Page 45 of Criminally Yours

Read about men who are a lot easier to understand than you.She chuckled.

“Something funny?” His crotchetiness wasn’t fooling anyone. He pretended he was a big bad wolf, but there were hints of a cuddly retriever.

“No,” she sassed.

He shrugged his shoulders, making her jiggle.

“Oi. Stop it,” she grumbled, though she was smiling against his neck.

He did it again.

“Sorry, just getting comfortable.” Mirth wove between his words.

“Liar.”

She squeezed her thighs.

“Fuck.”

She swallowed the temptation to drag her nose up his neck and immerse herself in all of him. “So,” she replied, her voice deepening, “when I get home, I’ll get into my pyjamas—a vest and shorts in case you’re interested.”

“Fascinated.”

“Dickhead,” she teased, her smile widening. “Then I’ll put on a playlist that includes strong women singing about crappy situations.” He made encouraging noises. “Grab a book and make a coffee.”

“A coffee in the evening? You need to stay awake for one more chapter?”

“Are you a big reader, Strike?”

He cleared his throat again. “The odd training manual fora new weapon. They made me read a lot when I joined the army, so I went off it.”

“Okay.” She dragged out the word. They neared the house. She wasn’t sure how to broach something he’d mentioned the day before. He was too elusive with his answers.

“What are you thinking, Doc?”

“How can you tell I’m thinking anything? I might be enjoying the smell of the countryside.”

His laugh was deep and comforting. “You make a humming sound when you’re thinking. It’s adorable.”

She whispered in his ear, “And you clear your throat before you lie.”

“Just tell me what you’re thinking.”

“You mentioned a letter yesterday. Did you send me something after you left? I didn’t get anything.” His sad sigh pushed her resolve. “I need answers, Strike.”

His back tensed, forcing her to tighten her arms. “The last thing I did before I left was write you a letter about why I left and push it through your door.”

“But I didn’t get it. I never received anything from you.”

Even from her angle, she caught his brow furrow. He shook his head and cleared his throat. “It probably wouldn’t have changed anything.”

“It would have changed everything. So that was it? You sent me a letter and gave up on me when I didn’t reply?”

“I never gave up on you. I couldn’t. You were all I thought about when I was in the army. I regretted leaving, but…”

Millie waited. She wasn’t filling in the gap for him.

“But, in the end, I decided your life was better without me in it.”