"No doubt. Liza said Tommy hadn't expected the meeting," Lance said before asking,
"Are you finished here?"
She breathed out silently. "I can't find anything, Lance. Whoever did this is being damned careful so far. He knows the tricks."
And something about that tugged at her memory. It was like a subtle itch just between her shoulder blades. An awareness, a familiarity she wasn't certain of. She had perfect recall; her memory was a tool in and of itself. It wasn't a photographic memory, but Harmony did not forget details. Until now.
"Let's get to the office then and get the report filed. David has the investigation, and until something else breaks, you're off patrol."
"But Jonas…"
"Fuck Jonas," Lance snarled as they left the house, his hand lying against her lower back, as his big body seemed to hover over her. "I'll deal with him."
"I hear he's a wham-bam man; you wouldn't enjoy the experience I don't believe." She turned her hand over, checked her nails, then preceded him to the Raider.
"A wham-bam man," he repeated slowly. "God, I didn't need that thought in my head." He seemed to shudder as she opened the vehicle door and jumped inside. As Harmony moved to close the door, Lance stepped between it and the seat, bending to stare back at her. She met his gaze evenly, wondering if the anger simmering inside her showed in her eyes.
Perhaps she shouldn't be angry. If he wanted to accept Death and Harmony together, who was she to complain?
"Out with it before we get to the office," he ordered, his voice deepening into that alpha tone that seemed to click in her brain and her pu**y at the same time.
"Out with what?" Harmony glared back at him. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"That's why you're on the edge of hissing?" he grunted. "Don't bother lying to me, Harmony."
"Why, because the wind is going to tell you the truth?"
"Oh baby, I don't need the damned wind to whisper that one." He pushed his face closer to hers, anger simmering in his gaze. "I can look at your face and tell when you're lying to me."
She pressed her lips together stubbornly. The way he'd acted this morning, that was hard to believe.
"Now would be a good time to start speaking," he snapped. "Because that look just makes me hard, and it makes me just determined enough to consider f**king the answer out of you."
She almost moaned at the thought of the pleasure. Between one breath and the next her body heated, and searing arousal began to pound through her blood. Praying he couldn't see the response in her face, she continued to stare back at him silently. Thankfully, she was able to hold back her hiss.
She wouldn't forget that he hadn't believed her when she denied killing Mason. She had seen the suspicion in his eyes, and heard it in his response. No matter what he said now, he hadn't believed her then.
It's enough for me. As though it wouldn't be enough in the face of the evidence for anyone else.
"Harmony…" He drew her name out warningly.
"Hadn't we better head to the office?" she asked, keeping her voice cold. "As you said, Jonas will be arriving soon and I have a report to write."
Frustration filled his expression as his hand tightened on the door frame. A muscle jumped in his jaw before he stepped back and slammed the door closed, then stalked around the Raider. Arrogant male. She didn't lie—well, except to Jonas, maybe. And sometimes Dane.
She pursed her lips. Okay, she wasn't above lying if it served her purpose. But not to Lance and not about this. For the first time in her life someone had wanted to be something with her, rather than just wanting something from her. She wouldn't betray that, no matter what he thought.
Dammit, she was making herself crazy over something she shouldn't even be worried with. After all, he was stuck with her, right? It wasn't like he could mate someone else, could he? If one followed the example in nature, lions only mated once. Maybe it was something she needed to find out about. Braden would know; she could ask him about it.
"Harmony, that look on your face…"
"Have you ever gone parking?" She was starting to burn with arousal. Not the mating heat arousal, but a need vastly different. This was more natural, freer. She could deny it, if she wanted to. The problem was, she didn't want to.
"Parking?" His expression was a bit confused.
"Yeah. Taking a woman out in the desert and parking and actually doing it in the Raider?"
He wiped his hand over his face.
"You're mad at me because I haven't taken you parking?" he asked carefully.
"No. I'm angry over something much more important."
She waved the question aside. "I'm curious about the parking."
"Curious how?" he asked as he pulled the Raider out onto the main road.
"Well, I've never gone parking." She turned to him, crossing her legs as she stretched her arm between the seats and rested her hand at his nape. Her nails raked over the tough, weather-roughened flesh.
He shivered.
Harmony licked her lips at the response.
"One of these days," he sighed, "I swear, I'm going to spank you." She let her fingers rake through the lower layer of his long hair.
"Would I like that?"
"Why are you angry at me, Harmony?" He glanced over at her, the gentleness in his eyes, the flush of arousal in his face, weakening her. "You're not curious about the parking or the spanking. Yet. You're hurt. How did I hurt you?" The knowledge that he had seen so easily into her ruse to distract him with his sexuality had her chest clenching in emotion.
"You didn't believe in me," she whispered, breathing in deeply as she fought back the hurt. "I needed you to believe in me."
"Harmony…"
"Sheriff Jacobs, we have a situation here." Lenny's voice came through the radio as Lance spoke her name. "Mr. Wyatt has just landed with three of his enforcers, demanding to see Deputy Lancaster, and Alonzo has a crowd gathered outside the entrance. You better get here fast."
Lance's lip curled in fury as he activated the link on the steering wheel. "We're headed in. We'll pull to the back and use the entrance there. Escort the Bureau boys to my office and check for a protest permit on Alonzo's group. If they don't have one, arrest them."