Read SEIZED Part 1: New Adult Romantic Suspense (Seize Me Romance Fiction Series) for Free Online Page A

could ignore that. Taking stock, I see that her skirt is short but not too revealing. Those curves must be making some lucky bastard happy back in Iowa. God, she’s all woman, round and supple. Even now, she smells amazing, and I resist the urge to lean forward and inhale. If she has any idea what I’m thinking, she doesn’t give it away. Her body language is more open than before. The lack of air conditioning has allowed her to slide the blanket off, revealing curve lines of the most luscious breasts I’ve seen in a long time.
    As I listen, my eyes can’t help sliding down farther. Her stomach is flat, defying the curves above and below it. This girl is fit. She’s a runner or something; the core strength is obvious in the way she holds herself, and by the muscles in her arms. Her voice gets a little shaky as she starts to cover the details of the attack, and I think my jaw drops to the desk when I hear she fended off four guys. How the fuck did this little thing make that work? She must be in training for something, so I interrupt her to ask how she managed to overpower them.
    “Well, I’ve been practicing Judo since I was sixteen,” she says. “I couldn’t help April, but I got away okay.” Her eyes meet mine, and there’s no ego there. None of that show phony stuff with this woman, just the relay of direct information from one human to another. When we get to the part where she was hiding under the car, I get a real sense of how different this girl is from anyone I’ve ever known. She shows me the cuts and grazes on her calves and knees, and I can’t help but notice that her toes are painted a gold color. The cuts on her feet have been wrapped by the nurse but they need to be washed. For a moment, I picture how her petite foot would look in my big hand. I’d wash it gently and rub lotion into the soles of her feet until she couldn’t keep her hands off me.
    Taking a deep breath, I know I need to get my shit together and focus. Her story is coming to an end, and I have some questions, but right now all I want to do is look at those lips. White teeth peep through her lipstick stained and swollen mouth. Her skin is flawless, sheening with health. That forehead wound may not need stiches, but it’ll sure as hell be sore. Again, my respect for her jumps another notch. She finishes her account of the evening, in tears at the fate of her friend.
    “Look, Detective, April doesn’t deserve this, she’s not a bad person. Everyone loves her. You have to help me find her.”
    I reach over and take her hand. We’re usually advised not to make contact with any witness, but my compassion for her outweighs my regard for the rules.
    “Hey, hey, it’s gonna be okay,” I say, wishing I could hold her small frame to me. “I’m gonna ask you some questions now, then we’ll make a plan, all right?”
    She nods and seems to calm down a little as we begin to talk through April’s situation. The recent death of her parents was an accident and seems unconnected. Picking up on something Carrie said earlier, I ask again about her uncle’s association with Caliber. After all, if the guy had proper security at the club to make sure his niece and friend got home, none of this would have happened.
    “Well, her Uncle Jessup is kind of weird.”
    My heart pounds at that name, and I almost fall off my chair. Uncle Jessup and April Lee—this has to be my main suspect’s niece we’re talking about. If April Lee is the niece of the man who kidnaps and traffics more women than any other criminal in the country, then maybe someone is trying to teach Jessup Lee a lesson.
    I don’t believe Carrie notices my reaction, but if she does, she doesn’t give it away. I decide to keep the connection to myself for now, and do some more investigating. I knew Jessup had a sister, but the file says nothing about any nieces or nephews. This could be a whole new avenue, and it also sheds new light on Carrie’s situation.
    Excusing myself, I