Terraformed Skies

by Anna Lewis

  “Got it. Like this?”

  He pulled his face, trying to keep his look stern and serious. He looked at Lilly and burst out laughing.

  “Was that good?”

  “For the whole second you held it, yes.”

  “Admit it, you thought I looked smolderingly handsome just now.”

  “Can we get back to work?”

  “Sure enough,” he said.

  Lilly turned, leading the way down the hall. She was glad that he was behind her. She didn’t want him to see that she was doing her best not to laugh. Jason had a naturally friendly personality. Lilly wanted to laugh at his attempt, but she didn’t want him to get the idea that she liked him.

  It was bad enough that her stomach tightened and a tiny place inside her stirred every time he got too close. If he knew that he was affecting her, he would be even more insufferable than he already was.

  ***

  The fluorescent lighting was harsh when they stepped into the autopsy room. Dr. Ward was with his intern, carefully removing their victim from the body bag and sliding him onto a table in the middle of the floor.

  He was a little older, around forty. Medium height and a bit stocky, he reminded Lilly of a museum curator. Even the way he spoke made her think of those days in grade school, walking through the dinosaur exhibit and listening to the older gentleman wax on and on about the different eras.

  “Ah, Dr. Bruce. I was wondering when I would have the pleasure.”

  “Have you found anything yet?”

  “You sure don’t mince words, do you?”

  “I don’t have time for pleasantries.”

  “Yes, I can see that. So far, we haven’t found anything. I sent his wallet to the tech lab to be analyzed, so hopefully they can salvage what’s left of his identifications.”

  “Do you have a time of death?”

  “A rough estimate? I would say he’s been dead at least a week, maybe more.”

  “And it’s definitely a man?”

  “Without a doubt. Tell me, do you know how this man went unnoticed for this long?”

  “We had two weeks off before the start of spring training. We always have the same two weeks off.”

  “That makes sense,” Dr. Ward said. “And you are?”

  “Jason Hathaway.”

  “Ah yes, the tight-end for the Railroaders. You’re quite the player. It’s a shame this is your last season.”

  “Don’t worry, you’ll be seeing more of me.”

  “I should hope not,” Dr. Ward said, chuckling under his breath at his own joke.

  “Not on the slab, at least I hope not. I’ve been going to school for the last few years. I’m graduating this May and I will be applying to work here right after that.”

  “Oh. Well good luck to you, then.”

  Lilly took a pair of gloves off the dispenser on the wall and donned a mask.

  “You need to put on a mask,” she said to Jason.

  “The smell doesn’t bother me,” he said.

  “That’s beside the point. There’s all sorts of pathogens in the air with a body in the room. You want to protect yourself, just in case.”

  “Gotcha.”

  He put a mask on and grabbed a pair of gloves. He stood beside Lilly, following her gaze as she went over the body carefully. Well, what was left of the body.

  “This is going to be a tough case,” Lilly said.

  “It is,” Dr. Ward agreed, gently scraping underneath the nails and bagging the skin he found there. “But it looks like this man’s hands were well-preserved and there’s skin there. I’ll send this over to DNA and see if we get a hit.”

  “So my baggies didn’t ruin everything?”

  “On the contrary, they kept the evidence on his hands.”

  Dr. Ward looked at the pained expression on Lilly’s face and chuckled softly.

  “I wouldn’t suggest that you touch a dead body as a general rule, but you did well. Maybe you should come to work for me instead of becoming a homicide detective.”

  “Thanks, Doc, but I have my heart set on the job.”

  “Suit yourself,” Dr. Ward said and shrugged. “You have a good head for forensics, but I’m sure it will serve you well in your chosen field.”

  Lilly’s expression was pinched, but she kept her thoughts to herself. Jason had gotten lucky, there was nothing more to it. Murder investigations were nothing like television, but he would learn that soon enough. That was, if he managed to get a job in homicide to begin with.

  “Do you have a cause of death yet?” Lilly asked, trying to change the subject.

  “It’s hard to tell with all the broken bones from being buried post-mortem, but I should dare say that this knife wound right around his spleen would have done the trick.”

  Lilly leaned forward, looking at the area the Dr. Ward had indicated. Jason leaned down as well, and Lilly was struck once again by how her body responded to Jason being so very close. She was going to have to get her hormones under control.

  Lilly stood up abruptly, stripping off her gloves and tossing them in the trash.

  “You’ll let me know if you find anything more?”

  “Of course I will.”

  “Thanks, Dr. Ward.”

  “Anytime, Dr. Bruce.”

  He turned his attention to Jason.

  “I wish you the best of luck,” he said.

  “Thank you. I’ve been working hard at school and it’s paid off.”

  “Oh, yes. I wish you luck with that, too.”

  Lilly hurried Jason out of the basement and back up the stairwell to the offices above.

  “What was that all about?” Jason asked, but he thought he knew.

  “I’ve got a reputation for being a bit abrasive.”

  “Not you,” Jason gasped in mock-horror.

  “Stop it,” she said, smiling in spite of herself.

