Diamonds Can Be Deadly by Merline Lovelace Read Free Book Online Page B

waist. Apparently the no-phone policy didn’t apply to the institute’s director of security.
    â€œThe officer on duty heard what he thought was the sound of someone falling,” he said, catching her gaze.
    â€œHeard?”
    Jordan stiffened. She’d swept the entire bungalow. There was no way she could have missed a bug. Not with Mackenzie’s state-of-the art sniffer.
    â€œHeard how?” she demanded.
    â€œThe bathroom tiles are pressurized to detect dropped objects weighing more than fifty pounds.”
    â€œWhat? Why?”
    â€œMost hotel accidents happen in the bathroom. Usually when people are getting in or out of the tub. Since the cottages aren’t equipped with phones for guests to use in case of an emergency, my predecessor devised this method of alerting us to a fall.”
    Involuntarily, Jordan lifted a foot. Balancing like a stork on one leg, she scowled at the decorative tiles under her other foot and scrambled to recall the type of flooring in the headquarters building.
    Parquet. Both the conference room and the offices featured floor of inlaid wood. Had those floors been pressurized, too? Had TJ tracked her progress the entire time?
    If so, he made no mention of it. His concernseemed centered on the thud his security officer had heard.
    â€œI pounded on your door. When I didn’t get an answer, I did a security override and came in to check on you. From what I saw when I walked in,” he added after a short, charged pause, “you look to be in pretty good shape.”
    Jordan’s foot hit the tiles with a thump. The situation reminded her all too forcefully of the last time she’d gotten naked with this man. A whole anticorruption squad had busted through the door on that occasion.
    â€œOkay, Scott. You did your duty and checked things out. You can leave now.”
    â€œNot yet. Did you fall?”
    â€œYes, I fell.”
    â€œWhat happened?”
    â€œWhat do you think? I slipped on the tiles and took a dive. Now, if you don’t mind…”
    She waved a hand to send him on his way. He stood his ground, obviously not ready to be dismissed.
    â€œI need to fill out an accident report. What caused you to slip?”
    She could hardly tell him her nocturnal prowling in the equivalent of a portable steam room left her dripping with sweat down to and including her feet.
    â€œI got in the shower. Stepped out to fetch the shampoo. Lost my footing on the wet tiles and went down. After which, I got back in the shower where I remained until I was so rudely interrupted.”
    She should have remembered he was a cop. One of the best, they’d told her, before he’d turned. His glance zeroed in on the array of toiletries in the basket on the marble vanity. Each bore the resort’s exclusive label—including the mango scented shampoo.
    Hiking up the bath towel, Jordan moved to block his view of the shower stall. For all he knew, she’d used her own personal brand of suds.
    â€œLook, Scott, I’ve had a long day and I’m—”
    â€œWell, hell! You really did a number on yourself.”
    His gaze had dropped to the middle of her chest. Glancing down, Jordan saw a mottled bruise already forming on the hand gripping the towel.
    â€œIt’s nothing. I just hit my hand on the counter when I went down.”
    He crossed the room in two strides. “Better let me take a look at that.”
    â€œHey! Do you mind? I’m naked here.”
    â€œYeah, I noticed. Give me your hand, Red.”
    And release her death grip on the towel? Jordan didn’t think so.
    â€œWhat are you going to do?” she jeered. “Kiss the boo-boo and make it better?”
    His grin slipped out then, the same crooked grin that had once put a flutter in Jordan’s stomach. To her profound disgust, it still generated a few quivers.
    â€œThe NYPD first responder’s medical training didn’t include kissing as a treatment