Free Deadly Abandon by Kallie Lane Page A

starved idiot, but you’re a freaking voyeur as well.
    An hour later, she was showered, dressed in apple-green capris with a matching tank top, and headed back upstairs with coffee in hand. Fortified after two cups, she swept her unruly hair into a tail on top of her head and applied some lip gloss. Not a bad way to start the day, considering her experiences of the night before.
    She grimaced into the vanity mirror and stuck her tongue out at her reflection as her wayward actions on the couch last night came flooding back. Good grief, she had practically jumped Sully’s bones when he had comforted her.
    Her cheeks flamed at the memory of her reckless behavior. For some reason, she was more than attracted to Sullivan Sauvage. He’d captured her attention. And no matter how hard she fought the pull, he drew her like metal to a magnet. The mysterious hold unsettled her, making her want to run in the opposite direction.
    Life after her husband’s death was still unchartered territory. Uncertain how to begin again, Breeana had buried her female desires right alongside Tom’s body. She had barely managed to survive his death and go through the day-to-day motions of living without him.
    It had taken months for her to pull back from the raw edge of despair. Another year before she could stand on her own two feet again. These were hard won victories, ones she couldn’t throw away by having an affair with any man, not even Sully, tempting as he might be.
    So, why did she feel like a lovelorn spinster in some historical novel? Because Sully made her feel. He made her want things she had not felt in a very long time. But, she refused to indulge and invite pain back into her life. No, her best friend was, and would stay, her vibrator—something impersonal and without emotional ties.
    The doorbell rang.
    Grabbing her mug, she took a sip of coffee and headed for the front entrance. Following Sully’s orders, she looked through the side window.
    There he was, the object of her sexy ruminations back on her doorstep, and he wasn’t alone. Taking a breath, she flipped the deadbolt and opened the door.
    “Morning.” Sully inclined his head toward the woman and man standing beside him, both of them carrying bulky silver cases. “May we come in?”
    “Yes, of course.” She stood to the side, allowing them to enter.
    “I’d like you to meet Denise and Pete from the crime lab. They’ll be spending some time here today searching for possible evidence.”
    “Evidence? Evidence of what? I was attacked at the clinic, not here. You’re at the wrong address, Lieutenant.”
    “Maybe, but I don’t think so.” Sully drew her aside and motioned to the staircase. The two criminalists hoisted their cases and headed for the second floor. “Start in the master bedroom. I’ll join you there after I’ve had a chance to explain things to Dr. McGill.”
    As the techs reached the upstairs landing, Breeana allowed herself to be hustled through the sunroom and into the kitchen, all the while working up a full head of steam.
    As ridiculous as it felt, she worried the crime scene techs would find the vibrator tucked away in one of her bureau drawers. Her purple vibrator—the deluxe model with extra batteries—a joke gift from Miranda and Rainey for her last birthday.
    The thought sobered. What is the matter with me? Her friends were dead, someone had tried to kill her last night, and all she could think about was the looming discovery of a vibrator? How ridiculous was that on a scale of one to ten?
    She tugged her arm out of Sully’s grasp the instant the kitchen door swung closed behind them. He must have gone home to shower. Dressed in crisp black slacks, shirt and tie, this was not a good omen in her book. The only color relief was the oatmeal jacket he wore over a gun holstered at his waist. She could see the telltale bulge of it.
    “How are you feeling today?” he asked.
    “I’m okay, but that’s not the issue here. Do you mind telling