Chapter 15

Several Years Earlier

"My flat is on the other side of the city." Landon spoke without thinking, and once the words were out, he whipped his head around to look at Colette. "I…I realize that sounds like I'm assuming."

"Mine is closer, but it's tiny, not nice, and I have flatmates." Colette grimaced. "Student flat."

Landon looked at the front desk. "We are in a hotel…"

Colette smiled, her gaze shifting to his lips.

Fuck yes.

Hand in hand they walked to the reception desk, and ten minutes later he keyed open the door of the hotel room. It was modern and chic, despite the historic lobby and exterior of the hotel.

The bed sat on a raised platform, which had pale blue accent lighting around the bottom edge. There was a small desk, chair, and chest of drawers.

There was also a sleek modern chaise against the far wall, under the small window. Made of sleek purple leather, it curved to match the contours of a reclining body, and the highest point was the perfect height to bend a woman over.

Whoa, he needed to slow the fuck down.

But then Colette turned to him, one hand reaching up to stroke through his hair, the gold bangle she was wearing tapping against his cheek.

Landon gripped her hips and pulled her body flush against his. That electric thrill rushed through him.

"We have serious fucking chemistry," he said.

"I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels it." Colette's fingers tangled in his hair, but she didn't pull his head down to hers for a kiss.

Landon wanted, nearly desperately, to take control of this moment and ravish her mouth, but he was afraid of overwhelming her. The tentative woman she'd been in back the museum…wasn't the same woman he'd just had dinner with.

"Tell me if I'm too much. If you need me to slow down, or stop."

"What I need is for you to kiss me."

Landon did just that.

Bending, he captured Colette's mouth with his. If this moment were a movie, fireworks would be going off in the background, and the music would swell in some sweeping orchestral moment. The electric impact of her touch was magnified a thousandfold with the meeting of lips.

And when her mouth opened under his, a silent invitation, he accepted eagerly. He licked the inside of her lower lip and tasted her tongue with his. She made a happy little noise and pressed closer, one hand still tangled in his hair, the other flat against his back.

They had to pause to breathe, and when Landon ran his hand up her back, Colette tipped her head back, offering him her neck. The diamond choker—which wasn't actual diamonds of course, because if it was it would be worth a mint—looked like a collar.

She had a neck made for a collar.

Okay, now he really did need to slow the fuck down.

Landon skimmed his lips along her jaw to lick the soft skin under her ear. Colette gasped and wavered, gripping him to keep her balance. He straightened, looking down at her.

"Sensitive," she said in explanation.

"I figured. But those shoes…"

She started to step out of them.

"Let me."

Landon tugged her over to the bed. She sat on the edge, gaze tracking him as he took a knee.

Landon cupped her calf, lifting her foot off the floor. Slowly he eased the shoe from her foot.

Go slow, go slow.

But he didn't want to go slow.

Landon pressed his thumbs to the arch of her foot. Her head fell back on a long moan. He slowly lowered her leg, but rather than placing it down on floor, he guided the ball of her foot to the edge of the wood platform, so her knee was bent at an acute angle, causing her skirt to ride up her thighs.

Then he repeated the action with her other foot—removing her shoe, massaging her foot.

But when he guided this foot into place, he spread her legs. Colette gasped, looking at him with wide eyes. Her skirt rode up almost to the top of her thighs and he could see the shiny black fabric of the satin panties that covered her sex.

He ran his thumbs up the inside of her calves to her knees. Holding her gaze, he gently pressed her knees further apart. Colette's breath caught, and her lashes lowered.

"Tell me if it's too much."

"I will."

Rising to his feet, Landon looked down at her. Colette's eyes were luminous as she looked up at him.

Landon tucked her hair behind her ear, then skimmed his hand down the side of her neck to the diamond choker. He walked his fingers around to the back, and as she tipped her head to the side, he undid the clasp by feel. The clasp even had little fake diamonds embedded in it.

Colette lifted her wrist, starting to work off the bracelet with her other hand. Landon set aside the necklace—and bent to help her.

"It's an antique," she cautioned.

There was no clasp, though for a moment he thought the overlapping ends of the bracelet, each worked with a spiral of thinner gold, had some sort of release mechanism.

Realizing he couldn't actually help with the bracelet, he settled for stroking her forearms as she carefully slid the piece of jewelry off before stretching to set it by the diamond necklace on the small bedside locker. There were dark marks on the inside of the bracelet.

Landon gripped Colette's spread thighs, thumbs sweeping along the soft inner curves.

"If this is too fast, we don't have to have sex," he said.

"It is fast, but I want you. I know it sounds like a lie, but I've never felt this so quickly before."

"I understand, because it's the same for me." He smiled. "Chemistry."

"Chemistry," she agreed.

Landon could tip her onto her back, unzip his pants, and fuck her right now. They'd both enjoy it.

But then it would be over too fast.

Instead Landon sat beside her and lifted Colette onto his lap so she was straddling his thighs.

He tugged her down for another kiss, this time easing the dress off her shoulders so it pooled at her elbows, pinning her arms to her sides.

She had on a smooth black bra that lifted the pale mounds of her breasts.

"May I?" he asked.

"Oh please do, Detective Inspector."

"I shouldn't be glad that the museum was robbed, but if it hadn't been, I wouldn't be in a position to explore these lovely breasts."

Something flashed in Colette's eyes. "Don't talk about the robbery."

He arched a brow. "Mood killer?"

"Something like that."

"I can fix that." Landon swiped his tongue over her breast, following the edge of the bra cup.

