Page 67 of Criminally Yours

“You can keep your eyes open if you want,” she said tentatively, swallowing a couple of times as he sat up. The edge of the sleeping bag revealed the T-shirt clinging to his muscles. “I like that you enjoy staring at me.”

She suspected she had a praise kink from the things she needed the men on her app to say and the frustration when they didn’t, but when Strike said it, it meant something.

His blue eyes darkened, and his tongue swept the seam of his lips. “You’re better than my dreams,” he said thickly.

“But you’ve seen it before.”

“Ten years is a long time. And you’re more beautiful and even sexier. Jesus.”

He grabbed her and pulled her against him as they snuggled into the sleeping bag.

“I dreamt about you,” he whispered, his voice like honey on warm bread.

“What sort of dream? Presumably, a robot has PG-13 dreams.”

His chuckle was smooth. “Like I said before, being around you makes me less of a robot.”

“Oh.” Fantasies attempted to infiltrate her calm. “Good.”

He cleared his throat. “Now sleep. Cam will be here soon, and we must get to Cornwall.”

When I speak to my family.

She stilled as she sighed. Everything he did made her safer and able to accept his touch. But it might not be enough after what they’d been through.

CHAPTER 29

Millie

As they travelled to Cornwall in the blacked-out four-by-four Cam had dropped off, Millie tapped the new phone he’d left for her.

She needed to speak to her family, but she couldn’t get past the barrier of actually sending them a message.

She was the worst counsellor, always making people face their past while she hid from hers.

“Do you remember the song ‘Toothpaste Kisses’?” she asked as memories dogged her.

“You’re asking if I remember our song, Mixie? The song I found for you after I stayed at yours late enough to chat while you cleaned your teeth?”

She dropped her head, her cheeks heating. “Yeah, that one.” She pushed her glasses up. “It was weird that sometimes you’d stay late enough to join me in the bathroom and clean your teeth with me.”

“Weird and totally coincidental that I had my toothbrush with me.” He chuckled as his phone rang.

“Morning, bud,” Bear said through the speaker. “You good?”

“Yep. We’re on our way to the house. Any news about the shooter?”

Millie stared at the beauty spot near Strike’s ear and the stubble lining his jaw. How could a man who resembled a mountain be so adorable? Shit. She was romanticising again. She needed to send this message.

Bear shared his update softly. “Casey’s still investigating. There doesn’t appear to be a leak in the police department. No one knew about it apart from her boss, and our team is solid, which leaves us with?—”

“The lawyer,” Millie said absentmindedly.

“Yes,” Liss said.

Strike side-eyed Millie. “When did you work that out?”

“About one minute ago. I was distracted.” She peeked at his lips. His thick thighs were wide, and he’d pushed his sleeves up, revealing the veins cording across his forearms. “But it was obvious. Didn’t you think about him?”