“Depends how expensive and sparkly they are and what damage they do to my back account,” she countered with a forced smile.
He snorted a laugh, his brows knitting in concentration. “If you don’t want to tell me what it is, then don’t, but at least tell me if you’re all right?”
Her heart squeezed. Hunt presented a safety net with his presence, one that every part of her soul wanted to jump into. But depending on others had never gotten her anywhere. “I’m fine, thanks. It’s just been a day.”
His all-knowing eyes told her he didn’t believe her. Thankfully, he let it go and asked, “Are you missing any lingerie? Panties? Bras?”
She blinked. Twice. “Should I be missing lingerie?”
“I’m hoping not,” he said curtly. “But if someone in your building is obsessed with you, then they might take such things as tokens.”
The thought made her shiver in disgust. “Ew, and no, I don’t think so. But who knows—it’s not like I count my panties and bras.” Suddenly needing to know that answer immediately, she grabbed her laundry bag out of the closet and emptied the contents of her lingerie drawer into the bag. She turned back to Hunt. “Just in case someone touched something of mine, all of these need to be washed.”
His gaze fell to the lacy garments in the bag before desire-filled eyes met hers again. His voice lowered an octave. “Probably a good idea.”
Feeling like creepy fingers were caressing her flesh, she carried the bag across the hall and added all her lingerie into the machine on the gentle cycle, hearing Hunt and Ronan talking out in her living room.
Once the cycle began, she entered the living room, finding Ronan putting on his shoes.
He scanned her face, looking for signs of…something.“You okay?”
She nodded. “Sorry I vanished for a bit.” It only occurred to her now how much she must have worried Ronan. She’d been standing in the kitchen when she’d opened the package and knew she went ghost white before somehow making her legs move to her bedroom. Ronan had knocked once to check on her. She didn’t even remember what she said to get him to go back to the living room. Seeing the tension creasing his eyes, she smiled to reassure him. “I’m okay. Really.”
“Glad to hear it,” he said to her. Then to Hunt, he added, “Call me if you need anything.”
Hunt gave a firm nod, cupping Ronan’s shoulder. “Appreciate it, buddy. Thanks for coming today.”
“Anytime,” Ronan said before giving Lottie a final smile, then heading out the door.
Guilt nearly crippled her. Her mouth almost opened to tell them everything. To explain her past. But fear of losing everything shut her lips tight.
Turning back to Lottie, Hunt closed the door behind Ronan, his gaze that of a cop, assessing. “Are you feeling up to talking about the break-in?” he asked gently.
“Yeah, I’m good.” She plopped down onto the couch, pulled up her legs, and yanked the blanket over her lap. “What do you want to talk about?”
Hunt joined her on the couch, a steady strength next to her. “I reached out to the detective working your case this morning,” he reported. “There’s nothing new on their end yet, but I wanted to let you know that I’ve asked Elise to take your case.”
Lottie’s heart skipped a few beats and then promptly sank into her stomach. “That’s not necessary. I’m sure the detective will figure this all out. Please don’t put Elise out.”
Hunt reached for her hand like he’d reached for it a thousand times before now. “I’m not taking chances here, Lottie. Someone broke into your home and I intend to find out why.”
No. No. No.This couldn’t happen. Elise was the best private investigator in the city. Someone skilled enough to find the secrets Lottie wanted to say buried. “You don’t trust the detective to handle my case?”
“I do trust Garcia,” Hunt clarified, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze, “but I also trust that Elise can likely find the person faster.”
“Yeah, you’re right; she will,” she agreed. And that was the fucking problem. Lottie studied Hunt’s face, saw the determination there. “This is unnecessary, Hunt. Please don’t involve her.”
“It’s already done,” Hunt stated sharply, leaving no room to argue. “We need answers. Elise will get them.”
Lottie hesitated to consider this. Other than her fear of being discovered, she realized maybe this wasn’t so bad after all. One way or the other, Elise would find the person responsible for the break-in, and that would get Hunt, and this burning thing between them, out of her house. Because one thing was certain. Too much time with Hunt was a bad,very badidea. She wanted him—there was simply no ignoring that anymore—but she could still keep herself emotionally distant. She couldn’t cross that emotional line and endanger his career and her involvement with Phoenix. Besides, she had paid a lot of money to have her identity scrubbed clean and a new one created. The chance of Elise putting two and two together was slim. “Thanks for all this, Hunt. Truly, for helping me, I really appreciate it.”
“You don’t need to thank me,” he said, rising from the couch. Then he boldly stated, “I want to be here.”
Happiness burst with heat radiating in her chest, but she stuck a pin in it. No matter how much she liked Hunt, and she did like Hunt, she wasn’t girlfriend material for someone with a badge. Besides, her secrets were hers. He wouldn’t stop until he peeled back all her layers and laid her bare—it was in his nature. She loved her life. She loved Nessa. She loved the future she was planning out for herself. Everything had to stay just like it was. This was all but a blip in her plan, and her life would soon again settle.
Not looking back, Hunt headed for the door and then began lacing up his boots. “Come on,” he said, moving on to the other boot. “Let’s go somewhere.”
“Where?” she asked, staying put on the couch.
