Page 28 of Taylor’s Warrior

He looked as puzzled by the theory as Taylor felt. “I don’t know what to think anymore. I used to think everything he ever did was aboveboard, but now…”

She remembered the possibilities Nick had suggested, that it was conceivable her father had found evidence of embezzlement by others, or he could be covering his tracks because he was guilty of that crime himself. Taylor hated even entertaining the latter, because it seemed like such a heinous betrayal.

Rhys sat up a little straighter. “Don’t jump to any conclusions. Until the investigations are complete, you don’t know exactly what’s happened or why. However,” he continued, his tone more solemn, “if we’re talking about shady goings-on in a military manufacturer, there are implications for national, even international security. Thanks for trusting me with that, Taylor.”

Arms folded, head slightly tilted to one side, he studied her for several long, silent moments. Just as she was beginning to squirm under his scrutiny, he ended the brief silence.

“What made you decide to tell me all this now? Why now and not before?”

His tone puzzled her—it didn’t hold the steel of an interrogator, but there was something that made her wonder why he wanted to know. It sounded… personal.

From Taylor’s point of view, he’d asked the sixty-four-thousand-dollar question. He deserved a sixty-four-thousand-dollar answer.

Not that she believed what she was about to admit was it. And if it wasn’t welcome, then their remaining time in California could be unbearable. Unwilling to witness the failure of her next actions, she dropped her gaze to focus on a corner of a sofa cushion.

“We both know we started off on the wrong foot,” she began cautiously. “The last few days, though… I feel… things have changed.”

The struggle was worse than she’d anticipated. She was floundering, lost in a rush of thoughts and emotions that were simply too much, too soon.

“Taylor—”

“Call me Tay.” On impulse, she butted in before he could say anything further, only to hesitate before continuing with the thought. “All my friends do.”

“Friends. Is that what we are now, Tay?”

>>><<<

Friendship was one thing, but he wanted so much more. It would have been so easy to reach out, to curve his hand around her neck, stroke the softness of her cheek with his thumb, before drawing her closer, so he could finally find out if her lips tasted as sweet as they looked.

Suffice to say, Rhys hadn’t wanted to let her go when they’d been in the pool earlier. Fooling around that way had been his undoing. He’d been attracted to Taylor for months; he’d fought it for months—verbal sparring being his weapon of choice—but holding her like that, so close, skin to skin, had brought the truth into clear, blinding focus.

He shouldn’t want her, but he did—in every possible way a man could want a woman.

“I hope we are,” she replied.

He wasn’t sure whether her cautious response was reassuring or discouraging, but before he could frame an answer, she continued.

“I’m really sorry, but would you mind if I go and lie down for a while? I’m starting to get a headache, and I just need to lie down in the dark until it goes.”

There was no way he’d stand in her way for something like that, and as he watched her leave the room, Rhys wondered where—if anywhere—their relationship might go next.

CHAPTER 10

Over the next few days, they didn’t venture far from the house. Rhys managed to persuade his principal to go shopping a couple of times, but she claimed to have changed her mind about the beach. She seemed to be happy reading by the pool, and while it made his job considerably easier, he wasn’t comfortable with the restrictions of what amounted to a self-imposed house arrest.

At one time, he’d have taken that as a win, but now he’d gotten to know Taylor better, he didn’t like it. He needed to do something about it, and to do that, he needed to consult someone with local knowledge.

Rather than contact Wolf, Rhys went straight to the main source of all things social—and that was Wolf’s wife, Caroline. Having heard the story of how the couple had met, he had to admit he was a little in awe of the self-effacing but charming young woman. As he’d hoped, she came up with the goods, and another phone call later, he’d managed to secure a reservation for that evening.

Keen to share the good news, he headed for the pool. At the doorway, he stopped in his tracks, brought to a halt by the sight of Taylor, lying on her stomach and soaking up the sun in her new bikini. It wasn’t that he hadn’t seen her in swimwear before, but she’d now traded the one-piece for something that just about covered what it needed to. His imagination was already working overtime, but thanks to her new preference, it had gone into overdrive. His attraction to her was spiraling.

“Hey.” He pushed away from the door frame and closed the distance between himself and Taylor. “I think it’s time we broadened our horizons and started sampling the local cuisine. I’ve booked a table for us at a place that comes highly recommended.”

Taylor rolled onto her side and propped herself up on one elbow. She looked at him over the top of her sunglasses. “You have? Whose recommendation?”

“Caroline,” he shrugged. “We already know she has great taste, so I thought she’d be a good source.”

Taylor swung her legs off the chaise lounge. “Do you think it’s wise? To go out, I mean.”