CHAPTER 17
ACTON DISTRICT AND NEW SCOTLAND YARD, LONDON
In the suffused light of early morning, DI Shepherd lay with her head on Russell Simons’s chest, which had become the natural order of things as they slept together every night. It had been a simple transition for both parties. Shepherd knew she was in love because being with Russ was so easy. She adored his sense of humour, and his effortless politeness spoke to her of a real gentleman. Now, she soaked in his regular breathing and the heartbeat underneath her ear whilst one bleary eye studied the hair on his chest. Like everything else about him, it was perfect: not too hairy to repel her, but just enough to aver his masculinity. In the past, on the beach, she had been repulsed by hirsute males who made her think, according to her
