You're the One (22 page)

Picking up the
envelope, Moz slid out several photos, his gut turning at the
pictures. Poor little bastards. He flicked through the photos,
trying to concentrate on what he was seeing rather than dwelling on
the animal victims. “I’ve heard nothing about dog fighting in
Gully’s Fall. I don’t believe its centred here, or that dogs are
even fighting here.”

“They could be
nearby, though.” Face sober, Grant slid his hands in his pockets.
“I’ve heard from a couple of clients that they’ve heard dogs
barking and voices at night. We’re wondering if the dogs are being
shipped through here, kept here someplace maybe until the next
place is chosen for the dog fights.”

“What’s Kirk
saying?” Moz frowned. “He hasn’t said anything to me.”

“The cops here
have just been given a copy of these photos,” Joe replied.

“And I’ve let
them know what I’ve heard.” Grant looked grimly at the photos.
“They’re doing some searching out in the areas dogs have been
heard.”

“They’ll get
in touch with you tomorrow.” Joe scowled. “If I get my hands on
those bastards… Honest to God, why do people do such cruel
things?”

“Nature of the
beast,” Moz replied heavily.

“It ain’t
nature that makes people like this, its twistedness.” Joe looked
around. “Here comes your date, we better go.”

Grant nodded.
“Drop in tomorrow.”

“I’ll do that.
Thanks for this, Joe.” Sliding the photos back into the envelope,
Moz folded the top over securely and placed it on the side.

They walked
away, nodding to Del as they passed her.

Del dropped
gracefully into the chair. “Bad news, I’m guessing.”

“Work. Sorry.”
He shrugged. “Sometimes there’s no escaping it.”

“Being the
only inspector for hundreds of kilometres means a heavy
workload.”

“Yeah.” He
smiled at her. “Hope you’re still hungry.”

“Why?” Her
gaze was assessing. “Aren’t you?”

The photos had
put him off eating but no way was he cutting this date short. Right
now there was nothing he could do but wait until morning when the
cops had done investigating and brought him up to speed.

Meanwhile, Del
was like a breath of fresh air. A canny breath, because she just
kept eyeing him off.

“Like what you
see?” He arched an eyebrow at her.

“Do you want
to talk about it?”

“My
hotness?”

“What’s put
those shadows in your eyes.”

Whoa, she was
seeing more than he’d thought. But he couldn’t tell her anything,
so he went for the truth. “Can’t. Work, confidentiality.”

“Okay.” She
surprised him by nodding. “But if you ever want to talk, you know
where to find me. I know how to keep my mouth shut.”

“I appreciate
it. Might take you up on that one day.”

“Feel
free.”

“Like when
we’re married.”

She choked on
the Diet Coke.

Grinning, he
passed a napkin across the table. “’Cause that’s what married
couples do.”

“You are such
a shit.” Still coughing, she wiped her eyes.

He laid a palm
over his heart. “Baby, that hurts.”

“The truth
often does.”

“It can also
be very enlightening.”

“I’ll
enlighten you in a minute.”

“God, I hope
so.”

Scrunching up
the napkin, she said, “I never realised what a teasing drongo you
were.”

“I grow on
you.”

“Like
warts?”

“Kiss me and
we’ll see if I turn into a frog.”

“Don’t go
around thinking you’re a prince.”

Sally
appearing with their plates of food diverted the conversation.

Del fell onto
her plate of t-bone steak, chips and salad with a moan of pure
appreciation, leaving Moz to appreciate her enthusiasm while he
picked at his roast pork with no real appetite.

There was no
doubting that she noticed, but rather than play coy, Del continued
eating. “So, what’s this I hear about you and Mozart?”

“Hmmm?” He
glanced up from the plate.

“I hear you’re
pining for each other.”

“Oh, yeah.”
Moz scratched the side of his jaw. “Mozart suffers from a bit of
anxiety, thanks to his past.”

“Elissa told
me about that. Poor little fur bag.”

“Until I get a
place of my own he’s stuck at Elissa’s house. Don’t get me wrong, I
know they’re looking after him, but he and Arthur don’t get on - or
rather, Arthur wants to rip him apart, so Mozart is pretty much
confined to the bedroom.”