  “I didn’t notice, really.”

  “You’re just saying that.”

  “I’m not. If you’re abrasive, then I guess I like being abraded.”

  Lilly elbowed him in the ribs.

  “You’re not as funny as you think you are.”

  “Is that so?”

  “It is.”

  “That’s funny, because everyone else thinks I’m funny.”

  “Well, I’m not ‘everyone else’.”

  “Good thing, because I would be disappointed if you were just like everyone else.”

  His tone changed and Lilly looked at his eyes a split second before his pupils contracted noticeably. She didn’t have to be a scientist to know what that meant.

  “Are you analyzing me?”

  “No,” she said a little too quickly. “No. I was trying to figure out how you were going to get home.”

  “You brought me here, shouldn’t you take me?”

  Lilly groaned.

  “Damn Adam. He could have taken you when he left.”

  “He could have, but then I would have missed seeing you in action, and I preferred watching you work.”

  “That’s good, because you’re going to be watching me work for a little while longer. I have a lot of crime scene photos to go over and catalogue and I have to check on our little drunk friend to see how he’s fairing.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  “Don’t you have something you need to be doing?”

  “Nope.”

  “Why not?”

  “I’m pretty sure practice is canceled until further notice.”

  ***

  “Maybe you can wait in one of the rooms. You still have your book with you, right?”

  “I’m fine. This is interesting.”

  “I don’t see how, but if you want to watch me fill out paperwork I guess that’s on you.”

  “I have to learn sometime, right?”

  Lilly put the file down, looking Jason straight in the eye.

  “Do you really want to be a homicide detective, or are you just saying that to get in my pants?”

&
nbsp; “What makes you think I want to get in your pants?”

  Lilly’s cheeks turned pink and she looked away. Had she and Adam both misread him? He’d been flirting hot and heavy with her all day. And now, the one time she took a shot at a flirtatious tone, it turns out she was wrong?

  “I’m just messing with you. I wouldn’t say I want to get in your pants. I’m looking for something a little more than that.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you’re intriguing. You’re smart and sexy, witty and sarcastic. You’re perfect. Hasn’t anyone ever told you that?”

  “No. Never.”

  “Well, they’re missing out. The vapid southern belle thing is played out. I like my women to value brains and beauty, and to see the world the way it is and not the way they wish it was. That’s what I look for in a woman. I don’t really care what people expect a football player to like.”

  “So none of the gorgeous groupies ever tempt you?”

  “Nope.”

  “I find that hard to believe. A man is still a man.”

  “Well, maybe you shouldn’t judge me against a stereotype that I don’t fit into.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay. I used to be that way. But I’m thirty-five now. I’ve done some living and I’ve learned some important things.”

  “Like what?”

  “Namely that I want more than just a pretty face. I want a woman who gives me a mental run for my money. A woman who wants to talk about more than just shoes and the latest dent she put in her car because she was applying makeup while she was driving. Looks fade. I want a woman who is quality inside and out. A woman like you.”

  “A woman like me?”

  “I’d like that woman to be you, but something tells me you’re going to make the chase a bit of work.”

  “I’m not interested,” Lilly said, turning away and going back to the endless files on her desk.

  His hand reached out and laid across hers. Her stomach fluttered and her nostrils flared.

  “If you’re not interested then why do your involuntary responses say otherwise?”

  “You tell me,” Lilly shot back, angry that her body was betraying her.

  Jason was sexy, and Lilly was certainly going to burn a picture of him into her brain for later, but she had no intention of having an actual relationship with him, let alone sex.

  “I don’t know what to tell you, but I do know this; you feel what I feel. And it terrifies you. When you give in to your needs, you’re going to find that I’m right. You can fight it all you want, but the truth is there.”

  “I need to get this done.”

  Her tone was abrupt, but Jason was unfazed. He knew he had her.

  Lilly went through the motions of filling out paperwork for old cases, but her heart wasn’t in it.

  It was almost an hour later when she stretched and yawned dramatically.

  “If I have to fill out one more report I may shoot myself.”

  “Yourself? That would be a shame.”

  “Then you.”

  Jason raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

  “Are you hungry? It’s almost dinner time and I need to get going.”

  “I can always eat.”

  “Have anything specific in mind?”

  “Tito’s has a live band tonight. Do you like Mexican food.”

  “I do. I don’t know about the band, but I like their food.”

  “Come on, live a little. If you want, I’ll even teach you the two-step.”

  “I know the two-step.”

  “We’ll see.”

  “I’m not dancing with you.”

  “If you say so.”

  Lilly rolled her eyes and grabbed her things.

  “Keep it up and I’ll drop you off at your house before I go to dinner.”

  “That would be pointless.”

  “Not at all. I like to eat alone.”

  Jason laughed, opening the door for her and following her to the sedan that she’d driven all day.

  “Do you have your own car?”

  “I do, but the use of the car is part of my salary and I’m not bringing my car here.”

  “Doesn’t your partner get a car in his salary too?”

