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At the top of the stairs, she surprises me by opening the door, wearing that robe that keeps me from her naked body too often. Not that I didn’t enjoy her last night—more than once. But every time I’m with her, it’s like I’ve never had her. Or like I’ll never have enough of her.
“Coffee. Thank you!” She pours two quick mugs. After doctoring hers up in seconds, she sucks down half the mug in big, caffeine-deprived swallows.
Her moan of enjoyment is almost comical.
“Like that, I take it?”
“I need it. Someone kept me awake half the night.”
“Are you complaining?”
“Not right now. Ask me how I feel at midnight.”
We’ll both be dragging ass then, but being with her was totally worth it.
Since I like my java black, I start gulping it down, savoring the hint of bitterness and burn on my tongue. “So…Maxon says you’re moving on Sunday?”
She quickly turns sheepish. “I forgot to tell you, didn’t I? My bad. Stephen called me yesterday morning. While he was looking for a rental on the island for himself, he found one within walking distance of the bar. It’s not what he wants, but he sent me pictures. I checked it out yesterday on my way into work.” She searches around until she finds her purse, then digs inside, finally pulling out an envelope. “I’m going to sign the lease today. It’s only a three-month term. Granted, it’s not a great place, but if I’m frugal, I should be able to afford it. I hope. But Maxon and Keeley will have their inn back. I can’t impose anymore.”
Everything she says makes perfect sense. But I’m not happy. I don’t like that she intends to walk to and from work alone. And I don’t like that she intends to live there without me. I want to be closer to her, both for my investigation and our future. If I’m with her nearly twenty-four seven, she’ll keep feeling closer to me and open up even more, right? It should also give me the perfect opportunity to tell her the true reason we met. After that…I’m hoping she’ll be able to forgive me.
But if, like the cynic in my head suggests, she’s actually guilty of playing a role in stealing her clients’ money… Well, if I’m living with her, she’ll be hard-pressed to hide it for long. Then I can figure out how to make sure justice is served—without hurting her more than she’s been hurt.
“What if we pooled our resources and moved in together?”
“Seriously?” She looks stunned. “Y-you want to live with me?”
“Hell yeah. I mean, first off, I need a place to crash, too. When I’m at Ash’s apartment, my bed is his sofa, which could double as a torture rack. Making rent on your own in Maui can’t be easy. Hell, I remember months in North Dakota when I was first starting out. Despite working multiple jobs, I could barely afford rent there, where it’s way less expensive. We both need a place to crash, and it would be good to save some money.” I set my mug down and approach, wrapping my arms around her and brushing my lips over hers in a kiss of good morning. “And I’d get to spend a lot more time with you. That’s a bonus in my book.”
“Are you sure?”
After everything she told me about her past, that’s what she’s asking. Does she somehow think that whatever her dad conned her into doing makes her less worthy or less desirable?
“Yeah. Admittedly, I’ve never moved in with anyone, but I think we’d do better than all right, Beth.” I stroke her cheek and stare into her eyes, hoping she sees my sincerity. “In case it’s not clear, I’m falling for you.”
She sucks in a shocked breath and stares mutely.
I understand. It’s the first time we’ve said openly that what we have is more than a fling. That there’s more involved than our bodies.
“I’m falling for you, too,” she finally murmurs. “Hard. Fast. It scares the hell out of me. But I don’t want to stop.”
Smiling, I draw her closer. “Good. Don’t. I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”
The tremulous smile that lights up her face enflames my body. An hour later, our coffee is cold, but I don’t care. In the most eloquent way possible, she said yes.
In the back of my head, I know our cohabitation will be good for a lot of other reasons I haven’t already considered. I can watch over her in case Paul Daniels comes around again, because the asshole still hasn’t let up. Of course, once we move in together, I’ll have to figure out what to tell my brothers. It’s been three days since Bret hung up on me. I need to deal with that soon, and he’ll flip shit when he finds out that I’m doing more with the “enemy” than sleeping. But I can’t live my life to make my brother happy, and he doesn’t know Bethany the way I do.