“Arthur was
never an easy cat. Ask Simon.”

“I heard.”

“Anyway, what
are the options for Mozart?”

Moz sighed.
“I’m thinking of bringing him to the boarding house at nights so at
least he can sleep with me, but dragging him back and forth between
the two places isn’t good for him. Might not be good for the
furniture, either, if he starts anxiety spraying from shifting so
much.”

“Huh.” She
sawed off a piece of steak. “You think he’d be better off in a
house where he has the run of it?”

“That’s my
plan if I can get a place. At least he could be with me at night
and have the run of the place, not be cooped up. And I’d be there
at nights so he wouldn’t get too lonely.”

Del chewed
thoughtfully for several minutes, her gaze on the painting on the
far wall.

Wondering what
she was thinking, Moz enjoyed himself studying her and waiting.
Man, she was easy on the eyes.

She refocussed
on him. “Got a plan.”

He perked up.
“You know a place? I don’t mind how old it is, I’ll take it.”

“Glad you
don’t mind how old it is, because the place is a bit ramshackle,
but it’s not for rent.”

His face
fell.

“But this
could work for Mozart.”

“Okay,” he
said dubiously.

“Mozart can
stay with me and Missy.”

Moz
blinked.

“Seriously,”
Del said, “it’s a good plan. He can have the run of the house night
and day, he’s got me and Missy for company at night, and you can
visit him. How’s that?”

Surprised, Moz
rubbed his jaw. “That’s very generous of you.”

“Yeah, I know,
you so totally owe me.” Popping steak into her mouth, she added a
small chip and chewed appreciatively.

“But I don’t
know.” He frowned. “It’s asking a lot.”

“To have a cat
staying with me? Look, I’ve gone from just myself to a kitten and a
boyfriend as well. I don’t think adding another cat to the mix
could be any more surprising.” She pointed the fork at him. “You
can supply his food and litter, or pay towards his food and litter,
either way is good by me. He has company, you don’t have to worry
about him being cooped up in a bedroom, and he and Missy will have
fun together. Problem fixed.”

It actually
sounded like a really good idea. Okay, he couldn’t be with Mozart
all night, but he could still visit and Mozart would have Del and
Missy all night, every night for comfort.

Moz aimed to
be there most nights all night as well, but figured it wasn’t
prudent to point that out right now. For now visiting was fine, sex
was out. He’d take what he could get. Biggest bonus and most
importantly right now? His cat would be better off.

“Okay.” He
held out his hand. “You’ve got a deal. You board my cat, I bake you
some goodies.”

Her eyes
brightened. “Best deal ever.” They shook hands.

“I have to
cook at your place, though.”

“You can do
that with your visiting rights.”

“Do I need to
draw up a schedule?”

“Probably best
to aim your visits for evenings, I work five and a half days a
week.”

“What if you
get angry with me and don’t want me around?”

“Trust me,
you’ll know.” She paused. “Plus I wouldn’t ever hold that against
your cat. I’d just make you visit when I’m not home.”

That sounded
good. He must be making progress. “You’d trust me with your
keys?”

“What’s there
to steal? My rusty roof?”

“Your TV.”

“Have you been
sussing my place out, Baylon?”

“Only the
owner so far.”

She grinned.
“If I’m annoyed with you, you’ll have to just visit Mozart when I’m
not home.”

His appetite
started to return. “I promise not to interrupt or take up too much
time every evening. Maybe I could come around every second evening.
Or just drop in for a few minutes when you first get home or
something.”

Del leaned
forward, eyes serious. “Moz, you love Mozart, he needs you. I have
no problems with you coming over every day to spend some time with
him, whether it’s a few minutes or an hour, depending on what
you’re doing. I don’t mind if you’re busy and can’t make it. If I
need some quiet time alone, I’ll let you know. No harm, no foul, no
insult, no expectations. That’s how I work. Okay?”

The woman had
a good heart. “Okay.”

She forked up
some salad. “Plus you better cook me some bloody good food in
exchange for babysitting your cat.”

“Baby, I will
rock your world.” When she paused to look at him, he added with a
straight face, “My cooking will, I mean. What were you
thinking?”

“Never you
mind.”