  “Who, Adam? He doesn’t need one. He’s a terrible driver. He drives his own car and everyone on the road had better watch out.”

  “You act like he’s driving with his eyes closed. There’s no way he’s that bad.”

  “I let him drive once my first week and I haven’t let him drive since.”

  She unlocked the car and motioned to the front seat. Jason smiled, getting into the front this time instead of the cramped back seat. He sat in the passenger seat and stretched his legs out.

  “This is much better.”

  “Don’t get used to it.”

  “I won’t.”

  She put the car in gear and headed out of the parking garage.

  “So what made you leave the ME’s office in favor of homicide division?”

  “It’s a long story.”

  “We have time.”

  “Fine. I’ll tell you over dinner, but you’re buying.”

  Jason smiled. Good thing he wasn’t your typical starving college student. Tito’s was pricey to put it mildly, but the food was second to none. Jason sat back, watching Lilly as she drove and marveling at her personality.

  She was something else, and he was looking forward to getting to know her better outside of her work.

  ***

  “So you’re telling me that when you were a Medical Examiner, you used to go to the detectives and tell them how to do their jobs?”

  “I did. Why is that so hard to believe?”

  “It isn’t. You do the same to Dr. Ward.”

  “If I don’t keep on him I don’t get my results quick enough.”

  “I bet you would, if you’d just learn some patience.”

  The waiter picked up their plates, topping off Lilly’s wine and bringing their dessert.

  “I don’t need to be patient. People need to work faster.”

  “But fast isn’t always the same as good.”

  “True. I just think that I could do a better job.”

  “You thought that when you were in the ME’s office. Now that you’re a detective, you’re all over Dr. Ward. Why don’t you just do both?”

  “Ha! Then the city couldn’t afford me.”

  Lilly laughed, taking another sip of her wine before pushing it away.

  “I can’t have anymore, we should go.”

  Jason shook his head.

  “Nope. You’re already buzzed. We need to burn it off.”

  He held his hand out.

  “Let’s dance.”

  “No way. I’m not going to dance in front of all these people.”

  “There are people on the dance floor.”

  “So? I don’t want to make a fool of myself.”

  “I thought you knew how to dance.”

  He arched an eyebrow in challenge.

  “Knowing and doing are two different things.”

  “Well, you really only have two choices: We can sit here and eat bread for two hours until you’re able to drive, or we can dance and go home in half the time. Safely. It’s up to you.”

  Lilly crossed her arms, glaring at him defiantly.

  “You know I’m right.”

  “Fine. But you better not step on my feet.”

  “You better not step on mine.”

  “Please. If one of us is graceful on their feet, it’s going to be me.”

  “We’ll see,” he held his hand out to her once again. “Shall we?”

  Lilly took his hand, letting him lead her to the dance floor. She was a little tipsy, but she was still painfully aware of her body’s reaction to his nearness. She had a breathalyzer in the sedan, maybe if she checked herself she would find that she was below the legal limit.

  Jason’s hand wrapped around her waist and pulled her close. His touch se
nt shock-waves of pleasure through her body. The wine had torn down some of her defenses, and her treacherous body responded even more readily to Jason’s touch.

  He began to move to the music, guiding her through the steps easily. When she tried to lead he spun her around, knocking her off balance and regaining control so elegantly that she missed what he was doing the first time.

  “What if I want to lead?”

  “No Ma’am. It’s not a two-step if you’re leading.”

  “Pfft. I’m a great leader.”

  “The mark of a great leader is the ability to lead and follow.”

  He pulled her closer until her head rested on his chest, her body pressed close to his.

  “Who said that?”

  “I think I just made it up. It sounded good though. Right?”

  Lilly giggled into her hand.

  “Yeah, it sure did.”

  Lilly pressed her head into him, closing her eyes and letting him spin her around the dance floor. She really should take him home, but surely one little dance wouldn’t hurt. Right?

  The song ended and the dancers stopped to clap their appreciation for the live band. Lilly pulled away, trying to leave the floor in favor of their table tucked back in a dark corner.

  “Not so fast. I’m not done with you.”

  Lilly’s stomach dropped and she felt her nipples tighten beneath her shirt. Why was it anytime he said anything like that, her body responded like that? Had it been that long that the slightest attention from a handsome man could send her into a tizzy?

  No, that wasn’t it. He wasn’t just any man. He was Jason Hathaway. He was handsome, strong and intelligent. And he had his arms wrapped around her, moving her around the room amongst all the loving couples. His eyes were locked on her face, a soft smile resting on his lips.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “I need to get you home.”

  “Why?”

  “I’m tired.”

  “Is that all?”

  “Yes, of course. Why?”

  “I don’t know. But if I was going to guess, you want to get home because you’re afraid of letting yourself like me, maybe even more.”

  “Don’t be a fool. I don’t have any feelings for you beyond a witness, I—”

  Jason pulled her to him, kissing her suddenly on the mouth and covering her startled squeak with his lips. He kissed her passionately while they danced, completely oblivious to the people around them.