Gabe rose and paced the empty locker room. “Do you think she’s hiding something? I can find out anything you want to know. Then you can make the problem go away.”
Decklan rolled his eyes. “I’m a cop. I can do the same thing. But no, I don’t think she’s hiding something big. She’s just got issues. Who doesn’t?”
“Then go all out. Balls to the wall. See if you can win her over. If that doesn’t work, back off and wait for her to come to you.” He paused. “And if that doesn’t work, lure her to Fantasy Island.” Gabe grinned and flicked the damned towel again.
Decklan jumped up and out of the way in time. “In other words, try everything?”
Gabe grinned. “You said it, brother.”
Decklan didn’t know which approach to try first. He’d spooked her the other day by changing the rules. Well, hell. He’d spooked himself. But now that he knew what he wanted, he had no problem taking risks.
And Amanda just might be the biggest risk of all.
* * *
Amanda finished scheduling Brad’s speaking engagement at an upcoming conference and updated his calendar both online and by hand. She had a to-do list a mile long, and her mind wasn’t on task. How could it be?
Amanda couldn’t get Decklan out of her mind. The confused man who’d lost his parents and locked himself behind impenetrable walls. And the heartbreaking man who had trusted her and let her in. He played her body well, but the truth was, in a short time, he’d gotten into her head as well. As for her heart…
Her cell phone rang before she could finish that thought, and she grabbed it without checking the screen. “Hello?”
“Morning, sunshine.”
Amanda’s skin warmed at the low, sexy tone of Decklan’s voice. Then her heart skipped a few beats. “How did you get my number?”
“I have my ways. I wasn’t letting you disappear for a month this time.”
She hesitated, then said, “I’m glad.”
“Good to know, considering how we left things.”
She swallowed hard. “Yes, I believe I asked for time.”
“Time will only let you think too hard. So how have you been keeping busy?” he asked, changing the subject. Smart man, she thought.
“Working. Lunch with some girlfriends. The usual.”
“Well, that’s the thing. I don’t know what your usual is. And I’d like to.”
She panicked at the thought but only because she couldn’t imagine her two lives colliding. But it was only days and she missed him already. “What are you thinking?”
“That I have time off coming to me and I’d like to come to visit.”
She ran her tongue over her lips. “Umm…”
“Nothing heavy,” he promised. “We can spend time alone like we do when you’re in New York. I just want to see you. I want to know where you live. I want to see your bed, so I can imagine you lying there at night … thinking of me.” His tone dropped an octave.
Just like that, her body reacted, arousal a sudden companion.
“Would you like that? You, me, this weekend? You can show me the places you like to hang out. Like, where do you get your coffee in the morning? What’s in your fridge?”
She shook her head and laughed. He made it sound so simple and easy. But what stood out was that he wanted to know her. “Okay,” she said before she could think it through.
“You won’t regret it.”
She smiled. “No, I don’t think I will.”
They made plans for him to arrive on Friday and for her to pick him up at the airport. Then he received a call, and since he was at the station, he had to take it.