CHAPTER Two #2
“Cold case investigator, huh?” he began. “How did that happen?”
“Well, I went to school at Southern Illinois for journalism, but I work too much at my parents’ brewery to hold down a real nine-to-five. I got started by picking up a cold case and running down the leads. I was able to solve it. And then there was another, and another,” she said with a smile.
“So, you’re a regular Nancy Drew?” Ross smiled. He thought he was clever.
For the first time all morning, Camille saw a smile come over his face, and for just a second, she felt her heart flutter.
His blue eyes sparkled as bright as his straight, white smile, and Camille was hooked.
Ross Paine was an attractive man, even as the sour, brooding version she first met.
But she was blown away by the new and improved Ross, who had loosened up a bit and let his real personality show.
This Ross Paine was downright sexy, and Camille felt her cheeks blush as those baby blues stared her down, waiting for a reply.
“Yes, I guess,” Camille answered, unable to suppress a little grin.
“You seem passionate about your work, and I admire that. And hey, if it clears my name in the end … well, even better.”
Camille could hear the sincerity in his voice, and that damn smile was making her a little uncomfortable in the best possible way.
Well, now he’s just showing off.
Camille once again had to divert her eyes, and this time she chose to look out the window as she fought off that gripping sensation between her legs.
“I think with the information we have now, Mr. Paine, there’s every reason to think your innocence will be obvious.”
“Please, call me Ross,” he said. “I mean, you are in my truck, and we’ll be spending some time together at least for the next few hours. Besides, anyone who’s dedicated to saving my reputation can most certainly call me by my first name.”
There it was again, that crotch-stinging smile. And for one brief moment, she thought maybe a connection was forming between them. Even if there wasn’t, Camille had to admit she was feeling something in all the right places.
Having such a positive reaction to Ross briefly brought Camille’s long- time, on-again off-again boyfriend, Ike, to her mind.
At one time, Camille wanted her relationship with Ike to work more than anything, and even though he said he was crazy about her, he would not give her the commitment she craved.
Finally, disappointment took its toll. After enduring years of a relationship that was deteriorating rather than progressing, Camille was starting to detach.
For quite some time, she had been trying to figure out how to end things with Ike once and for all.
Every time she thought about their relationship, she knew that if it were going anywhere, it would have by now.
But Ike was familiar and comfortable, even though he was also an asshole.
Camille had separated herself from him considerably, but in times of stress or trouble, or just to fuck, she relied on Ike.
For that reason alone, she kept him around.
But Camille was getting tired of putting in time on something that wasn’t going anywhere.
And she often told herself that she was done.
But there always came a time when she would cave and engage in “just one more time” with Ike.
She would rationalize her actions by saying it was just so damn hard to meet someone new.
And after the fact, she would be cussing herself for once again reviving a dead relationship.
Now, here she was, crushing on Eldon, Missouri’s enemy number one, wondering if those bright, sexy smiles he was flashing meant anything.
Usually, Camille worked alone, getting all the information and then taking it to the authorities.
But the way Ross’s jeans hugged every damn muscle in his legs told her that she was about to break her own rule.
If allowing Ross to help her with the details meant spending more time with those muscular thighs, Camille was all for it.
Besides, there was a lot she didn’t know about the case.
She just had to be careful that she didn’t get tunnel vision.
So much can change or go wrong in an investigation like this one, and Camille didn’t want her attraction to cloud her good judgment. Nonetheless, she was taking a chance.
“So, I think there’s a lot I can learn from you about this case. I can’t go poking around without getting the entire backstory. And I think that might take longer than we have today on a shopping trip.”
Camille could hear her nervous rambling, and she was relieved when Ross put an end to her agony.
“I’d be happy to help.”
And there it was again, that panty-dropping smile that took her thoughts further and further into the gutter each time she saw it. Hell, by the time they got back to the cabin, she’d be ready to flop on his bed naked and let him do any damn thing he pleased.
“I have to warn you,” she said. “I’m quite the workaholic. Once I get started, I have a one-track mind.”
Or at least that’s the way I used to be. Maybe with you, I could be swayed to take a break.
Camille’s private thoughts almost made her giggle, and she had to shut her mind down. At the moment, she definitely didn’t have the inner strength to let it wander to all that a break with Ross could entail.
“That’s fine with me,” he said. “The faster we get all the information we need, the faster I can get back to a normal life.”
And as Ross said this, all he could think about was getting the opportunity to spend more time with this intriguing woman who’d just appeared in his driveway to help him when they both knew she damn well didn’t have to.