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I forced the unexpected emotion away and picked up my fork, taking the first bite of my eggs.
Oh my word. Maria was an artist.
Hunter cleared his throat. “I don’t want you living alone until Franco Hopkins is caught.” His tone was warm but firm.
I took a deep breath. “I’m going to need a whole pot of coffee for this conversation.”
Hunter placed the second mug of coffee in front of me, waiting for me to drink from it before he continued.
“We can’t take any chances. I’ve called the detective and offered the services of my private investigator. He’s the best in the country, and if anyone can flush out Franco Hopkins, it’s him. But it won’t be easy. Franco is a smart criminal who knows how to cover his tracks.”
I set down my coffee. “You don’t think the detectives will find him.”
“We need to find him as fast as possible. He sent someone to break into your cottage. Maybe even did it himself, and now that he hasn’t found what he’s looking for, we have no idea what his next move will be.”
I couldn’t argue with that; I needed to take more precautions. Just to be safe.
But there was one thing that concerned me about all of this. With my growing feelings for Hunter, how would I discern what Hunterwantedto do for me versus what he feltrequiredto do for me to keep me safe? I knew he had feelings for me, and last night had catapulted our relationship into a new direction. But this would be confusing. What if he started to lose interest in me, but I was oblivious to his shift in feelings because of all his noble, protective gestures?
In the grand scheme of things, this wasn’t something I should be worried about. But now that he had activated my heart, a rope wrapped around it and tightened.
“I liked staying here last night,” I said.
Hunter sat back in his chair and folded his hands on his lap. “But?”
“Maybe I should find somewhere else to stay until this all blows over.”
A mixture of hurt and offense washed over his face. “Why’s that?”
I took a sip of coffee, willing it to give me the courage, to be honest.
“Because I really like this, Hunter. I don’t want to screw up what’s happening between us over Franco Hopkins.”
A slow smile stretched across Hunter’s face.
“I really like this too,” he said, holding my eyes. “And I’m not going to allow Franco Hopkins or anything else to interfere with this.” He motioned with his finger between the two of us.
Relief unwound the rope in my chest, especially when Hunter leaned forward and gripped my hand.
“Stay,” he said.
I wasn’t sure what to do. Should I protest and insist I stay elsewhere until this whole Franco situation was finally put to rest? But how long would it take? And why did I have to deprive myself of something that made me so happy in the meantime? Why would I let the psycho bully Franco take this from me, too?
After a moment, I nodded. “Okay.”
Hunter’s smile widened, but only briefly, before he sat back in his chair and brought his coffee mug to his lips, taking a long sip while he watched me eat my breakfast.
“There’s something else,” he said.
He cleared his throat and set his mug down. “I should have told you this before, but my private investigator looked into that letter that was sent to you. The one threatening you about your dad’s case.”
“Looked into it how?”
“He tried to identify the source of the letter, but whoever sent it was sophisticated enough to leave no trail. He thinks the letter was a legitimate threat, Luna.”
“I assumed it was,” I said.
“If the letter is legitimate, someone wants you to stop pushing for your father to get released.”
