7 Degrees of Alpha (a collection of seven new BWWM, Alpha Male Romances) by et al Phoenix Daniels Sara Allen Read Free Book Online Page B

again!” Doug quipped.
    “Doug!” Jones warned.
    “What? I didn’t say anything,” his friend and partner replied. “How did your lunch date go?”
    “Who said it was only lunch?” Jones grinned.
    “What?” Doug said, shocked, “You mean…”
    “I don’t mean anything. Get your mind out the gutter,” he told Doug, “I only said that our date didn’t end with lunch.”
    “You old dog! Come on. Out with it,” Doug replied, slapping him on the back in a congratulatory manner.
    “Stop that shit! I said nothing happened,” he replied, shrugging Doug’s hand off his shoulder in annoyance, “Well, that’s not exactly accurate. Something did happen, but not what you’re thinking.”
    “Oh, how so?”
    “She’s staying at my place. She had a bust-up with her ex-boyfriend and kicked the bastard out. But something’s going on because she didn’t feel safe enough to stay there alone.”
    “Strange,” Doug’s comment mirrored Jones’ earlier thought perfectly.
    “You’re telling me. But what the hell it is, I have no idea,” Jones said, distracted.
    “You don’t want to look into it, do you?”
    “No. I don’t want to break a trust. I'm hoping she’ll tell me what the fuck’s going on without me having to break her arm over it, not physically, of course, but you know what I mean.” Jones pushed his hair back, taking the band from his wrist and securing the wayward strands away from his face. He scrubbed the stubble that had grown through on his chin vigorously, the simple gesture showing his nervousness.
    They heard the crackle of their police radios come online. It was a dispatch message. Something was going on. Both men stood to attention, awaiting the details of what had happened and where. This late at night, it could be anything.
    Shit , Jones thought as details of the incident came in. Another body had been found, and worse, it matched the description of the others from a few months ago; the ones that had started them on this blind, almost dead-end investigation they were fumbling around with.
    Jones and Doug exchanged looks and started towards the exit. They had no other choice; this was their call, and it was best they go out to see what the hell had happened. It was going to be a long night, a very long night of them getting no closer to the bastards that were perpetrating these crimes.
     
     

Five
    07:15 a.m. October 13, 2004
     
    Val made her way to the kitchen to get coffee for breakfast. Jones had a spacious apartment, wide and homey. It wasn’t too masculine, but it certainly wasn’t feminine either. The dark, cherry wood furniture, mixed and matched with the gray and black accents, created a decadent feel to the apartment against the stark whiteness of the walls. It was almost as though his home was trying to hide its opulence under a shy exterior, but in reality was forced to admit that the décor was clearly worth more than that little extra.
    “Oh, he collects art,” she said to herself, as she looked from one wall to the other.
    Scanning the paintings that lined the walls as she sipped her coffee made her rethink her earlier assumptions about him. Being an art curator herself, she knew a good piece when she saw one, and Jones had surprised her with his choices. Val wondered why she hadn’t noticed them last night, but she realized it was probably because she’d been distracted and out of touch with her surroundings, which was unusual for her, as she was usually hypersensitive to what was going on around her. It also proved that she had no idea what type of person he was after all!
    Jones gave her the impression that he was hardcore through and through, all harsh angles and edges. She liked his edginess. It was almost a challenge to see him soften up and be partly human.  She knew underneath there somewhere, he had a soft center; just where the hell it was, she’d have to find out.
    Val also appreciated his no-nonsense attitude. It was a pleasant change from all the