| |
AHH, FINALLY!
Dana slid into the deep soaker tub, luxuriating in the warmth of the water and the aroma of the lavender Epsom salt crystals while inhaling the sweet scent of the Vanilla Cream Cupcake scented candles. She had candles specially ordered in the same aroma as many of the Cozy Cupcakes Café’s cupcakes of the day. In fact, Katie and she had discussed with their small marketing team, a way to sell the candles on the side as a special treat for the customers at a discounted price—so they could continually enjoy the scent of the treats. A customer had suggested it once. She’d told them that the aroma of the cupcakes really made her day and her mouth water and lifted her mood.
Dana settled into the tub letting the water reach her shoulders and neck as she enjoyed the warmth.
Now, this is heaven on earth.
Suddenly, she felt like Truffles, without a care in the world.
Her moment of tranquility was soon replaced by thoughts of worry. She wished she were closer to figuring out who really killed Lichelle.
Katie had already gone to bed and she was left alone with her thoughts and a mug of rich hot chocolate topped with whipped cream and sprinkled with cinnamon.
A knock on the front door downstairs killed the mood.
“Katie!” Dana called out. She was hoping that Katie hadn’t fallen into a deep sleep yet, but Katie was the type to fall asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Not Dana. Dana wished her mind didn’t have a million things running through it at the end of the day that she could be still in her thoughts and drift off into dreamland as soon as her head rested on a pillow.
Dana had read about those new security cameras hooked up to the smart phone where you could see who was at your door no matter where in the house you were. She would make it a point to get one soon.
She got out of the tub and dried off her skin with a fluffy pink towel and quickly wrapped her bathrobe around her, tying the belt tight around her waist.
She glanced at the time. It was ten o’clock at night. Like seriously, who would be knocking at the door at that time of night?
Dana drew in a deep breath and fixed her gown to cover herself properly. She then slipped her feet into a pair of her pink fuzzy slippers.
She opened the bathroom door and proceeded to walk on the landing to the top of the staircase. She turned on the passage light. As she made her way down the steps, the creaking sound of the old hardwood floors of the Victorian made its usual sound.
I have to get that fixed, she promised under her breath.
Still, it gave the house the old-fashioned character that it had.
When she got to the bottom of the landing, she glanced out the peephole. Luckily, she and Katie had installed those special automatic sensor lights that light up when a person approaches the house.
Her heart fluttered in her chest.
It was Troy!
What was Troy doing at the house at that time of night? She read his expression. Something was terribly wrong. She could feel it.
* * *
TROY HAD NEVER FELT so nervous as he had that night. Tormented and torn. What was with him? He never got this crazy over any woman before.
But Dana wasn’t just any woman. Dana was different. She was special. Still, he was there on business. He needed to keep his head on straight and his heart under lock and key. He was done with relationships right now. He’d been burned one too many times. Besides, he had a new wife now. His job. He was married and dedicated to his duty as an officer of the law. Period. There was no room for a relationship.
Too bad, his heart and his mind were not saying the same thing.
“Who is it?” The soft voiced sounded through the door.
When Troy heard Dana’s silky voice through the oak wooden door, his heart skipped a beat.
“It’s Troy.” His voice was firm yet soft. He didn’t want to alarm her. And he didn’t want to call out “It’s the police,” for the neighbors to hear. Dana and Troy were very well acquainted after all.
The door opened slowly and Dana stood there in a cozy fluffy bathrobe with matching pink fluffy slippers.
Well, thank God, she was all right! After that strange message on his cell phone, he’d sent a car around earlier to make sure there were no prowlers in the area. And his men reported back to him that her cousin was at the door and the ladies were fine.
Dana had another towel wrapped around her head in an upsweep with loose damp strands of hair sticking to the side of her face. As if she’d just come out of a spa.
For some reason, a surge of heat raced through Troy. He found himself studying her profile with delight. Unlike the way he would study a criminal. There was no crime here; unless he counted the fact that she just stole his heart.
Good gracious! Was she wearing anything under that robe?
His pulse leaped hard. He hoped to heavens she didn’t notice his ogling. He tried to shift his attention.
Focus, Troy. Focus on the case at hand.
It was hard not to notice her magnetic beauty. Her hair was slightly damp and sticking to her skin. Her cheeks were a beautiful hue of red. She was blushing, wasn’t she? She looked positively adorable. Her lovely mahogany eyes were wide and beautiful and framed by long lashes. And those dainty curves of hers.
Have mercy.
He had to control himself.
She was shaped like a goddess and didn’t even behave like she had anything special. She was always so humble and modest around him.
Intensity of heat burned inside him.
Focus, Troy.
“Dana, I’m really sorry if I’ve interrupted your...”
“It’s okay. I just finished.” She flushed. She then tightened the belt of her robe around her waist. “I’m surprised to see you here again. Is everything all right?” Dana opened the door wider for Troy to enter.
He stepped into the main entrance and she closed the door behind him.
“What else do you need to speak to me about?”
“I’m here about two things. I received your message about a possible break in.”
“Oh, that! I’m so sorry I didn’t call you back. I’m fine. It was Katie.”
“I know now. I had a car here earlier to check things out. They had confirmed you were all right when they saw you let Katie in.”
“Oh, good.”
“I’m also here about the case, Dana,” he said softly, trying hard not to focus on her voluptuous cleavage. She was hot! There were no two ways about it. And it didn’t take a detective to detect that.
Troy sighed heavily. How on earth was he going to tell her what he’d found out today?
Troy was overly protective of Dana. He didn’t want to see anything happen to her or he’d lose it completely. But her life was in danger. And she had to know about it.