Free BRIDE and DOOM (The Wedding Planner Mysteries Book 2) by Jeanine Spooner

“You can’t bring Erik in for questioning today!” she demanded. “We have a big day at the Delamar planned! The wedding rehearsal then the rehearsal dinner, and it’ll all be ruined if Erik isn’t there!”
                  Sterling ran both hands through his gray hair that was full of cowlicks, but the gesture only drew Kitty’s attention to his flexing biceps and not his frustration at her pushy nature. Then he squinted up at her, dark eyes straining to meet hers.
                  “You’re backlit,” he pointed out, glancing down to rest his eyes from the glare. “Would you sit down so I can see you?”
                  Kitty looked around for a chair, but there wasn’t one. She had no options except for the bed, so she lowered to its edge, keeping as far from Sterling as possible.
                  “I don’t see why you need to talk to Erik again. He didn’t do it!” She tore into a strong defense.
                  “Evidence shows otherwise,” he shrugged.
                  He’d placed his hand dangerously close to Kitty’s leg and it distracted her.
                  “The candlesticks in the back of his BMW? Johnny was the one who had Erik’s car. Erik had nothing to do with those!”
                  “So you think Johnny put them there? The very weapon used to kill him? Come on, Doll, you’re smarter than that.”
                  “I don’t think Johnny put them there, no. But I don’t think Johnny was supposed to get killed.”
                  Sterling cocked his head at that and shot her a sideways glance.
                  “I think someone’s out to get Erik,” she stated with her nose in the air. “They failed at killing him so they’re framing him, and you’re playing right into their trap!”
                  “I’m not playing into anything,” he said, leaning forward and sliding his hand over the sheet until his fingertips were met with her thin, mauve dress, and her warm thigh underneath.
                  Kitty’s breath hitched in her throat, as she stared at his advance, his subtle, sneaky advance that he could easily dismiss as unintended. She told herself to cross her legs so he wouldn’t be touching her, but for some reason she remained.
                  Then she asked in a soft, nearly trembling voice, “Do you want me or not?”
                  Tension sprang between them that turned suddenly electric when Sterling’s expression shifted with dark interest.
                  “I want you in a way you wouldn’t like,” he said in a low, deep tone that matched her softness. “And you want me in a way I wouldn’t like.” Then he shrugged and leaned back against the headboard. “As soon as I solve this case, I’m gone.”
                  It was like a knife to her heart. Her eyes suddenly stung with tears, but she blinked them away before they could appear glassy. She wouldn’t let him see her upset. She refused to admit she cared.
                  Kitty sprang to her feet and declared, “Erik didn’t put those candlesticks in the trunk of his car and he didn’t kill his best friend.”
                  “Prove it,” he challenged.
                  “Oh, I intend to.” Her hands were on her hips and she glared down at him. “Push your questioning back a few days.”
                  He snorted a laugh. “Bring me something I can use before eight o’clock when Erik’s supposed to come in and he won’t have to.”
                  “Eleven,” she countered.
                  “Ten.”
                  Darn it! “Ten thirty.”
                  “You’re lucky I’m negotiating with you,” he pointed out.
                  “Three hours isn’t much time,”