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“I just bet you were.” She slung her bag over her shoulder. “Is that coffee for me?”
“It is.”
She pried the top off the travel mug. Surprise, surprise, she went for the sandy gold one. She took a cautious sip and her blue eyes went huge. “Now that’s some serious coffee.” She shook out a couple of the yellow sweetener packets and dumped them in but bypassed the cream.
Girl after his own heart.
“You can make me coffee every morning.”
“Deal.”
The tip of her tongue peeked from her teeth as she smiled and sailed through the archway to the stairs.
Fuck, he was so doomed.
He followed her outside. “You sure I can’t come and help at all?”
“No. I know the system better than anyone. I’ll make it work. I always do.”
Frustration crawled between my shoulder blades. “You shouldn’t have to make do.”
“My dad keeps telling me he’s going to retire, but he shows up to work every day, dammit.”
He opened her car door for her. “How about dinner?”
“I’d like that.” She leaned on the doorframe. “I have no idea when I’ll be done.”
“Doesn’t matter what time. Give me your phone.”
She dug it out of her bag and handed it to him.
“Here’s my cell and my email.” He added himself as a contact and handed it back.
“Just V, huh? Think you’re my only V?”
“I better be.”
She went up on her toes and brushed her lips over his chin. He cupped her face and took the kiss a little deeper. He kept it light, but wanted her to think about him and what they’d found. No way did he want to get swept aside because of work. He was aware that he might be laying things on a little thick, but he was pretty sure she figured this was a one and done kind of night if she thought too hard about it.
And he so didn’t want that.
When she pulled back, she had a softness to her face that hadn’t been there since the phone call. That’s how he wanted her to stay.
“I’ll see you later.”
She tilted her head slightly but nodded and started her car. He watched her back down the drive and give a little wave when she made it to the winding road.
He went inside and made phone calls to make sure the jet would be fueled and ready on standby. The rest of the afternoon melted away as he made reservations. After locating what part of the island Warren Jewelers was on, he found places for them toeat and scoped out what was a bullshit restaurant and what was on the safer side.
He was all for local flavor, but he didn’t really want to get mugged while he was showing Goldie a good time. The all-inclusive resorts ruled the landscape of the islands followed directly by the tourist trade and ports of call for the cruise ships.
While he was at it, he did an internet search about her company. What he found instead was a handful of stores that sold Presley Warren originals. Her work was just as intricate and elegant as the woman.
And she didn’t design the sort of things that would be found in a mall jewelry store. Her work was the kind that graced the ears and necks of the famous. Platinum settings with diamonds and precious stones that deserved to be displayed in fine establishments, not lost in a sea of tourist traps.
Why was she hiding in such a small place?
He dug his phone out of his pocket and dialed Peyton Pryor’s number.
