Page 30 of Child In Jeopardy
She was giving him an out, but Slater didn’t jump on it. At the moment, he wasn’t sure what his future would be with Lana and the baby, but he sure as hell didn’t want to be excluded.
Sighing, he moved onto the sofa with her, but before he doled out any TLC to repair the damage her mother had just done, he tapped her phone. “Let Julia know to warn BoBo.”
She nodded so fast that calling Julia must have already been on her to-do list. Lana sent the text, and then every last drop of energy seemed to drain right out of her. Or so he thought. But then Lana did something that he was certain shocked both of them.
She kissed him.
Her mouth landed on his, not particularly hard, but this wasn’t just a peck of reassurance, either. It was a full-blown kiss that she quickly deepened.
The taste of her roared through him and fired up everything inside him. Much too hot, much too fast. This was the kind of kiss that lovers shared. A foreplay moment right before landing in bed. And while his body was suddenly all up for that, Slater figured it wasn’t a good idea. Not at the moment, anyway.
Lana only took her mouth from his when she was forced to breathe, and she gulped in some air. “I’m not going to say I’m sorry,” she insisted. “I’m not going to regret this.” She stopped,though, and squeezed her eyes shut a moment. “All right, maybe I regret it some. It feels as if I’m using you to help me get through the grief.”
Slater wanted to nip this in the bud. “Were you attracted to me before Stephanie died?” he asked.
She blinked, nodded. “Yes.”
“Then the heat is real, period, and there’s no rule against kissing someone you’re attracted to because it feels good. Or because it makes you feel as if you’re not in this alone. Because you’re not.”
Lana stared at him a long time, and the corner of her mouth lifted as if she might manage a smile. The sound of her phone ringing put an automatic stop to that, though. She muttered something about it probably being her mother and looked at the screen, only to shake her head.
“It’s Taylor,” she said, and Lana’s sigh told Slater that she really didn’t have the desire to deal with the woman, but that didn’t stop her from answering the call on speaker.
“I want you to meet me, and I don’t want you to bring a lot of cops with you.” Taylor said in lieu of a greeting. “Just Deputy McCullough and you. Hear that? Just the two of you. I can’t make it today, but I’ll be at True Blue Coffeeshop tomorrow morning at nine.”
“And why would I want to go there?” she asked. “Why do you want to see me?”
Taylor huffed. “You’ll want to do it because it’s important.” She added a duh.
“If it’s that important, why not just tell me over the phone?” Lana demanded.
“Because I know something you don’t, that’s why.” The woman’s tone was beyond mere snark. “Be there tomorrow if you want to know the name of the person who teamed up with Buck to murder your sister.”
Chapter Ten
Lana made the mistake of taking in a deep breath just as Slater walked into the living room after finishing his shower. He smelled amazing, not just of soap, but his own unique scent that lingered just beneath.
His hair was damp, and he ran a hand through it, all that was needed to make it look as if it’d been tousled and fallen in the perfect way to frame his face. A face that apparently had the ability to arouse her with a mere glance.
If they hadn’t been neck-deep in an investigation, she might have gone the reckless route and kissed him again. But she instinctively knew that a kiss wouldn’t just stay a kiss. The heat had escalated too much for that. The next time their mouths met, they’d likely end up in bed. That’s why she’d kept her distance from him the night before and now this morning. And she’d been faring fairly well until she’d seen this hot, damp cowboy version of the man who seemed to have nailed down more than his share of hotness.
Lana cleared her throat and drank some coffee while she glanced out at the Austin skyline. She certainly hadn’t expected to spend another night at the safe house, but that’s what she and Slater had ended up doing. All to accommodate Taylor, who wouldn’t budge on giving them the info unless it was in person. Of course, it had occurred to them that this could all be a ruse to draw her and Slater out, but after a long debate, they had decided to go for it.
With serious precautions.
Even though Taylor had insisted they not bring any cops, that wasn’t going to happen. Detective Thayer and some of herfellow officers had already scoped out the coffee shop, and while they would be keeping watch in a building across the street, one of the cops would be undercover as a waitress. After all, if Taylor truly did know something about an accomplice and had withheld that, the woman could be charged with obstruction of justice.
Taylor would no doubt curse and protest if an arrest happened, but Lana didn’t care. The only thing she wanted was the name of the person responsible so he or she could be arrested. Then, she and Slater could return to Saddle Ridge, and...well, she didn’t know what would happen next, but “next” couldn’t even begin until she was certain Cameron would be safe.
“How’s the baby this morning?” he asked, tipping his head to her phone she was still holding. Slater also knew that while he was showering, she’d phoned his sister.
“He was awake and so alert,” Lana said, well aware that she sounded like a gushing new mother. But Cameron had indeed been alert, and even though she’d read that a newborn’s eyes couldn’t focus well, it had seemed the baby was looking right at her.
“You’ll be back with him soon,” Slater assured her.
“Yes, hopefully soon and with no killer after us.” She waved that off, though, when he started toward her, no doubt to dole out some TLC. “It’s okay. I don’t have much faith that Taylor can actually give us a name, but I’m hoping whatever she tells us will lead to something.”
Slater made a sound of agreement and sank down on the sofa next to her, bringing his scent and that amazing face even closer to her. “If Taylor is the accomplice, then the danger could be over even if there isn’t enough to arrest her. Everything in her background points to her being an obsessed ex-girlfriend. She has no history of any kind of violence and no criminal record.”