Catch Your Breath (11 page)

It took about five steps for her to notice that he was no longer beside her, so she
turned and walked back. “What?”

He studied her face. “Why didn’t you sleep?”

“That’s what I’m trying to tell you. Come on. I’m starving. Keep walking while I talk.”
She tugged his hand, but let go as soon as his feet started moving. “Once I had my
first cup of coffee, my brain engaged and I started trying to figure out where I knew
this woman from. I scoured every photo I had from every event I’ve attended over the
last year. And you know what? She wasn’t really in any photo. I mean, I have glimpses
of her, but never a shot of her with friends or an interview with her name. But she’s
there.”

Jimmy tried to hold his patience. He knew Moira. She needed to gear up to her point,
but he suffered from the same lack of sleep she had. Except his wasn’t from finding
a lead in the case. His insomnia was directly related to her and her mouth against
his. That damn kiss haunted him all night. He thought for sure a run would fix him,
but it barely eased the burn. Finding her at his doorstep didn’t help.

They turned the corner and headed down the next block to the diner. Super Cup wasn’t
exactly great food, but it was close and they knew what to expect. “Where are you
going with this?”

She threw her hands up. “Let me have my moment, would you? I spent all night racking
my brain trying to remember. This woman, this nameless woman who doesn’t want to be
photographed—I think she’s an escort.”

Jimmy reached for the door of the diner and stopped. “Escort, like hooker?”

“I don’t know the specifics of it, but we’re not talking streetwalker, though.”

He held the door for her. His day did just take a turn in the right direction. Watching
Moira’s ass in some short shorts was pretty nice.

They grabbed a booth and sat. Before they even opened the sticky menus, a waitress
arrived at the table with two glasses of water.

“Can I get you some coffee?”

“Yes,” Moira answered too quickly.

Jimmy shook his head. “You’ve had enough coffee. Two glasses of orange juice and a
milk for her.”

She rolled her eyes again but didn’t seem bothered by him changing her order.

He set the menu to the side.

She did the same. “Milk will go better with brownie à la mode anyway.”

“You’re eating a brownie and ice cream for breakfast?”

“I’ll eat the brownies here any time, any day. They are
the
best. Chocolaty, gooey, and fudgy all at the same time. If I could find a man to
make these for me, I’d be his love slave.”

Jimmy choked on the water he’d been attempting to drink.

She leaned forward against the table, pressing her breasts up, and Jimmy focused squarely
in her eyes. “So here’s the deal. I have an imagination. I told Gabby that without
details, my mind wanders and I make things up.” She raised a hand quickly. “Don’t
worry. I don’t actually ever publish those things, but the ideas are there. So I started
thinking about the guys you’re hanging out with at these parties. An idiot could realize
that they must figure prominently into your case. That led me to think that since
they like to hit on every female they see, and they have a habit of cheating on their
wives, maybe it wouldn’t be beneath them to hire an escort. To do whatever.” She took
a quick drink of water.

Jimmy stared at her. Sure, it was completely unfounded and they had zero proof, but
her working theory closely matched what they’d developed. The difference was, Moira
knew these people. It hadn’t occurred to him and Gabby that rich people would hire
escorts. Maybe Chicago had its very own Mayflower Madam.

“Uh-oh.”

“What?”

“You’re giving me that look again.”

“What look?” Shit. Had he been looking at her mouth? He hadn’t been actively thinking
about kissing her, but the thought never strayed far from his conscious mind whenever
she was close.

“The look that says, ‘Shut up, Moira. You don’t know what you’re talking about.’ ”

He smiled. “I wasn’t thinking that at all. In fact, I rarely do, even though you push
my patience to the limit.”

The waitress returned with their drinks and took their order.

He wanted to get this information from Moira without giving her any details. If he
let her know they were on the same track, she wouldn’t be able to keep her nose out
of it. When they were alone again, he continued. “Why did this woman make you think
of escorts ?”

“Because she approached me at one of the first events I covered. I’m pretty sure it
was her. She handed me a card with a phone number and told me she’d get me more money
than my current employer paid.”

He choked on some orange juice. Drinking during this conversation didn’t seem like
a smart move. “She thought you were an escort? Why?”

Her mouth curved into a smile as she sat back and waved her hands in front of her
chest. As if that was supposed to be an explanation. She sighed. “I guess I look like
a hooker. I don’t know.”

Jimmy had known Moira to look a lot of ways, but as a hooker appeared nowhere on the
list. “Interesting ideas you have, but I told you to stay away from my investigation.”

Her face fell.

He didn’t quite understand her disappointment. It’s not like her job was riding on
the success of this case. His wasn’t either, exactly, but when the mayor asked for
a favor, he expected something. “Do you still have the card or the phone number? Name
of the company?”

“I don’t know. I’ll look. But that means you think I’m onto something.”

He shot her another look.

“Come on, Jimmy. Give me something. I’m trying to help you.”

“I don’t need your help. Believe it or not, I’m capable of doing my job.”

She started fidgeting with the salt and pepper shakers and then the packets of sugar,
organizing them by color. He wondered if Moira knew how to sit still. Definitely a
smart move to cancel the extra coffee.

They sat in silence until the waitress returned with their food. His stomach turned
at the sight of the sugar mess Moira immediately dug into. “How can you eat that?”

“How can you not?” She looked at his plate. “I eat food like this too. If my mom makes
it.” She snagged one of his pieces of bacon. Then she scooped up a piece of brownie
and offered it to him.

“No, thanks. I’ll stick with my breakfast.”

“You don’t know what you’re missing.”

