“Rhett.”
I was half-way to the door when I turned back to look at her. “Yeah?”
“Thank you for this. It’s amazing.”
I cleared my throat. “My pleasure.” Sassy Briar I could handle. Stubborn, obstinate, funny, Briar? No problem. The sweet version? I didn’t stand a chance.
I walked to the kitchen and took a few deep breaths on the way. I needed a distraction— one that would help me feel like I was in control again. I tapped the number for my right-hand man and vice-president. I brought him in on this stalker case because he was one of the few people I trusted.
“Jake,” I said, as soon as he picked up the phone. “What’ve you got for me?”
“You’re an asshole,” he grumbled. “You do realize it’s not even eight o’clock, right? On a Saturday morning?”
And since he rarely went home alone on a Friday night, I was pretty sure I’d interrupted something. But I didn’t care. Like me, Jake was ex-military, and he understood there were some missions that took precedence over everything. This was one of them.
“Quit whining and tell me what you’ve got on that piece of shit.” I’d done my own preliminary research on Briar’s ex, but I knew I was too personally involved in this situation to be completely objective. I needed another set of eyes and ears, to pick up anything I might have missed.
“He’s not squeaky clean, man. It’s too soon to say for sure, but I think I might be able to uncover some shit that could put him away for a long time.”
“Seriously?” That was the best-case scenario, in my mind. Especially since I knew he wouldn’t do hard time for stalking unless he crossed some… unthinkable line. And that would happen over my dead body. “What’ve you got?”
“Too soon to tell.” He covered the phone and muttered a few words to someone, no doubt his one-night stand. “But I’m working on it. You’ll be the first to know when I have something concrete.”
I knew Jake too well to think he hadn’t already started building his case, uncovering the proof. But he wouldn’t bring it to me until it was iron-clad. He wasn’t the kind of guy who let things fall through the cracks. I normally appreciated that about him, but right now I needed more.
“You’re going to be at Briar’s birthday dinner tonight, right?”
He laughed. “And miss out on the chance to see you pop the question? You know I’ll be there.”
Jake was the only person who would know our engagement wasn’t real. And I’d only told him because I needed his help on this case, and I could trust him to remain objective, help me see things I might have missed because I was getting in too deep.
“Good, you can fill me in then.” Because I wouldn’t let him keep me in the dark for weeks while he dotted his I’s and crossed his T’s. I’d go crazy not having all the facts while I watched this asshole sneak around, terrorizing Briar, and making her a prisoner in her own home.
I still hadn’t told her I’d have to drop her off and pick her up from work every day. Or that she’d have to pack a lunch instead of hitting up her favorite deli or going out with her co-workers. She’d hate that. But I didn’t mind arguing with her if it meant keeping her safe.
“So, are you climbing the walls yet?” Jake asked, laughing. “Or has she invited you to share her bed?”
Jake knew our history. He knew that Briar was the only woman with the power to get under my skin. So as soon as I told him I’d be living with her, pretending to be the man in her life, he’d warned me to keep my distance, claiming I could walk away being even more messed up than when I’d agreed to her plan.
“None of your business.” We were tight, the way only two guys who’d faced death together could be. Briar’s brother was my best friend, but the people who I’d surrounded myself with at work, those who’d gone into battle with me, were my brothers.
He laughed. “That means you’re already too far gone. All my warnings clearly fell on deaf ears.”
“Shut it.” I walked to the windows facing the front of the house, my gaze travelling up and down the street, looking for anything suspicious. Satisfied when I didn’t spot any sign of imminent danger, I said, “I’m not an idiot, Jake. I know who Briar is… and who she isn’t.” She wasn’t girlfriend material. And she sure as hell would never be anyone’s wife.
“Yeah, but we both know who you want her to be. Could be the more time you spend with her the easier it’ll be to convince yourself she’s that girl.”
“Not gonna happen.”I hope.I couldn’t deny she seemed different. More open. Less guarded. The sex last night hadn’t felt like sex at all. It was… something else. And my gut told me she felt it too. But I was too smart to play the ‘what if’ game. I didn’t have time for shit like that.
“If you say so, my friend.”
“I gotta cut you lose.” No way was I gonna tell him I had to clean up Briar’s kitchen, after making her breakfast in bed. He’d accused me of being whipped. It would have been laughable, if my urge to please her wasn’t so strong. “I’ll see you tonight. And, Jake?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks, man.” I didn’t have to tell him this assignment meant everything to me. He knew.
“I’ve got your back, Lennox. Always.”
