Hold My Heart Read Free

arrives at our floor and we step out. We have to stop at our desks to grab some last minute paperwork before heading to the conference room for our eight o’clock meeting. The hallway is quiet and the floors are still shiny from the overnight cleaning crew.
    Glancing up from my desk, I catch Tommy grinning to himself and shaking his head.
    “What?” I frown his way as I gather our files.
    He gives me a side-glance and smirks. “ Speedy ? Really?”
    I guess he didn’t miss my earlier comment in the elevator about his manhood. If I ever want to sidetrack Tommy, all I have to do is bring up his extracurricular activities.
    “What?” I feign incredulity. “I don't know what you call it. Little Buddy, Captain Rod, Happy Meal—”
    “Christ, Lil, it's my dick!” he reprimands, and I laugh. “Happy Meal? Seriously, Harper.” He stops rummaging through his desk and faces me. “Come on, say it. I want to hear you say dick ,” he orders, his bright green eyes staring down at me, his hands on his hips in challenge.
    I’m a little stunned, but I play along. Glancing around before responding, I turn and stare him straight in the eye. I'm glad I wore heels today. Tommy is just over six foot tall to my five-foot, five-inch frame.
    “You’re a dick,” I reply with a serious expression, my emphasis on the last word.
    He throws his head back and laughs. Seeing Tommy laugh makes me smile. It's so rare lately, a genuine sound of joy from him. I want more. I don’t want to think about our case or my breakup.
    “Holy shit, that's it isn't it?” Mockingly, I gasp, eyes wide. “That's what you call it, Agent Dick ,” I whisper like a kid saying naughty words. “Oh my God, does he have a little badge he flashes? That’s so adorable!”
    His laughter lights up his handsome features, fading a bit as he straightens himself, and then subsides as he once again feigns offense.
    “Hey, cut it out. You’re gonna hurt his feelings,” he says, attempting to scold me.
    His eyes meet mine, and I detect a hint of affection and relief. We maintain eye contact for a heartbeat, recognizing our mutual understanding. This is what we do. We keep each other sane.
    We head down the hall toward the conference room. After a few seconds, I gasp and snap my index finger up in a eureka motion.
    “ Dick Tracy!”
    “Jesus, Lil, you’re seriously fucked up.” Tommy grins. “Although,” he says, his look full of mischief, “one thing I’m not, is speedy .” In a seductive tone, he adds, “I like to take my time…” His light brown eyebrows bounce up and down, a huge smile on his face.
    I can’t help but roll my eyes. “Oh, spare me the details of Dick Tracy’s investigations.”
    He laughs because he knows I don’t like hearing the specific details of his sex life.
    “Dick Tracy is an awesome name though.” He rubs his index finger across his chin in contemplation. “No, wait. I’ve got it.” He stops mid-stride. “T ommy Dick .” His face lights up, wide eyes peering down at me, mouth turning up in a huge grin at his own brilliance. “You know, like the huge whale—”
    This time, I burst into laughter. “And I’m the fucked up one? You’re sick, Colton."
    As we near the conference room, we both attempt to quickly regain our composure, put our agent masks back on, and leave our personal lives at the door.
     

 
     
    Chapter 2
    “Harper, Colton,” Special Agent in Charge Dan Teague, greets us as we enter the conference room.
    “Sir,” Tommy and I reply in unison, as we take our seats. We look toward the door, confusion on our faces.
    “Let’s get started.” Teague, bless his heart, is sparing us an audience. Good. He cuts right to the chase, wasting no time. “Well, what do we got?”
    While Tommy proceeds to update him on the case, I remove all the info we’ve gathered from my cross-body briefcase.
    “So far, eight victims over a span of twenty years,” Tommy says as I hand the first set of files across the