A badge he’d accepted because maybe he’d decided this town wasn’t a deadweight around his neck after all.
“There are no obstacles,” she said, and Rosalie immediately saw that he didn’t have a clue what she was talking about.
However, he did have a clue what she was about to do when she went to him. He braced, not in a defensive way, but as if he’dknown all along what was about to happen. And what was about to happen was a kiss.
He reached for her. She reached for him. Gabriel was faster than she was, though, and he hooked his arm around her waist, snapping her to him. His mouth landed on hers just as her breasts landed on his chest. All in all, she couldn’t have asked for more. Well, not at the moment, anyway.
The heat slid through her, from head to toe. Yes, Gabriel could make her hot everywhere, and a single kiss from him could kick things straight to foreplay. That was the good thing, and the bad, about this not being their first kissing rodeo with each other. He already knew how to play around with her mouth to make this heat skyrocket to the next level.
Unlike so many of their other make-out sessions, they weren’t in the confines of a truck. They had room to move, and Gabriel moved her all right. He turned her, pressing her back against the wall, and he managed to do that without breaking the kiss. A kiss he’d deepened in the best way possible. In fact, everything about this was the best way possible.
Except for the ringing.
At first, Rosalie thought the sound was only in her ears, but when Gabriel tore his mouth from hers and cursed, she realized it was his phone. Apparently, he didn’t think he could just ignore it, what with him being a deputy on duty and all, so he yanked the cell from his pocket. No cursing, though, when he saw the name on the screen.
She saw it, too. Miguel Rodriguez. And she remembered that was his friend in Dallas PD. The one who’d sent an officer to check on Hamish.
“I, uh, need to take this,” Gabriel said, hitting Answer and shifting away from her. He didn’t put the call on speaker, but she had no trouble hearing the other cop when he spoke.
“I just got an interesting call from your great-uncle’s neighbor,” the lieutenant said. “Apparently, about five minutes ago, he saw Hamish leave his house with a suitcase. He got into a car. Not driving,” he quickly added, “but as a passenger. You think Hamish might be trying to run?”
“Maybe,” Gabriel answered after a long pause. “He might think he’s on the verge of being arrested.”
“Is he on the verge?” Lieutenant Rodriguez came out and asked. “Have you found anything we can use to charge him with something?”
“Nothing. His friend, the mortician, who no doubt helped him fake his death, passed away a couple of years ago. His son took over the business, but he said there were no records on Hamish.”
So, a dead end. Literally. But even if the mortician had still been alive, he might not have been willing or able to tell Gabriel any more than he’d already learned. Nor would he have necessarily faced any criminal charges because of the statute of limitations.
“All right,” the lieutenant muttered. “The neighbor said he’d call us when and if Hamish returns, but I won’t be sending out any other officers unless I hear different from you. And speaking of hearing from you, have you considered my offer?”
Gabriel glanced at her and shifted his position so that he was turned slightly away from her. “Haven’t had a chance to even think about it.”
“Well, get on with it,” Rodriguez said with a chuckle. “I’m sure if you need any waivers for passing the physical, we can work around that. Think about it. Better pay and you and me teaming up again. Just say the word, and I’ll make sure the job is yours.”
Everything inside Rosalie went still. All right. That was an obstacle she hadn’t seen coming. She’d obviously been wrong about Gabriel not being able to work on a big-city police force.
“I’ll get back to you,” Gabriel replied, glancing at her again. “Keep me posted about Hamish.”
He ended the call but stared at the phone for a couple of seconds before he slipped it back into his pocket.
“Are you, uh, thinking about...?” She stopped, regrouped. Then fessed up to him. “I overheard your conversation. Small house, big ears,” Rosalie added, trying to lighten her tone.
“Miguel and I served together on a couple of assignments,” Gabriel said after his own pause and what appeared to be his own regrouping. “He wants me to work there in Tactical Investigations, tracking down fugitives.”
It took her a couple of seconds to find her voice. First, Rosalie had to tamp down the sickening dread that once again she was going to have to watch Gabriel leave Last Ride. “Uh, that sounds interesting. And important.”
She doubted he’d have assignments here that met that level of importance. Well, not on a level to compete with Dallas PD, anyway. His cases would certainly be important to the citizens of Last Ride.
“Rosalie,” he murmured, her name coming at the end of a heavy sigh. Maybe a sigh he intended to follow up with an apology, but if anI’m sorrywas coming, it got cut off by the knock at her door.
Still feeling numb and frazzled at the same time, she opened the door without thinking. And she instantly regretted it. Because Reggie was on her porch. Reggie, wearing his white dentist coat and looking somewhat numb and frazzled himself.
“Oh,” Reggie said, his wide-eyed gaze sliding from her to Gabriel. “Oh,” he repeated, and it sounded like awhat the heck is going on here?question.
No way did she owe this cheating scumbag an explanation as to why Gabriel was in her house and why she probably looked as if she’d just been kissing him. Which she had been.
“What do you want, Reggie?” she asked and didn’t bother to take the annoyance and irritation out of her voice.