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“No…everyone’s looking for that.” She dismissed the stereotype. “I’m just trying not to repeat a mistake from my past.”
“Did you get your heart broken?” It bothered him to think that she had.
“In a way.” She pressed her lips together, pausing, before making the decision to go on. “I dated this guy in college. He was fun and chill, and we were all about living in the moment, you know.”
“What happened?”
“As it turns out, you can only live in the moment for so long. We broke up when we realized that our visions of the future were way different. Since then, I’ve kept it casual while focusing on my career.”
“But if the right man came along…”
She smiled. “Doubtful.”
“What about the chef? Luna said—”
“That’s where this came from? Luna mentioned her matchmaking plan, and you…” Her smile widened. “You got jealous. Wow…wow. That’s hilarious.” She started to laugh. “The hot as hell, former SEAL, is jealous of the retreat’s chef. Unbelievable. God, if I were the newspaper’s editor, I’d put that on the front page.”
He found he didn’t mind her teasing so long as it made her smile like that. And she’d admitted to thinking he was hot. Major victory, because the feeling was completely mutual. If she looked down, she’d see that for herself. Owen shifted, wishing he could move closer to her but unsure how she’d react.
But was there more going on between them? He knew now that she hadn’t rejected him because she disliked him. So that was something. Did he want more with her? Or was the here and now enough? In the moment, so to speak.
They stared at each other as the water lapped against their bodies. One second longer and he wasn’t sure he’d be able to resist reaching out to touch her again.
“I’ve got to get out of this water before I turn into a prune,” she said, breaking the spell as she headed for the ladder.
No. Owen wasn’t about to let the moment slip away. He pulled himself up the side of the pool and beat her to their stuff. He grabbed a towel, wrapping it around her body like a net and bringing them close together.
“Oh,” she squeaked, her eyes wide.
He scanned her face, checking to make sure he wasn’t making her truly uncomfortable. She tilted her chin up, her lips slightly parted, as if waiting for something.
He needed to kiss her. Owen leaned in, his lips just inches from touching hers. He could feel the warmth of her breath.
The door behind him banged open, making him spin around, startled, cursing himself for his inattention. He’d completely let down his guard.
“Sorry,” Max called when he saw them. “Georgia forgot her coverup.” He scooped up a bright orange item from a lounge chair. “Carry on.” He was out the door again quickly.
“I guess we should go get changed,” Sophie said, her voice less steady than usual. She tied the towel around her, covering up that amazing body.
“Yeah.” He yanked on his T-shirt, regretting two things. One, that he hadn’t kissed her when the perfect opportunity was before him. And two, that an army could have snuck up on him because he’d gotten distracted. He couldn’t let anything happen to her. She was becoming important to him—and not just because he’d promised Ethan and Helen that he’d keep Sophie safe.
They walked back to the cabin without speaking. Once there, she booted up her laptop and gestured for him to use the bathroom first. By the time he’d showered, dressed, and come back out, she was staring at her screen and grinning.
“What is it?” he asked.
“Razor’s agreed to a video chat later this afternoon. I almost can’t believe it. We’re finally going to get some traction in this case.” She dashed toward him and gave him a quick hug before grabbing her clothes and slipping past him into the bathroom.
He was glad for her that she could conduct her interview safely, but he wanted to rewind and redo the afternoon. This time, he’d be sure to get their kiss in.
NINE
“One minute to go. Ready?” Sophie asked Owen. “You can’t make a sound. I don’t want him to get spooked.” She was both excited and nervous about the video interview with the drug lieutenant. Owen had insisted on staying in the cabin, so he could hear what got said. She’d agreed, as long as he stayed off camera.
“He’ll never know I’m here.” He sat close enough to the laptop so he wouldn’t miss anything, but couldn’t be seen.
A ping sounded. “Here we go.” Sophie put on a professional smile and hit the button to connect. “Hello, thank you for meeting with me.”
“Yeah.” Razor was around thirty with a scraggly dark beard and a tattoo on the side of his neck.
