Breath of Fire by Liliana Hart Page A

keep it from me for long.”
    “I think you’re lying. That can’t be the only reason you came,” he said, eyebrows raised in disbelief, dimples winking.
    “You’re right,” I agreed. “I’m attracted to you, I’ll admit. But I have an agenda. I might also be able to use you.”
    His satisfied smirk faded with my answer. “At least you’re honest.”
    “It’s the exact reason you asked me to come in the first place, though I’m sure you felt the chemistry between us was a nice bonus. You must think I’m an idiot to not see through your charm and dimples to what you really want from me. This evening would probably go much smoother if we just cut the bullshit from the beginning and got down to business.”
    His jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed, but he nodded. “I can certainly do that. As long as you’re willing to cooperate.”
    “It depends on what you ask of me. I’m willing to hear you out. That should be enough to satisfy you for now.”
    “You know, I didn’t have to extend the courtesy of giving you a choice in the matter. I could have come in with my badge and demanded you give me the information I wanted on these murders. Because I do have proof that you have information.” He took his eyes off the road briefly to give me a hard stare, and I felt the first dregs of anger form inside the pit of my stomach. “I could take you to headquarters with me and keep you there. And there’s nothing you could do about it.”
    “You could try to take me,” I said softly, afraid if I raised my voice it would unleash the beast I was trying so hard to control. “Threatening me is not the way to gain my cooperation.”
    “I wouldn’t dream of threatening you. I was just letting you know I could’ve handled things differently. Believe it or not, I have a great deal of respect for you, and I don’t have any intention of making your life harder than it already is.”
    There was nothing else he might have said that could’ve deflated my anger as quickly as that. Respect was something I got precious little of in my life. I took a deep breath and relaxed in my seat. We rode in silence for almost an hour before I became curious enough to ask where we were going.
    “There’s a restaurant at one of the bed and breakfasts in Greenville that has excellent food,” Noah finally said.
    He shifted uncomfortably in his seat before speaking again. “Look, I want to apologize for starting things off on the wrong foot. I think if you’ll give it a chance, you and I could benefit each other greatly. And I’ll be honest with you too. The attraction between us is more than an added bonus.” He gave me a long look. Gone was the frustration he’d had earlier, and in its place was an obvious yearning that made my breath catch in the back of my throat.
    “Why me?”
    “Two reasons. First, because you’ve seen every one of the crime scenes, and I want you to help me piece things together and give closure to the families who are missing their loved ones.”
    I opened my mouth to speak, but he cut me off before I could get a word out.
    “No, don’t deny that you’ve seen the bodies. I thought you wanted to start off our relationship with honesty?”
    I narrowed my eyes at him, but didn’t bother to deny any longer.
    “Don’t you want to know the second reason?” he asked.
    “Not if it’s anything like the first reason.” He stared at me patiently, his mouth quirked slightly at one corner. Sometimes my attitude was a little abrasive for humans. “Sorry. What’s the second reason?”
    He skimmed his finger down my cheek and I had to fight to keep the heat of my body from raging out of control. “I want you,” he whispered. He moved his hand back to the steering wheel and turned his attention back to the road. The loss of his touch brought a moan just to the edge of my lips.
    I couldn’t control the longing that overtook my body. It had been so long since I’d been touched—since I’d wanted a man to