“Want some company?” he called after her as he started making the bed. He found the lace and silk and smiled at the heated memories.
She shot him a bold look over her shoulder. “Always.”
They had better things to do than talk as they eventually got around, but downstairs in the kitchen, once she had half a cup of coffee in her, he dared to nudge her a little. He wanted her to feel comfortable enough to open up with him. “It’s your ex, isn’t it?”
“What has he done?” She bobbled her coffee mug and he helped guide it safely to the countertop. “Is he connected to your investigation?”
“No,” Trent rushed to soothe her. “No connection between him and Royer.”
“Then why did you bring him up?”
“You tell me,” he challenged gently. “I was only speculating because of that.” He motioned to the tension and anger puckering her brow. “You have a very specific expression when he’s on your mind.”
“Because he is a very specific kind of jerk,” she grumbled. “And, yes, he’s been on my mind.” Her blue eyes turned fierce. “Though I’m trying to think about anything else.”
“I’ll listen,” he said. “You can talk to me.”
“I know.” Her smile flickered. “Blame it on sister night.” She shrugged as if that should be enough of an explanation.
Not even close. He poured coffee into his tall travel mug. “And?”
“Sisters.” She sighed. “Sometimes when we get to talking it brings up old stuff for me. That’s all.”
That was a good start, but not the whole truth. “Old stuff like your ex.” That earned a nod of agreement. “You haven’t seen him in Brookwell again, have you?”
“No.” She stepped closer and rested a hand on his chest. “It’s not anything to worry about,” she claimed. “Celeste turned down the offer from Indigo Reef.”
He really wanted to believe it was that simple. “Okay.” He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. As much as he hated to rush through this, he needed to buckle down and locate Royer. The sooner he could take his case far away from Natalie’s home, the better he’d feel about everything, including more time with her.
She smiled up at him. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Being you.” She gave his biceps a squeeze. “Being amazing.”
“You’re welcome, I guess.”
Outside, the deep rumbles of construction equipment began. “Really, don’t worry about me,” she said. “I’ll be ready to talk about it soon.”
“I’ll hold you to it.”
“Do that. Please.” She grabbed her tote bag. “I’m going down to the beach for a few minutes before I get started.”
“All right.” He pulled her close, lingering over the kiss. “I’ll be around. Make sure to let one of us know if you need a change of scenery.”
She stared at him, her lips parted in surprise. “You really are amazing. I’m not sure anyone’s ever understood me so well.”
Her smile was amazing. When she looked at him like that, he wanted to be her everything. Forever.
But first, he had to let them both get to work. As he watched her go, he felt an increasing pressure at the back of his neck. His reservation at the Hideaway was coming to an end in just a few days. Either he solved this case and moved on to the next, or he found a new lead that pulled him far from Brookwell.
From Natalie.
For the first time in his Guardian Agency career, both potential outcomes troubled him.
CHAPTER 18
Natalie struggled to focus on her work, her feelings and concerns for Trent plaguing her all day. Waking in his arms this morning had brought up memories of her first marriage. Those early days with Jackson had been perfect—by design, of course—until the facade began to crack and her dreamy life turned into something brittle and awful.
