Nobody.

Even if he was saddled with Mr. Kumar as his partner.

I got ready for bed.

Well, today wasn’t as fun as I thought it would be, Bad Ava groused.

Are we giving up? Good Ava asked hopefully.

“No,” I told the mirror as I slathered on moisturizer.

Oh poo, Good Ava snapped.

Yippee! Bad Ava yelled.

Needless to say, the Rock Chicks operation was a bust.

Lee had gotten to Brody first, therefore when the Rock Chicks interrogated him, Brody hadn’t talked under threat of certain torture from Lee (read: losing his “bodacious” job).

So we started by going to Noah’s old apartment but he was long gone. We spread out, “canvassing the neighborhood” (as Indy called it), knocked on some doors but only one person was home and they didn’t know anything.

Jules at the Command Central made some calls and found out who the landlord of the property was. She called him and asked about Noah but there was no forwarding address.

We trekked back to my place, I dug out my address book and called all of Noah’s friends (there were two), but neither of them had the same phone numbers.

Then we swung by several of the places Noah used to hang out but no one had seen him in months and no one knew where he was now.

Out of options, Indy, Roxie, Jet and Jules promised to “pump” their men for information and I went home with Tex as bodyguard and Shirleen for company. Uncle Vito came over to see how I was doing and not long after he arrived Mr. Kumar showed up for the same reason.

Euchre ensued. The rest was history.

I put on a kelly green camisole and a pair of chocolate brown, drawstring pajama shorts with big green polka dots and got under my covers.

Then I picked up the phone and called Luke.

“Yeah?” he answered.

“Hey,” I said.

“I hear the Rock Chicks called off the Bad Guy search for the night.”

“We’re not giving up,” I told him.

“Run out of leads?”

We had. Or, more to the point, we never had any leads and we just ran out of ideas.

Still, he didn’t have to sound so happy about it.

“We’ll get more leads tomorrow.”

I heard his soft laugh.

Jerk.

“Since you aren’t here, I’m taking it you haven’t found him yet either,” I said.

“I’ll get him.”

The way he said that gave me a shiver up my spine.

New subject.

“Are you hunting all night or are you coming to my place?”

“I’ll be there.”

“When?”

“Soon.”

“When’s soon?”

“Soon is soon.”

“Luke.”

“Babe.”

Silence.

Stalemate.

I broke the silence. “All righty then, just wake me up when you get home.”

“Why?”

“I want to know you’re safe.”

“You want me to f**k you.”

For goodness sake.

So he was right. He didn’t have to point it out.

“Who’s full of himself tonight?” I asked.

“Someone’s gonna be full of me tonight,” he used The Voice and its edge was smooth as velvet.

That got a belly melt.

“I’m tired,” I told him, ignoring the belly melt and The Voice. “I’m going to sleep.”

“Sweet dreams.”

I could hear the smile in his voice before I heard the disconnect.

Then I heard Tex boom, “Shee-it, Shirleen.”

I turned off the light and settled under the covers with a smile on my face.

Funnily enough, I didn’t feel scared at all of my house.

* * * * *

I felt my body roll and it wasn’t me rolling it.

Then I felt hands roaming.

“Hey,” I said sleepily as Luke’s ‘tache hit my neck, his lips coming with it.

“Babe, you want me to f**k you when I get home, it’s a good idea not to go to bed with so many clothes on,” Luke told my neck.

“It’s just a camisole and shorts.”

His hands went into the camisole, up, and then it was gone.

“It’s just shorts,” I corrected.

I felt him smile against my mouth before he kissed me.

“Was anyone here when you got here?” I asked when our lips disengaged.

“Tex, watchin’ a movie. Shirleen was crashed on the couch. They both left when I got in.”

I felt warmth spread through me and it didn’t all have to do with Luke’s hands and mouth.

“They’re good people,” I was talking to his throat at the same time I was discovering the fact that he was naked. I took advantage and ran the tips of my fingers over his tight ass.

“The best,” Luke replied then his hand came under my chin, tilted my head up and he kissed me again.

After he kissed me, I wasn’t in the mood to talk anymore.

So we didn’t.

* * * * *

My body was rolled, my torso pulled up and I opened my eyes as Luke shifted me into his lap.

He was fully dressed and either it was a gray day (not many of those in Denver) or it was early dawn. I guessed (correctly) it was early dawn.

“What’s going on?” My voice was scratchy with sleep.

“I want a kiss before I go,” Luke replied.

I squinted at him. “Where are you going?”

“Shit to do.”

I came fully awake. I did not think so.

Time to try a new tactic in order to save Luke from doing something that could land him in prison.

I cuddled into him and slid my arms around his waist. “Stay here with me,” I was working the sleepy voice, hoping it would have an effect.

His hand went up my back and into my hair, twisting it gently in his fist.

I thought I was getting somewhere but he said, “Sorry, babe.”

Shit.

“I’ll make you breakfast,” I tried again.

He shook his head.

“I do a great frittata with bacon and cheese.”

He gave me a sexy half-grin but kept shaking his head.

“Pancakes?”

More shaking of his head.

“Waffles?” I kept going.

Now it was his body shaking, with laughter.

Crap.

Crapity, crap, crap, crap.

Time to pull out all the stops.