Hotshot defense attorney James Scott always follows his gut -- even when it tells him an obviously guilty man is a victim himself. Homicide detective Owen Duke doesn't have time for gut feelings -- he lives by logic and evidence. And all the evidence tells him that Scott's client is guilty of the cold-blooded murder of a young ballerina.<br><br>Scott, a notorious media darling, is willing to risk his reputation and his career on the kid's innocence. But his undeniable charm is not enough to save his client's life. He needs Owen Duke, a man who stands for truth and justice, even if the detective hates Scott and his gut feelings.<br><br>What's supposed to be an open-and-shut case quickly becomes a quagmire of lies, murder, and rotting corruption. Suddenly, instead of being a thorn in Duke's side, James Scott is the only person in San Francisco the detective can trust. As the attraction between them deepens, they race to save an innocent man, but can they save their own hearts in the process?

Pas de Deux

They were only a few blocks from the 280 onramp, and it was late enough that the traffic was mostly clear. Once they were on the freeway, Scott couldn’t help stealing glances of Duke. If he hadn’t known that Duke had just spent several hours in the hospital, he never would have guessed. In the dim light provided by the passing traffic, Duke looked completely normal.


“Do you want to stay with me tonight?” Duke asked quietly. “I know we planned on your place, but I think I want my bed tonight, if that’s not a problem. And I’d like you in it.”


“I intended to stay with you tonight, even if you didn’t invite me. You’re high enough on morphine, I figured I actually had a shot at overpowering you, if it came to that.”


The smile returned. He thought he’d seen Duke smile more in the past couple hours than he’d had in the past few days. “Ah, but the morphine will probably make me unpredictable. That makes me dangerous.”


Chapter 56