Jason crossed his arms over his chest. “And why not?”

A flush stole into her cheeks when she noted Jason wasn’t the only one waiting on her response. “You know why,” she finally said.

Jason’s forehead bunched up. Then when he remembered what could possibly happen if they stayed overnight under the same roof, he smiled. “Oh, yeah.”

“Oh, yeah, what?” Zane wanted to know.

Jason frowned at his cousin. “None of your business.”

Pete cleared his throat. “I’m out of here but like I said, Miss Bostwick, the department will have more police checking around the area.” He slipped both the rock and note into a plastic evidence bag.

Zane and Derringer followed Pete out the door, which Jason appreciated since it gave him time alone with Bella. The first thing he did was lean down and kiss her. He needed the taste of her to know she was really okay.

She responded to his kiss and automatically he deepened it, drawing her up out of the chair to stand on her feet in the process. He needed the feel of all of her to know she was safe. He would protect her with his life if he had to. He’d aged a good twenty years when he’d gotten that call from Pam telling him what had happened. And speaking of Pam’s phone call…

He broke off the kiss and with an irritated frown on his features he looked down at Bella. “Why didn’t you call me? Why did I have to hear what happened from someone else?”

She gazed right back at him with an irritated frown of her own. “You’ve never given me your phone number.”

Jason blinked in surprise and realized what she’d said was true. He hadn’t given her his phone number.

“I apologize for that oversight,” he said. “You will definitely have it from here on out. And we need to talk about you moving in with me for a while.”

She shook her head. “I can’t move in with you, Jason, and as I said earlier, we both know why.”

“Do you honestly think if you gave me an order not to touch you that I wouldn’t keep my hands off you?” he asked.

She shrugged delicate shoulders. “Yes, I believe you’d do as I ask, but I’m not sure given that same scenario, in light of what happened in this very kitchen Friday night, that I’d be able to keep my hands off you.”

He blinked. Stared down at her and blinked again. This time with a smile on his lips. “You don’t say?”

“I do say and I know it’s an awful thing to admit, but right now I can’t make you any promises,” she said, rubbing her hands together as if distressed by the very notion.