The rest of
the evening went well, both of them so comfortable in each other’s
company it was as though they’d been dating for weeks or even
months, rather than just a first date.

Standing at
her door at the end of the evening, Moz braced his hand on the wall
above her head and leaned down. “Thanks for a great evening.”

“Thanks back.”
Unexpectedly, she stood up on tip toe to kiss him.

She might have
meant it as a quick peck, but Moz wasn’t going to let it go at
that. He pressed her back against the wall and kissed her with
carnal gusto.

By the time he
lifted his head, she was clinging to him. “Shit, my knees are
wobbly.”

God, she could
make him laugh and get horny all at once. “Do you need a bed?”

“No, a cold
shower.” Reaching out sideways, she grabbed the security screen and
pulled it open.

He let her
duck out from under his arm, his eyes sparkling with laughter and
desire as she slid behind the door and shut it, the lock flicking.
Straightening, he grinned. “Want me to wash your back?”

She pointed at
him. “You just bring your cat over tomorrow arvo and be ready to
bake that loaf of bread.”

Her words
might have been brisk but her voice was husky and he could see the
outline of her nipples through the dress. Del might want to sound
all business, but she was aroused. The body didn’t lie.

Hallelujah.

~*~

“I can’t
believe you and Moz Baylon are playing kissy face.” Molly jiggled
the baby on her knee.

Lily squealed
with delight and made a grab for the stack of paper plates on the
picnic table.

“I can’t
believe Kirk hasn’t kicked your arse to the curb yet.” Del moved
the stack to a safe distance.

“Kirk thinks
I’m hot.”

“Kirk has
mental issues.”

“He can be
imaginative in the sack.” Molly leered. “And out of it.”

“Jesus,” Dee
said. “I’d have thought lacking sleep because of the baby would
have dampened the home fires.”

“Far from it.
Besides, Lily sleeps all night almost every night. That means Kirk
and I can play kissy-face. Actually, we do more than kissy face.
Those home fires are burning, baby, burning.”

A loud chorus
of deep male voices hooting drew all their attention to the grassy
area where Kirk, Simon, Scott, Ryder, Moz and Grant were playing
footy. Or their version of it.

Ash sighed
appreciatively and the women all nodded in agreement. The men were
a sight to enjoy, all right. Not one of them wore a shirt which
meant that every ripped torso was on display. Surprisingly, even
the vet sported a ripped torso. Not as bulky as the other’s, true,
but ripped nonetheless. He tended towards a leaner, harder
strength.

He was also
studious. That showed when the ball sailed right past him because
he was lost in thought.

“Hey,
dipstick!” Ryder yelled. “Get your head in the game, man!”

“And your head
out your arse,” Grant fired back.

Scott snorted
a laugh, caught the footy that Grant booted back and ran with it,
Simon and Ryder hot on his heels.

Moz helped
Scott get through by simply barrelling down on the other men, who
leaped out the way or risked being ran into the ground. There
wasn’t actually much leaping as simply being dumb enough to try and
tackle him.

“There’s just
something about watching sweaty, muscly men grappling each other.”
Molly sighed.

“Seriously,”
Elissa said, “you are one sicko.”

“Come on, you
mean you don’t enjoy watching them?”

“Never said I
didn’t, I just wanted to point out the truth.”

In the act of
twisting the cap off a bottle of apple juice, Del studied Moz. She
had to agree with Ryder, the inspector
was
built like a
brick shithouse. Without his shirt, running, jumping, catching and
kicking, all those bulging muscles gleamed, bunched and flexed. His
hair tied at the nape bounced against his broad back. It was enough
to make her tongue fall out of her mouth and her panties go
damp.

Especially at
the memory of all that strength and hot skin above her, pressing
down, big hands holding her, controlling her…

“So how’s it
going with Mozart?” Ash broke into her musings.

“How’s Missy
taking it?” Dee added. “Not to mention you having Moz around most
evenings?”

“Oh, she’d
like the evenings.” Molly smirked.

Swinging up to
sit on the table with her feet on the long wooden bench, Del took a
swig of cold drink, welcoming it in the heat of the day. “Missy
loves having Mozart to play with. Mozart has settled in well, but
he’s happiest when Moz comes over. He sleeps with me.”