Secret Weapon Spouse - By B. J. Daniels Page 0,47
giving her space but losing the smile, a hard wary edge to his expression.
She felt a little more in control again with distance between them although she was still shaking inside, her heartbeat slower but more painful. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you right away.”
“Sure,” he said, getting to his feet and turning his back to her, the Gulf of Mexico blue-green and endless.
Her eyes burned with tears as she stood and brushed sand from her suit. She wanted to step toward him, to place her hand on his back, to have him take her in his arms. She wanted him to make love to her.
The truth shocked her. She barely knew the man and yet she felt as if she knew him better than herself. Worse, he didn’t know her.
Or maybe he did, she thought as she noted the angry set of his shoulders. She remembered the look on his face when she’d turned to see him back at the wedding reception.
She took a deep breath, smothering the urge to touch him and instead brushed again at the sand on her skirt, buying herself a little more time. Where was her famous cool now? And what was she going to do about these feelings?
“Alex…”
He glanced back at her. The look in his eyes hurt more than if he’d struck her. He didn’t say a word. He didn’t have to. She couldn’t have denied him anything at that moment.
“Alex, I went back to Caroline’s the other night. I took the champagne bottle and the glasses.”
“Why would you do that?”
She was sick of lying but there were some things she couldn’t tell him. She had to protect the anonymity of the team. She couldn’t let what she was feeling for him cloud her judgment. Or worse, endanger their lives or those of the people involved in this case.
And yet she knew if she let him go on believing she’d betrayed his trust, she would never forgive herself. Alex Graham mattered. More than she ever dreamed a man could matter again. Every instinct told her not to trust her feelings. Not to trust another man. That it would end badly. That this time it would kill her.
“I took the bottle and glasses for fingerprints.”
“What would a wedding planner need with fingerprints?”
Leave it to Alex to get straight to the heart of it.
“I have a friend who works at the lab.” True enough.
“Why didn’t you just tell me you wanted to take the champagne bottle and glasses when we were there together?” he asked. “I would have let you.”
She swallowed. “I didn’t know you well enough then.” Which was laughable. She’d only known him a couple of days. And yet she believed she knew him now?
“I didn’t want to upset you since I had no idea what I would find out.”
He was shaking his head, his smile devoid of any humor. “Upset me? A call in the middle of the night telling me my sister’s wedding planner is breaking into the condo upsets me. Lies upset me. Finding my sister’s condo shot up upsets me.” He reached out and brushed his fingertips lightly across her cheek.
She felt a stab of heat shoot straight to her center.
“Seeing that bruise on your cheek upsets me.” He drew back his fingers. “What happened at the condo?”
“Someone showed up. He had a key—and a gun. I didn’t get a look at his face.”
Alex just stared at her. “You’re telling me someone tried to kill you?”
She swallowed, holding his gaze, seeing the play of emotions cross his face and desperately wanting to tell him anything he wanted to know. “I managed to get away. Alex…” She started to reach for him, but he drew back.
“Who are you?” he asked again. His gaze cut to her core. “And what the hell is going on?”
SAMANTHA’S CELL PHONE rang. She flinched as if pained by the sound, reached into her bag and looked at the caller ID. “I’m sorry. I have to take this.”
Alex let out a frustrated laugh. “Saved by the bell,” he said, turning to walk a few yards up the beach, half-afraid of what he would do if he didn’t put space between them.
He couldn’t believe what an idiot he’d been. He didn’t know what surprised him more—that she was admitting to breaking in to Caroline’s condo or that she had a friend who could run fingerprints on champagne bottles and glasses.
At least she had told him the truth about being at the condo, although he wasn’t fool