He watched as she attacked the brownie and ice cream like she’d been denied dessert
for a year. It took considerable effort to ignore her mouth, especially when her tongue
swirled around the fork to catch a drip of fudge sauce. Tearing his eyes from her,
he focused on his own plate. Their conversation was nonexistent and he preferred the
silence. Anything else might land where he didn’t want to go.

She finished her brownie in record time, leaving a blob of melted ice cream on the
plate. After draining her glass, she spun it in circles while watching him eat.

“You can go if you want. You don’t need to wait for me.”

“No, I’m fine. I’ll walk back with you.”

He waved the waitress over to get their bill while he finished his last few bites.

“Tell me something else about the case.”

“No.”

“Come on, Jimmy. I’m trying to be helpful. Give me something and I can generate more
good ideas. My theory is gonna break your case open, just wait and see.” Her cocky
grin put him on edge.

“A theory doesn’t solve crimes. I have to do real police work for that to happen.”

She folded her hands in front of her on the table. “I’m like Yoda. I show you the
path, but you need to seek your own answers.”

“You’re going to crash so hard when the caffeine and sugar wear off.” He dropped cash
on the table to cover the bill and a tip and then he stood. “Ready?”

“Yep.” She bounced out of her seat.

He shook his head. He’d never known anyone as bouncy and bubbly as Moira. If she could
bottle it, she’d be rich.

Once they were outside, she opened her arms in a wide stretch and inhaled. “Gorgeous
day. Don’t you love summer?”

He shrugged. He didn’t have any preference for one season over another. Just having
seasons was enjoyable.

“So about last night.”

His step shuffled and he hoped she missed it. He’d also hoped he’d escape having this
conversation.

“You kissed me.”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

He thought of a slew of reasons: she was beautiful and sexy, he wanted to stop her
from flirting with other men in front of him, he wanted to capture a hint of the vivaciousness
she exuded. But what came out of his mouth was, “I needed to get you to shut up somehow.
You weren’t listening again.”

“Usually you just say, ‘Shut up, Moira.’ ”

He shrugged again.

She put a hand on his forearm to stop their progress. He turned to look at her, afraid
of where she was headed.

“You know, I can’t read you. I’m good at seeing people and understanding them, but
not you. You run hot and cold with me, and I don’t know what to do.”

“Nothing.”

“But I think we both want to do something about it.”

“Don’t.” He turned to walk away and she grabbed him again. He pulled his arm from
her grasp and she jumped in front of him.

“Do not blow me off. I felt it in the kiss last night. That was not a shut-the-fuck-up
kiss. There was heat and passion and attraction. It’s a pity if you can’t recognize
it.”

Her cheeks were pink again and her blue eyes sparked. Every emotion with Moira was
extreme.

After a beat, she took a step back. “Or maybe you just don’t want to be attracted
to me. Is that it?”

That was a minefield if he ever heard one, so he didn’t answer.

“So we’re back to you pretending like your mouth doesn’t work?”

“It works fine. I don’t know what you’re looking for here.”

She stepped closer to him again, and he smelled her perfume, soft and flowery. “Tell
me the real reason you kissed me last night.”

“Because I wanted to. You were beautiful and you kept flirting with all those other
guys.”

“You were jealous?”

Fuck yeah. “No, I have no business being jealous.”

“But you kissed me.”

“We’ve already established that.”

“Kiss me again.”

“ No.”

She sighed at him and a look of pity came into her eyes. “Afraid? That’s really too
bad. Maybe you can’t top the kiss from last night and then I’ll know you’re a one-hit
wonder.” One side of her mouth tilted up in challenge.

He shouldn’t touch her. He knew he should keep his distance, but he also was never
good at backing down from a challenge. Taking a half step forward and invading her
space, he wrapped a hand around the back of her neck and lowered his mouth to hers.

He took his time sampling everything about her mouth.

He tasted the sugary sweetness of her breakfast. She was soft and warm and inviting.
Her hand came around and rubbed its way up his back, exploring, pulling him nearer.
Her pulse tattooed a rapid beat against his palm as his thumb stroked her jaw. Everything
about Moira was soft.

His heart beat faster than it had on his run, and something primal took over.

Take.

Mine.

He jerked back from her with the thought. What the hell was he doing?

Her eyes fluttered open and she tilted her head back as if looking for another round.
He held her at arm’s length in an attempt to clear his head.

“Why do you do that?”

“What?”

“Pull away. I know you wanted that kiss as much as I did.”

His hands slid down her arms and he let her go. Then he took a full step back. “Because
we shouldn’t.
I
shouldn’t.”

A look of complete bewilderment crossed her face. “Because of Liam?”

“That’s one reason.” He moved to her side and began walking toward his house again.

“Liam wouldn’t care.” Her shoes slapped the pavement as she ran to catch up to him.
“I’m serious. Of all my brothers, Liam would be the last one to hassle someone about
dating me.”

“And if we end things, how would he react if I hurt you?”

Her grin turned wicked again. “Who says I’d be the one to end up hurt?”

Deep down, he knew she spoke the truth.

She didn’t wait for a further response. She turned and began skipping—honest to God
skipping—down the street. Stopping in front of his house, she called, “Are you working
today?”

“Not sure yet.”

She squinted in the sunlight. “I’ll pick you up at seven.”

“For what?”

“Our date.”

“What date?”

“The one I’m taking you on tonight. We’re going to go out and have a great time.”
She walked to her car and opened the door without a key. Of course she hadn’t locked
it.

Just as he was about to yell at her, she revved the engine and pulled away. He made
a mental note to yell at her later as he climbed the stairs to go inside. Kevin met
him at the door.

“What the hell was that?”

“Hurricane Moira.”