I swallowed. “My point is that this is a business trip. Carter finally approved the piece on crime fluctuation—”
“That I encouraged you to write,” Walker interrupted.
I rolled my eyes. “—and as one of my primary sources, you and I will—”
“Be spending hours upon hours alone together.”
“For interviews on your experiences and discussions on crime rates and—”
“I have an experience I’d like to discuss: how delicious your body felt against mine.”
I sighed heavily. “You’re killing me.”
Walker laughed. “Good.”
“I really am writing this story, Walker, despite your ulterior motives for inviting me to your home.”
“You like my ulterior motives. The most grievous crime at the moment is how long it took for Carter to approve your damn story. I miss you, DiRocco.”
I swallowed again and forced myself to say the words because they were true. “I miss you, too.”
And now, after three weeks of battling with Carter, avoiding Greta’s stink-eyed interrogation, bracing against Dominic’s creeping advances, and swallowing my festering doubts about Nathan, I had finally arrived in Erin, New York, early this afternoon for what should have been a vacation from all those demons back in the city. Walker was just as blond and tall and capable as I remembered. A month apart hadn’t changed the aching thrill I’d felt at seeing him or the warmth of his giant-like hands as they spanned across my back in hello at the bus terminal. I tried keeping my thoughts grounded in the real purpose of my visit to Erin, New York, to make Bex’s acquaintance and forge an alliance for Dominic, but an entire month on the phone had somehow only strengthened my physical feelings for Walker.
Less than twenty-four hours into our reunion, however, and Walker and I weren’t putting the moves on either my career or each other. He’d barely had time to give me a proper tour of the town before we were once again, as I’d remembered all too well from his last visit into the city, staring at a body.
Her name was Lydia Bowser, and she was last seen by her grandmother, leaving the farm for a walk before dinner. According to her grandmother and Walker’s detailed notes, she’d loved the last moments of daylight, when the sun had already dipped below the horizon but its rays still lit the sky with a dim, burning glow. I raised my eyebrows at the description, both from its nostalgia and its telling time frame. Foul play after dark only meant one thing.
Melody Johnson graduated magna cum laude from Lycoming College with her B.A. in creative writing and psychology. While still earning her degree, she worked as an editing intern for Wahida Clark at Wahida Clark Presents Publishing. She was a copyeditor for several novels now in print, including Cheetah by Missy Jackson; Trust No Man II by Cash; and Karma with a Vengeance by Tash Hawthorne. Currently, she’s a client relationship coordinator and copywriter for Internet Inspirations, Inc. An active member in Romance Writers of America (RWA), Melody has attended many conferences to hone her craft, including NJ RWA “Put Your Heart in a Book” conference, GA RWA “Moonlight & Magnolias” conference, and GLVWG “The Write Stuff ” conference. When she isn’t working or writing, Melody can be found hiking the many woodsy trails in her Pocono, Pennsylvania, hometown or sunning and swimming at the beach.
LYRICAL PRESS BOOKS are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp.
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New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2015 by Melody Johnson
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
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First Electronic Edition: April 2015
eISBN-13: 978-1-60183-421-8
eISBN-10: 1-60183-421-7
ISBN: 978-1-6018-3421-8
The City Beneath Page 30
