It looks a lot like George Ray Harvey.
“So that’s it.” The monitors went black once more. A few seconds later, Lucky switched topics completely when he asked, “You hungry?”
She met Lucky’s inquisitive gaze and shook her head. “Not really.”
When she’d first walked in here, she’d been famished. But her hunger hadn’t stemmed from her body’s need for food.There’d been another urgency that had driven her to seek him out.
Ellie had been standing in Lucky’s bathroom, her mind filling with things like bullets, flames, and a sexy former SEAL who turned out to be someone very different than the man she’d assumed him to be…and she’d become almost consumed with desire.
Desire to feel. To forget. To lose herself to a man she innately knew would give her both those abilities and more. But now…
A sense of Déjà vu struck as Ellie gave her suddenly dry lips a quick lick. “I think I’m just going to go to bed,” she told him softly.
Because suddenly wild, casual sex was the very last thing on her mind.
“Me, too.” Lucky’s expression was unreadable. “I put a call into the arson investigative unit in the SFD. Eagle’s Nest has a contact there, and she’s going to keep me up to date on things from their end.”
“You guys sure are well-connected.” She held his stare. “Especially for being so new in town.”
His lips curved into a barely-there grin. “The publicity from Nat’s case caught a lot of attention. Cassie’s, too.” The man’s Adam’s apple bobbed as a haunted look crossed over him. “I’d give anything for that shit not to have happened to those two, but…”
“But?” she prompted.
Something akin to guilt filled the man’s stunning eyes. “As shitty as it sounds, both cases helped solidify Eagle’s Nest’s relationship with local law enforcement. Once word spread throughout the SPD that we’re the real deal—”
“That trickled down into the other agencies.” Including the SFD.
Ellie thought about the uniformed officer back at the crime scene. His entire demeanor had changed when Lucky flashed his I.D., and it was clear the man had been impressed.
Lucky’s head dipped with a nod. “Doesn’t hurt that we’ve also had some well-connected clients since opening the firm.”
He didn’t give names, and she didn’t ask. Given her own profession, Ellie was well-versed in the art of confidentiality. She understood all-too-well the importance of protecting one’s clients.
“Do you think your contact in the SFD will know something soon?”
“Hopefully. Though, I’m not sure how much it’ll help.” Her sexy protector looked as frustrated as she felt when he raked a hand through his dark hair. “We already know it was arson, but without an I.D., the actual cause of the blaze won’t make much of a difference.”
She’d considered this as well.
“Still…” Ellie crossed her arms at her center as her weight shifted from one foot to the other. “Your efforts regarding my safety haven’t gone unnoticed.”
“My efforts?” Lucky scoffed. “I haven’t done shit for you, El. I got to you after the shots stopped that day at the courthouse, and tonight—”
“Tonight you gave me just what I needed at the exact moment I needed it.” She began walking slowly toward him.
“If we’d stayed home, there’s a chance we could’ve caught the bastard.”
“That’s a possibility, sure.” Ellie covered the remaining few inches standing between them. Stopping right in front of Lucky, she held his gaze steady and reminded him, “The other scenario is we don’t go dancing, and that manstillbreaks into my apartment, only this time, he kills us both.”
Anger flashed in the blues of his eyes. Moving lightning fast, he reached out, his strong hands curling around her shoulders in an almost desperate grip. “That’s never going to happen.” The solemn vow came out as a growl. “He won’t get anywhere near you.” Lucky gave a curt shake of his head. “I won’t let him.”
Her hand was moving before she even realized her own intentions, a slight tickle caressing her palm as she slid her hand along the short stubble there. “I know you believe that.” The intention behind his words was right there, staring down at her from his fierce gaze. “But you and I both know if the man who set that fire wants me dead, he’ll eventually find a way.”
She’d seen enough to know that’s how the evils of the world worked.
“No, he fucking won’t.” Lucky’s hands moved from her shoulders to frame her face, and if she thought he looked angry before… “You’re safe with me, Eloise.” A claim he’d made before. “I will be with you, right by your side, until we catch this son of a bitch. And wewillcatch him.”
Of that, Ellie had no doubt. The only question she had was would they find her would-be killer before she was dead…