Page 32 of In Too Deep

“It’s confirmed as foul play.” Harrison scrubbed a hand down his face.

“Right.” Jake slipped his fingers between the buttons of Harrison’s shirt, reaching the small patch of skin he could get to and lazily circled his belly button with his fingertip. God, that felt nice. Ridiculously nice for such a small touch. “So you’re working a murder now?”

“Yes.”

Harrison should say the rest.

Female. Unidentified.

He should tell Jake that Calder had already asked the question Harrison hadn’t wanted anyone asking. That there was no reason yet to believe it was Robyn, but equally no way to exclude her until they knew who the woman was.

He opened his mouth.

Then Jake’s fingertips ghosted over his skin again and Harrison couldn’t do it.

Not yet.

Not while this was still only speculation. Not when saying Robyn’s name would turn a remote possibility into something Jake would have to carry until Harrison could give him an answer.

“You must have worked them before, right?” Jake chewed on his lip. “In the Met?”

“Yes.”

“So this isn’t new for you?”

“No. Though, I came to Hartswick for a break from all that. A quieter life. Looks like it’s all following me here.” In more ways than one.

“Right.”

“So… I’m sorry.”

Jake frowned. “For what?”

“For turning up here. The state I was in. I shouldn’t have brought it to you.”

Jake stilled. “Is that summat you used to do? Bad case, get your head somewhere else for a bit?”

Harrison couldn’t exactly deny it. “Sometimes.”

“So that’s what this was?”

“Not entirely. But I was wound up. And…” He exhaled. “Needed something other than what was in my head.”

“Me?”

Harrison held his gaze. “Obviously.”

Jake drew his eyebrows in. “And now you regret it?”

“No.” Again, Harrison didn’t need to think about the answer. “I regret turning up here when I wasn’t thinking clearly. Putting you in the position of having to deal with me like that. I don’t regret what happened.”

“Any of it?”

“You really need me to answer that?”

Jake searched his face. Then, “Okay, so you came here wired, needing summat, and what? Getting me off helped?”

Harrison considered that. “Yes.”