“Did he?” Rob dropped one hand from the steering wheel to his thigh. “He said you didn’t have a husband.”
“Okay, forget I said that.” She kicked off her sandals and wedged her feet on the dashboard. “A loved one could be anyone, not just romantic love.”
“Let me check out Troy, and if he’s on the up-and-up, tell him about the dead body. Maybe he has some ideas. If his intel down there was any good, he should have an idea about who’s in that complex with EGV.”
“We should probably tell April we met her PI.”
“Not a good idea. It doesn’t sound like Troy was going to make himself known to her, so it’s none of our business.”
Libby’s jaw fell open. “None of our business? We could put our heads together on this, and we could hand EGV to the FBI or the DEA. Isn’t that important to you?”
“Keeping you safe is more important to me than catching EGV.”
She stared at his profile, her mouth in danger of dropping open again. “You’re kidding.”
“Why would you think that? Haven’t I upended my entire life since the day I picked you up?” He tapped the clock on the dashboard. “In fact, I’m going to be late for work.”
“Um, you didn’t seem that interested last night.”
“That was sex. Wanting to protect you is something else, and turning you down, while it wasn’t easy, is another way to protect you.”
“That’s nice to hear, Rob, but it’s as much about protecting you.”
“Me?” He jabbed a finger in his chest. “I know who I am. I know I’m not married or attached or even dating.”
“Which means you’re free and clear...” She whipped her head around. “You’re not even dating?”
“Went on a few online dates in Tucson, but I’ve been busy. Then I bought my house. Next, I want to get a dog.”
“Priorities.” She raised her eyes to the roof of the truck. “What I was saying is that you’re free and clear to fall for someone...fall for me. And if that happens and I turn out to have a husband and four children, where would you be? I know you’re protecting yourself, protecting your heart, and I don’t blame you, but, damn, we’ve got a thing here.”
The corner of his mouth twitched. “Does having no memory give you free rein to say whatever comes into your head?”
“Pretty much.” She punched his rock-solid bicep. “Do you deny we have some heat between us?”
Idling at the stop sign, Rob threw the truck into Park, leaned over the console and pressed his soft lips against hers. Her mouth opened, and he slid a hand into her hair and deepened the kiss.
Someone honked behind them, and they sprang apart.
Rob pulled away from the stop sign, the truck lurching as much as her heart, and touched his fingers to his mouth. “I do not deny any heat. In fact, my lips are on fire.”
She traced her own tingling lips with the tip of her finger and sighed. “If we can generate that much passion with a quick kiss at a stop sign in a truck with our seat belts on, why the hell are we wasting time?”
Rob aimed his truck toward the on-ramp and punched the accelerator as he merged onto the freeway. “I’ve been through that before, Libby. I dated someone a few years ago who lied about her marital status. I’m just not doing that again. It was...messy.”
She raised her eyebrows at him. “This wouldn’t be like that, Rob. I wouldn’t lie to you. I’d never lie to you.”
“You’re not in a position to know whether or not you’d be lying, and that’s even...messier.”
She puckered her lips, still feeling the stamp of his kiss on her mouth. How could something so messy feel so right?
They spent the rest of the ride to Tucson avoiding conversation about their feelings—and that kiss. They made good time, and Rob made a U-turn to drop her off in front of Rosita’s.
As she reached for the door, he grabbed her arm. “Be careful. Don’t go anywhere by yourself, including the restrooms. Use the ladies’ room when it’s crowded, during the lunch rush.”
“I’ll be fine. Are you going to look into Troy Paulsen’s background?”
“I am, and there’s something else he said that got me thinking.”
“He said a lot that got me thinking. What did you pick up?”
“Your phone.”
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure that burned up in the wreck. It wasn’t on me and I didn’t see anything in the husk of that car. That’s why you didn’t even get through to the voice mail when you called it.”
“I didn’t see anything, either, but Paulsen mentioned you’d been texting him. I’d like to get your phone records and take a look at your texts, if we can get them. Those could tell us a lot. I wish Paulsen would’ve had the phone he used with you. Those texts could’ve told us something.”
Libby’s heart skipped a beat. “Well, you have his card. You know, I never even thought about that. Just because the phone is destroyed doesn’t mean the phone’s records disappear.”
“Exactly.” Rob rubbed his chin. “I may not be able to get those records right away, but they’ll definitely shed some light on your thoughts and actions before you hit the road to Paradiso.”
“See? Troy was good for something.” She kissed her fingers and pressed them against Rob’s cheek. “Too messy?”
He slapped his hand against his face where she’d placed her fingers. “Just right.”
Libby scrambled from the truck and got to work as soon as she entered the restaurant, her mind wandering to Troy’s words during her busy shift. Why would a mild-mannered artist agree to infiltrate the compound of a suspected drug broker? Why would she put herself in danger like that unless she had a strong motivation?
Could that dead body be her motivation? Rob was right. If the dead body prompted her flight from Rocky Point, that person couldn’t have been her
