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As quietly as he could, Henri padded up the hall barefoot until he got to where the living room opened up. He spotted Bailey standing just inside the doorway, his arms crossed, his broad shoulders blocking entry to his brother, who was still outside on the stoop.
The sure stance of his feet on the hardwood indicated that Bailey wasn’t about to be moved, and it became obvious that whatever was being discussed right then was not something Bailey wanted to hear.
“Don’t let his charm and bad-boy side fool you. He’s trouble, even if he’s packaged nicely.”
Henri grimaced as he caught the tail end of Dick’s words, and he saw Bailey’s spine stiffen as he shook his head.
“I think you should leave.” Bailey’s words were delivered in a tone Henri had never heard him use before, and judging by the silence, Dick was just as stunned by the request. “I can meet you tomorrow about the case, if that works? But right now, I need you to leave.”
“Bailey—” Dick said, but it seemed he’d pushed his younger brother too far.
“Sean.” Again with the cool delivery.
No words were spoken after that, but Bailey stood where he was for a couple more moments before there was the sound of an engine starting up, and then he stepped back inside the house and shut the door.
Henri waited a beat or two, giving Bailey a moment to collect his thoughts, then he walked out from the hallway. “So, do you want me to leave?”
Chapter Three
CONFESSION
I’d take silence over a lie any day of the week.
BAILEY REMINDED HIMSELF not to get caught up in the deep, smooth cadence of Henri’s voice. Sean’s words, while irritating and offensive, were still rattling around in Bailey’s head and had done exactly what Sean had intended them to do—unsettle him.
God, only minutes ago in his kitchen he’d been having one of the most unforgettable experiences of his life, and now here he was trying to wrap his head around the fact that he knew next to nothing about the man who had given him that experience.
How was it possible to feel so connected to someone when you barely knew more than their name? But as Bailey turned around and spotted Henri standing just inside the living room, he realized that was exactly what he felt.
Connected. Protective. And loyal to someone he knew next to nothing about. That probably should’ve scared the hell out of him, but instead he felt a deep sense of devotion.
Bailey shook his head. “No. Not if you don’t have to.”
One of Henri’s brows winged up. “I don’t.”
“Good. Then let me grab you something to wear, and I’m going to throw these clothes in the wash and take a quick shower.” As he went to walk around Henri, Henri reached out and took Bailey’s arm, halting him.
“You sure about that, officer?”
Bailey looked Henri directly in the eye, and the flash of uncertainty there made that protectiveness he’d been feeling while talking to Sean rise within him again.
How many people had dismissed this man based on his troubled past? How many people hadn’t given him a chance to explain who he was and why? Too many, Bailey suspected, remembering the handful of moments where Henri had said he wished he was a good man, a better one than he was, and that if Bailey was smart, he would walk away.
Smart or not, Bailey wasn’t going anywhere other than the shower right now. “I think it’s time we have a bit of a talk. I’ll make us that coffee, and maybe you can tell me how it is that you know my pain-in-the-ass brother, and why I’m only finding out about it now.”
Bailey couldn’t be sure, but he was close to positive he saw relief fill those dark eyes, and then Henri let him go.
Bailey headed back toward the bedroom and pulled out a pair of sweats and a black shirt for Henri, then he snagged himself a matching pair and navy shirt and headed toward the bathroom.
When he got to the door, Bailey turned back to find Henri standing at the foot of the bed with the clothes in his hand, and marveled over the fact that he’d been able to string a sentence together when Henri was wearing nothing more than a towel. But then again, Bailey didn’t want this to be the last time he ever saw Henri standing there, which was why he’d made himself look past all that naked skin.
“I won’t be long,” Bailey finally said. “Make yourself at home.”
Henri nodded and fingered the material in his hand. Bailey stepped into the bathroom and closed the door between them, and he couldn’t help but think it was a crying shame that they couldn’t have ended their wake-up call in the shower together, just like they had that morning.
