Page 42 of Criminally Yours

He hunched his shoulders. “It’s nice to have someone worrying about me, especially you. I was in the gym and then ate while I made plans with Cam. I’d like to discuss them with you.”

“And give me a say in them?” She stood and faked a smile.

“Yes,” he confirmed. “You said earlier you need space, and I ruined your downtime this morning. Do you want to get some fresh air with the dogs before we leave? By the end of tonight, you could be back in London and away from these views.”

Her mouth dried. Was this his goodbye?

He brushed his thumb to her brow, easing the furrows. “You’re thinking too hard, Doc. It’s just a walk.”

CHAPTER 18

Strike

The walk across Bear and Liss’s land was exactly what they needed. With Liss’s family money and Bear’s savings, along with extra from Bodyguard Corp, they’d converted a medium-sized farm into a safe rural headquarters.

The air was fresher here, and being away from prying eyes eased the tension in his shoulders.

Strike’s lips lifted as Millie and the dogs ran across the field near Bear’s house, her hair flying behind her.

Her giggles as Roy bounced around her like a kangaroo reduced the heaviness in his soul. Jeff was like a puppy again.

He’s not the only one.

Another hour in the gym that morning had only added to his stress, but five minutes with a happy, giggling Millie made him feel like he was a marshmallow bobbing on hot chocolate. He should have sought her out sooner.

“Can you stay closer so I can keep you safe?” he shouted.

And because I need you close.

She ran back. Her face flushed from the spring air had him fighting the smile wanting to stretch acrosshis face.

“Thank you for this. I really needed to be away from the stresses. Bear and Liss are lovely, but I love this, and I miss Benji,” she said, referring to her old dog.

“We had a lot of fun with him, didn’t we?”

When she smiled, happiness and light filled him, easing the tension in his chest.

“We did,” she shouted. “Do you remember the time he escaped the garden and chased that cat? He scared it so bad it cowered in a tree and wouldn’t come down.”

“Of course I remember it. You made me climb the tree to get it.”

“And it hissed at you and scratched you because you scared it.”

Strike elbowed her gently. “I didn’t scare it. You and Benji did when you made kissy noises at it. It thought you were tricking it and beckoning it to its doom.”

“I still feel bad that it swiped your face so hard it made your lip bleed when you rescued it.” She touched his lip where it had bled. “I didn’t think I’d ever stop the bleeding.”

He trembled as her finger lingered on his lip. “Your parents were pissed when they returned home and found you tending my wounds.”

Millie’s smile dimmed, and she pulled her hand away. “It probably wasn’t wise to straddle you while I did it.” He sucked in a breath at the throaty way she saidstraddle. “They lectured me for hours about how you were trouble and we shouldn’t hang out.”

“Imagine if they’d known we were secretly dating.”

“Or that it was then I realised I didn’t want to study medicine. I enjoyed psychology, but I wasn’t certain about a career in it until that day. Although I’m better now, I couldn’t stand the sight of blood.”

“What?” His jaw dropped. “But you loved the idea of medicine, and you decided not to go to university and study itbecause you wanted to be with me. That’s what you suggested the morning after we slept together.”

“I continued questioning myself. Changing from medicine was a big step, as it was what my parents always wanted me to do. But I thought that if I said I’d study where you were, it’d get me out of medicine. I wasn’t logical at that point. I was giddy with love and sex.”