Sure, she’d known. She’d watched her brother die. I’m so sorry, baby.
“And the chief inspector knew. But it was certainly not like he could say anything to reveal what had really happened.”
“You could have stopped the charade, though. You could have—”
“I told you, I found him. He found me. He wasn’t just trying to get money. He wanted a life. A family. I gave him that. He did the same for me.”
There was more, he knew it. So much more to the story. But Chloe’s shoulders were sagging. Shadows lined her eyes, and he realized she had to be exhausted. Talking about her past had sent her back to the darkest time in her life. She’d faced her nightmares…
For me.
He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “I love you, Chloe Hastings.”
She gave him a tired smile. “Not yet, but I think you will.”
What?
“I’m going to shower. After I’m done, we have to talk about your lying witness.” She slipped from his arms.
He opened his mouth. Started to tell her that he absolutely did love her, but she’d just distracted him. Deliberately because that was her way. “You know who the witness is?”
“Of course,” Chloe replied as she dropped the sheet and gave him a view of her perfect ass. “Richardson slipped up when he used the ‘she’ pronoun with us. Obviously, it’s Cinnamon. She’s the only woman who would benefit from lying about you. At least, the only one I’ve been able to figure out.”
“Why would she lie?” He was still staring at her ass. Absolutely beautiful in the glow of the moonlight.
“Because she knows who the real killer is. She’s known all along. She’s protecting him by throwing you at the police. But don’t worry, we aren’t going to let her get away with that trick.” She was at the threshold to the bathroom. “My brother is out looking for her now. It was a truly divide and conquer night. I stayed here, hoping Morgan wouldn’t show, but being on guard, just in case. Marie went for you, and I trusted Reese to find our witness.” Chloe looked back at him. “We’re all a team, don’t you see?”
Yes, he did. He was finally seeing everything clearly.
Chloe shut the bathroom door.
He knew why she’d just done that. I see it all.
She’d shut the door because Chloe was crying again. He’d pushed her, she’d revealed all the broken parts of her past, and now she was hiding her pain from him.
She didn’t need to hide a damn thing.
He stalked for the door. Didn’t knock. Just grabbed the knob and threw the door open.
She was already in the shower. The water was pouring on her and there were tears on her cheeks.
“I know you hate to be wrong,” Joel told her as he kicked out of his pants. “But this time, you are.”
Her eyes widened.
He climbed into the shower with her. Let the water pound into her. “I said I was in love with you.
A cautious nod.
“You said I will be. As in, one day, I might love you. Baby, you are so wrong.” He kissed her. Thrust his tongue into her mouth and savored her.
Her body shuddered against his.
“I am in love with you and I swear, part of me thinks I fell in love with you when we were in that freaking bank closet. I. Love. You.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
I love you. Those were beautiful words. Deep and rough. Seeming to come straight out of Joel’s very soul. Chloe wanted them to be true. So badly but…
It was so soon. They were so soon.
“Ah, sweetheart, you think it’s okay for you to love me already, but I can’t love you yet?” He feathered kisses over her cheek. “Try again.”
Her eyes closed. He was kissing her tears away. No one had ever done that. When she’d been a child, her mother had hated it when she cried. She’d said tears were useless. That they should never be shed.
She didn’t have empathy. She never cried. She never felt anyone else’s pain.
Had her brother been born like their mother? Or had she made him into a monster?
And what did she make me?
Joel pressed another tender kiss on her cheek.
“Say it again,” Chloe demanded. But the demand came out more like a plea.
“I love you.”
She could hear it a thousand times. Morgan had said he loved her, too, but that had been different. His words had never made her feel this way. When