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“Yeah, you get on top.”
“For fuck’s sake,” Slade hissed.
“What?” Jameson smiled as he folded himself down onto the floor. “Okay, now mimic how Slade pinned you, trying to keep in mind the bruising you saw on the victim’s legs.”
Slowly lowering, I pressed my knees against his legs, but it wasn’t enough. Shifting, I eased back onto my heels so I was almost sitting on his shins but was supported by my weight.
“Are you thinking this happened after the initial stab wounds?” I asked. “Because there is no way I could roll him over like this to get to the kidneys, which I established during the autopsy were the first wounds.”
“Something Jameson said made me think. If taking a life isn’t what gets this bastard off, then maybe it’s watching them die,” Slade suggested. “You said they die slowly and in pain. We’d always thought the suspect did his thing, then left because of the other crime scenes. This is the first victim who he’s taken ample time with.”
Hands wrapped around my waist, catching me off guard. I sucked in a breath and gripped Jameson’s forearms.
“But the victim would still be conscious and fighting. I can grab the unsub.” He attempted to jerk me off him, but I shifted my weight forward, my core flexing beneath his tightening fingers. “Huh. What muscles are you hiding under there, Raindrop?”
I lifted a shoulder in a nonchalant shrug but used that distraction to dislodge his hold and pin both of his hands to the floor. I stared at where my hands were and realized that was exactly where the bruises on the victim were.
“If I don’t squeeze too tight, I could restrain but not leave obvious marks.” I looked down at Jameson and smiled. “Try to get loose now, remembering that you’re bleeding out, disoriented, and in extreme pain.”
He did as I asked, wiggling beneath me, but with the way I sat on his legs plus the hold on his wrists, all he did was shift from side to side.
“Fuck,” Jameson gritted out through clenched teeth after a few seconds. “Exercise over. Slade.”
A simple plea and I was plucked off Jameson like I weighed nothing. When my feet were steady beneath me, the hands wrapped around my shoulders vanished.
“Sorry,” I said in a rush. “I didn’t mean to hurt you—”
“First,” Jameson huffed as he sat up and slid along the rug until his back hit the side of the chair. Knees bent, he draped both toned forearms on top. “You didn’t hurt me. It just took me off guard because of your skill. And second, well, I’m thirty-fucking-four, have done some very questionable shit, and never knew I had that kink.”
“What kink?” I squeaked.What the fuck is going on here?I looked to Slade for help, who, shockingly enough, was smirking.
“Being held down by a beautiful woman.”
The world slowed.Did he say beautiful? No, no, he said dutiful. Because I’m good at my job. Right. Riiiiight.
Swallowing hard, I retreated a step, feeling the full weight of their combined intense stares. Desperate for a distraction to give me time to dissect what the hell just happened between us, I pressed a hand to my empty stomach, fingers gripping the loose fabric of my top.
“Right, well, I’m still working on the skill part. Self-defense classes for the win.” When neither said anything, I sighed. “Listen, I’m starving. How about dinner, and then we come back and discuss that,” I said, gesturing to the murder timeline taped along my wall. “And what we just uncovered with this little demonstration.”
With a flick of his wrist, Jameson checked the time on his smart watch. “Dinner, then home. We can go over everything tomorrow.” He winced. “Fuck, I forgot to change where I’m staying. I really don’t want to go back there. I already feel like I need an antibiotic shot after last night.” He reached up and scratched his head. “And maybe to be checked for lice.”
I huffed a laugh. “It can’t be that bad.”
Slade shook his head. “He’s not exaggerating. You know that pay-by-the-hour motel off Carter on the outside of town?”
“No,” I gasped. Jameson grimaced and nodded. Reaching up, I dislodged the tie in my hair and raked my fingers through the long ends, working out a few tangles. “That place is dangerous. You should stay with me.”
Slade made a noise and turned around, mumbling something under his breath.
Jameson, though, he looked like I’d just made his entire year with my offer. “Really? Fuck, that would be amazing. I won’t stay with you the whole time. Just until I can work—”
I waved him off. “I have a spare bedroom. It’s not a big deal.”
Plus, that would put him right down the hall. Someone I was attracted to and, I assumed, was available. Maybe this was what I needed to get over my pitiful, unrequited infatuation with Slade.
Though I wasn’t sure if that was possible.
But would that be such a bad thing? Why couldn’t I have my cake and eat it too?