Free Love On The Line by Kimberly Kincaid

up!” Jason’s voice filtered past the front door, and he and Violet flew apart like teenagers at a party raid.
    No way. This wasn’t happening. He had not just gotten cock-blocked by his best friend and partner, AKA the only living relative of the woman he’d very nearly stripped naked in his front hallway.
    “Oh my God.” Violet’s hands flew to her kiss-swollen mouth, but there was no denying the flush that covered the rest of her.
    “Violet,” Noah said, the word a steady whisper, but she cut him off with a curt nod, like she was shaking herself to awareness.
    “You need to answer the door,” she whispered back. “If you don’t, he’ll just think something’s wrong and kick it in.”
    Damn. She had a point. And damn again. Jason was going to murder him, and rightfully so. “Okay, but—”
    “No buts, Noah. Please, just answer the door.” Her wide eyes dropped to his bandaged arm, still caught up in the sling, and she took a backward step toward the kitchen. “It’s for the best.”
    The words hit Noah in the sternum with an icy pang, and he snapped back to peg her with a stare. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
    “It means you’re not just Jason’s partner, Noah. You’re a cop. I can’t…” She stopped for a deep breath, shifting her weight from side to side. “We shouldn’t have done this. I’m sorry.”
    A hot flare of emotion banked through his gut, tempting him to call her out, consequences be damned. But then another knock on the door, followed by Jason’s worry-tinged voice, slammed the truth into place.
    Emotion wasn’t his thing, and Violet was right. Jason was his partner.
    And first and foremost, Noah was a cop. He had no business breaking the rules.
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER SEVEN
     
                  Noah checked down every last strain of emotion before palming the doorknob and hoping like hell his partner wouldn’t see right through him.
                  “Hey! I was beginning to think your leg was busted rather than your arm. Everything okay?” Jason hit him with an up-and-down assessment, and even though it lasted no more than a second, Noah didn’t doubt its level of accuracy.
                  “Yeah. I was, uh, in the kitchen.” While his ability to select the part of the truth that suited his purpose was an asset in the interrogation room, right now it made Noah feel like a total dick. But it wasn’t a blazing lie, and anyway, if he didn’t play it absolutely cool, Jason was going to know something was up.
                  And wasn’t that ironic, because Violet had totally shut him down.
                  “Oh, hell.” Jason groaned, but a smile tugged at his mouth. “I probably should’ve warned you Violet might make you help. She’s weird like that when it comes to food.”
                  Mercifully, Noah’s answer was cut short by the sound of a feminine voice being cleared from the other side of the room. “You do know I can hear you, right?”
                  “Hey, Blue. I didn’t know you were standing there.” The exaggerated waggle of Jason’s brows said otherwise, but intentional or not, at least Noah was off the scrutiny hot seat.
                  Violet’s eyes flicked to the door, then back to her brother, so fast Noah almost missed it. “That’s because I’m not.”
                  He realized, more belatedly than he should have, that she’d put on her jacket and gathered her things in what had to be record time, and dammit, why did the thought of it make him feel like he’d done rapid fire shots of bottom-shelf bourbon?
                  “Funny,” Jason said, and thank God he seemed oblivious to Noah’s unease. “You don’t look invisible.”
                  “Ah, but I will in a minute.” Violet dodged Noah’s glance, and as stupid as it was, it bugged the hell out of him. Keeping her eyes