Page 37 of Criminally Yours

Exercising in the house gym until four a.m. hadn’t helped him get out of his head. Breathing exercises were pointless. But at least by the end of the day, he’d have Millie ensconced in Stal’s safe house.

I need to keep her safe and then say goodbye. For good.

The door to the house behind him clicked. He looked over his shoulder as Millie stepped out in leggings and Liss’s royal crown hoodie. Lycra clung to every perfect curve. Strike crossed his ankles as she stepped down the path to the deck.

He should be annoyed she hadn’t noticed him and wasn’t as scared about her safety as he was. Anything could happen. His pulse climbed. She was his to protect.

He tore his eyes away from her round ass to stop the other reactions in his body. Jeff lifted his muzzle, and Strike shook his head.

Millie tiptoed onto the deck and took a long breath, curving her back. Fuck, he wanted to make her back bow like that. He wanted everything she’d give him. When he’d touched her yesterday, her lips quirked in a way that made him want to imprint them with his.

He wanted to be soft and sensual and also to twist her hair around his fist, making her crave more.

Sipping his coffee, he fixated on how she stretched her neck, lifting her hair and tying it in a bun. The hoodie hid her neck from him, and he nearly grunted his displeasure.

He licked his lips slowly, the bitterness of his coffee doing nothing to ruin the sweetness of Millie’s body. “Morning.”

She jumped before turning slowly. He sipped his coffee so she didn’t catch him grinning. He liked getting a reaction out of her.

“You startle easy, Doc.” He flexed his thighs as she stared at his grey joggers.

She glared. “I didn’t think anyone would be up this early,soldier.”

“I need alone time when I’m staying here. It’s a thing from my days in the barracks.”

“I’ll leave you be,” she replied, rushing to return inside the house.

“No, stay. I should have company. Sometimes I get maudlin.” Millie hesitated. His voice cracked. “Please stay.”

“Just for five minutes.” She stared at where Jeff sat, stretched out on the bench. “Sometimes I need time, too, and it’s nice being close to nature.”

She shifted from one foot to the other. He dragged his gaze from her thighs. What he’d do to have those wrapped around his head. He hadn’t allowed himself to wake this horny in a long time. When they got to Cornwall, he needed to avoid her in the mornings, or he’d have to jerk off in the shower all day.

“Sit. Your wriggling makes me nervous.” Nerves weren’t the issue.

“There’s nowhere to sit unless I use your lap,” she joked.

He took a deep breath and shifted his joggers slightly.

“Jeff, buddy, down.” The dog jumped off thebench and sat at Strike’s feet. Strike stroked his head, grounding himself in the softness of his fur.

“His name is Jeff? I didn’t mishear it before?”

“Liss and Bear think they’re hilarious. Who else would call their dogs Jeff and Roy?”

Millie sat. He glanced at her as she gazed at the water. It lapped against the deck and reminded him of teenage holidays spent at the beach.

“Liss and Bear are really in love, aren’t they?”

“Yes. I’m happy to see Bear like this. Liss is the one person worthy of him. I really like her. But don’t tell her I said that. She’d love it.”

Millie chuckled. “Your secret is safe.”

“Don’t get me wrong, they’re annoying, too, but I’ve never seen two people so in love since my parents.”

“Same.” She sighed softly.

The same way I always loved you.