Colette sighed, sinking down so her ass and thighs rested on his legs. Landon ran one hand up her thigh, pushing her skirt up.

"I'm clean," he said. "I get tested regularly."

At that her eyes opened, and the hazy look of desire disappeared.

Fuck. Mentioning STD testing wasn't sexy, but it was necessary.

"I haven't been with anyone in a while," she said softly, before easing off his lap.

Landon braced his fists on the mattress to keep from grabbing her.

"I'll be right back," she said, pointing to the toilet.

He relaxed a little, nodding. Colette slipped around the corner.

Landon bent, untying his shoes and slipping both them and his socks off. He put them under the wall mounted bedside locker. As he straightened, her bracelet and necklace caught his eye.

The black marks on the inside of the bracelet were a series of letters and numbers with periods in between.

"Landon?"

He looked up.

Colette was wearing nothing but a black bra and panty set. The panties were the black satin he thought he'd glimpsed between her thighs. She was much slimmer than she'd looked this morning when wearing what he now knew had to be exceptionally baggy clothes.

He eased onto the mattress, his attention once more on Colette, except…

"Before we…um." Colette shrugged awkwardly. "There's something in the bathroom I need your help with."

Landon raised a brow.

"Not that! Will you just come look?"

Curious, Landon rose, heading into the bathroom.

Colette waited until he was inside, looking around curiously, before she yanked the door closed.

* * *

Colette hooked the wood hanger around the bathroom door handle and grabbed a second hanger. She latched them together, hooking the other one around the handle of the main door.

The bathroom door opened a few centimeters before the hanger caught, preventing it from opening any further.

"Colette?"

Colette closed her eyes, pressing her hands over her face. She was so stupid. So, so stupid.

Colette yanked on her dress, throat tight with tears.

"Colette!"

"I'm sorry, Landon, I can't do this."

There was a short silence, during which she grabbed her slipper-like foldable flats out of her clutch and put them on.

"Baby, that's okay. You can just say no. I'll respect it."

With another man, she might not have believed that, but with Landon, she did.

"I know. And thank you for that." Colette quickly clasped the necklace around her neck.

"Okay, then open the door."

"I can't."

Another silence, before his voice rang with command. "Colette, unlock the door."

Colette gingerly slid the second century CE Roman bracelet onto her wrist. She'd worn it out of the museum today. She shouldn't have worn it to dinner, but she hadn't had time to go to her safe, and hadn't wanted to leave it in her shared flat.

She also hadn't had time to dissolve the item number marked on the inside of the bracelet. Dissolving the lacquer without hurting the piece was a delicate process.

Today had been nothing like she'd planned. It had been such a simple plan—make sure London Metro knew the full extent of the theft, thereby forcing the museum to fix their massive issues, before disappearing. She had an exit strategy all planned—she was heading for a dig in Greece. She'd go there for a day, get sick, and then disappear.

Meeting Landon had fucked her plan. He was…nothing like she'd expected. The attraction between them was instant, and every time he touched her it felt like she'd just taken a sip of good champagne—she felt bubbly, happy, and turned on.

Her mentor Nilus had cautioned her against hubris, and this entire job was hubris personified. Agreeing to have dinner with the lead detective? Coming to a private hotel room with him? Those passed hubris and tipped over into pure stupidity.

"How the fuck did you even lock this from the outside." The bathroom door rattled, and Colette winced.

For a moment she wavered. He hadn't said anything. Hadn't accused her of anything.

But when she came out of the bathroom, he'd been studying the bracelet. He'd seen the identification markings.

Eventually he'd figure out that she'd lifted it from the museum's collection. Maybe he'd already figured it out and was planning to fuck her then arrest her.

No. Not Landon. He was better than that.

Colette grabbed her ID and keys from her clutch and stuffed them into her bra, but left the bag itself. She was going to need her hands empty.

She couldn't go out the front door without undoing her makeshift hanger lock, so she'd have to go out the window.

"Colette." There was command and warning in Landon's voice, and she shivered with an uneasy mix of fear and need.

"I'm sorry," she called out, before sliding open the window and slipping out onto the narrow ledge.

* * *

Landon planted his bare foot on the doorjamb, grabbed the handle, and yanked.

There was a crack of breaking wood, and the bathroom door jerked open.

Two broken hangers lay on the floor, part of one still dangling from the inner knob of the main door.

Landon dashed around the corner, scanning the small room.

Colette was gone, though her purse and shoes were still here.

A cold breeze fluttered the curtains.

Landon raced over, sticking his head out the open window. Colette was near the corner of the building, balanced on the narrow ledge that ran just under the window.

"Colette! For fuck's sake!"

Landon felt sick, sure she was about to fall.

As he watched, she slid down to sit on the ledge.

"Stay there, I'm calling for help," he yelled, fumbling in his pocket for his phone.

Colette looked back, and he couldn't see her expression from here.

She pushed off, and Landon's heart jumped into his throat.

Colette turned in the air as she fell, grabbing the ledge she'd just been sitting on with her hands.

Shocked, Landon watched as she continued to lower herself down, until she dropped gracefully to the ground. She was as nimble as a gymnast…

Or a thief.

She looked up, and he wished he could see her fucking face.

Then Colette disappeared around the corner of the hotel.

Landon yanked his phone from his pocket, teeth gritted.

"Detective Inspector Ja?—"

Landon yanked on his shoes, forgoing socks, before racing out the door. "Find everything you can on Colette Beaumont."