Free Immortal Distraction by Elizabeth Finn Page A

breaks…”
    “And you developed the right attitude to keep you on course.”
    “If you think I owe you an apology for being a bitch, you’re going to be waiting a long damn time.”
    He chuckled at her easy defense. He hated it, but he understood it. “I wasn’t suggesting anything of the sort. I can handle your attitude, Brit, though I admit I like it when you let it go for a bit. It’s not needed with me, but I’m guessing you would disagree with that.”
    “You want, by your own admission, to disrupt my investigation. I’m not sure what you expect from me.” Her voice was quiet, confused even. She wasn’t being sarcastic; she was dead serious.
    “I wasn’t lying when I said I wished we were on the same team. I don’t like that you don’t trust me, and I understand very well that I’ve given you every reason to distrust me. But regardless, it has nothing to do with my attraction to you. I can’t help that. It complicates things for me too.” This last came out as a mutter rather than a reassurance. “I’m not responsible for the deaths you’re investigating. I would never do that to someone. And I think you know that or at least suspect it on a gut level.” She said nothing as he spoke, but he could hear her quiet breathing on the other end. “I just want you.” And after a long pause, “I’ll see you tomorrow.” And he hung up without another word.

Chapter 9
    It was nearly four and she’d been pacing around her desk for the better part of fifteen minutes. Humphreys had been eyeballing her from his own desk the entire time, but he was blessedly staying quiet like he always did and like she preferred. Humphreys and Brit seldom worked in tandem, and aside from initial homicide responses, they usually divvied up the duties of an investigation. It wasn’t protocol, but they didn’t care. It worked for them.
    “What the hell, Brit.” He was one person that got away with the casual address. “You’re wearing a damn path around the desk, and frankly, you’re annoying the shit out of me.” His voice was gruff and husky after years of chain-smoking Reds. He stunk like an ashtray, and on a good day when he actually did something, that stench was coupled with body odor. Blessedly this day had been a slow one for him.
    Brit kept pacing, glaring at him, and chomping her gum loudly and nervously. She said nothing in response to his words and kept walking. Walking and chomping away as the minutes slowly ticked off. If his cigarettes were sitting out on his desk, she wasn’t sure she wouldn’t imbibe just this once. But they weren’t sitting out. Humphreys took to glaring right back at her as she kept up her speed walking desk laps.
    When her desk phone rang, she froze midlap and stared at it. She studied it as it rang while Humphreys glared with a look of disgust on his face. She was acting weird, and she damn well knew it.
    “Yeah?” she snapped into the receiver when she finally got control of her limbs and picked it up.
    “Uh… Hi, Detective Sutton. Your four o’clock is here for you, and the polygrapher’s already set up.
    “Fine. I’ll be up in a minute.” She paced for another couple minutes, hating the nerves that were fluttering through her gut. After popping another stick of gum, she finally made her way to the front desk. When she rounded the corner, he was there. He looked oddly out of place. He was far too handsome, too pristine and perfect-looking for their sterile precinct.
    “Hello, Brit.” His voice was purring out to her senses and left her blushing instantly as the desk clerk stared from one to the other of them.
    “Detective.”
    He smirked, never taking his eyes from hers. “Of course, Brit.”
    She rolled her eyes and shook her head, wanting and trying to look away from him as he continued to study her. She failed and found her cheeks burning again. He had the uncanny ability to crawl right under her skin whenever she was in his presence. And she hated it. She