Dangerous by Diana Palmer Read Free Book Online Page B

Not until now, with the last man on earth she should allow herself to feel it for.
    He felt her shy response with wonder. He’d expected that a socialite like Winnie would have had men since her early teens. The way of the world these days was experience. Virtue counted for nothing with most of the social set. But this little violet was innocent. He could feel it when she strained away from the sudden hardness of his body, when she shivered as he tried to probe her mouth.
    Curious, he lifted his head and looked down into her flushed, wide-eyed face. Innocence. She couldn’t even pretend sophistication.
    Gently, he eased her out of his arms. He smiled to lessen the sting of it. “You taste of green apples,” he said enigmatically.
    “Apples?” She blinked, and swallowed. She could still taste him on her mouth. It had felt wonderful, being held so close to that warm strength. “I haven’t had an apple in, well, in ages,” she stammered.
    “It was a figure of speech. Here. Put on your coat.” He helped her ease her arms into it. Then he handed her the cup.
    “Am I leaving and taking it with me?” she asked blankly.
    “No. We’re just drinking it outside.” He picked up his own cup and shepherded her out of the door, onto the long porch, down the steps and out to a picnic table that had been placed there, with its rude wooden benches, by the owner.
    “We’re going to drink coffee out here?” she asked, astonished. “It’s freezing!”
    “I know. Sit down.”
    She did, using the cup for a hand warmer.
    “It is a bit nippy,” he commented.
    A sheriff’s car drove past. It beeped. Kilraven waved. “I’m leaving next week,” he said.
    “Yes. You told us.”
    A Jacobsville police car whizzed by, just behind the sheriff’s car. It beeped, too. Kilraven threw up his hand. Dust rose and fell in their wake, then settled.
    “I had some sick leave and some vacation time left over. I can only use a little of it, of course, for this year, because it’s almost over. But I’m going to have a few weeks to do some investigating without pay.” He smiled. “With the state of the economy what it is, I don’t think they’ll mind that.”
    “Probably not.” She sipped coffee. “Exactly what do you do when you aren’t impersonating a police officer?” she asked politely.
    He pursed his lips and his silver eyes twinkled. “I could tell you, but then I’d have to—”

    A loud horn drowned out the rest. This time, it was a fire truck. They waved. Kilraven waved back. So did Winnie.
    “Have to what?” she asked him.
    “Well, it wouldn’t be pretty.”
    “That’s just stonewalling, Kilraven,” she pointed out. She frowned. “Don’t you have a first name?”
    “Sure. It’s—”
    Another loud horn drowned that out, too.
    They both turned. Cash Grier pulled up beside the picnic table and let down his window on the driver’s side. “Isn’t it a little cold to be drinking coffee outside?” he asked.
    Kilraven gave him a wry look. “Everybody at the EOC saw me drive off with Winnie,” he said complacently. “So far, there have been two cop cars and a fire truck. And, oh, look, there comes the Willow Creek Police Department. A little out of your jurisdiction, aren’t you?” he called loudly to the driver, who was from northern Jacobs County. He just grinned and waved and drove on.
    Winnie hadn’t realized how much traffic had gone by until then. She burst out laughing. No wonder Kilraven had wanted to sit out here. He wasn’t going to have her gossiped about. It touched her.
    “If I were you, I’d take her to Barbara’s Café to have this discussion,” Cash told him. “It’s much more private.”
    “Private?” Kilraven exclaimed.
    Cash pointed to the road. There were, in a row, two sheriffs’ cars, a state police vehicle, a fire and rescue truck, an ambulance and, of all things, a fire department ladder truck. They all tooted and waved as they went by, creating a wave of dust.

    Cash