d had to walk out on her the other night, he asked, “Are you okay? After what happened Saturday?”
She nodded, obviously realizing he was asking about the horror on her doorstep. “I don’t know who did it, but I’m working on it. I helped my dad bury her on Sunday.”
“Stacey, I don’t want to worry you, but we have to at least consider the possibility that the guy we’re looking for is afraid you’re getting a little too close, and wants to scare you off.”
“It occurred to me. And then I unoccurred it.”
He didn’t laugh. This wasn’t funny in the least.
“Honestly, it’s not me he’d be after; it’s you guys. And he’s not exactly the subtle type. If he did want me, I don’t think he’d leave a message.”
No, probably not.
“It’s never been anything this bad before, but it’s not the first time some redneck, beer-swilling asshole has decided to get even with me for writing him a ticket or hauling him in on a DUI. I’d lay money that’s what we’re talking about here.” She opened her mouth, then closed it quickly, as if she had more to say but had thought better of it.
“What?”
Indecision washed across her features. But before she could continue, a car drove by, flying down the country road at an unsafe speed. She jerked away from him and leaned forward toward the windshield, glaring after it. “Damn. Missed the license plate number.”
Soft woman to hard-edged cop in less than ten seconds. What an irresistible combination.
Clearing her throat, she spoke again, as if the subject of the dog, and whatever else she’d been about to tell him, had never come up. “You said you’re having problems with jurisdiction in the case?”
He let her get away with it, knowing Stacey wasn’t the type to hold back if something was really important. She said what needed to be said, when it needed to be said. He had no doubt that if she had something else on her mind, she’d tell him when she was ready. “Yes. Wyatt’s jumping through hoops to keep on top of it. But at least it’s made the BAU sit up and take notice. They’ve stopped stonewalling the agent working on the profile. We should have it in a couple of days.”
“I bet we can make a couple of assumptions about this guy even without it.”
“You know, assume is a very bad word in law enforcement.”
“I know, I know. But come on, there are a few obvious points.”
“Such as?”
“He was probably an abuser of animals.” Incredulous, given what they’d just discussed, he merely stared.
“I still don’t think what happened to Lady is connected to this,” she insisted.
Giving up, he merely replied, “Okay. Animal abuse is actually a strong commonality among serial killers. Know anyone with a history of that kind of thing?” Frowning, he added, “Or two anyones?”
She shook her head. “Not that I know of. But I’ll ask my dad.”
“Good idea.”
Leaning back in her seat, she thought quietly before continuing to speculate. “He hates women.”
“Could be. Or he could want women and be unable to sexually perform with them, so he kills them instead.” He paused before adding, “Three were violated with unidentified objects.”
She shuddered. But not because of the air-conditioning.
“Okay,” she said, “what about abuse?”
“Again, very possible. But not always.”