“Can I get you anything else?” I ask.
She shakes her head, eyes darting to me a moment. “I’m good.”
“Okay, then,” I murmur, knowing I need to leave but not wanting to take that step.
Barrett takes a sip of water, re-caps the bottle, and sets it down. Her eyes lock with mine. This time, she stares boldly with a slight smile. “I’m good, Cruce. Thanks for checking up on me.”
I give her a short nod and turn on my heel, leaving the room without looking back. Pulling the door behind me, I once again leave it open just a few inches in case she needs me.CHAPTER 10BarrettI busy myself with pulling the clothes out of my suitcase to repack it. Last night while searching for something to sleep in, I discovered Cruce’s packing skills, well… frankly, they suck. He did nothing but toss everything in, smash it down, and zip it up.
I finally just dump it all out on the bed, carefully folding everything into segregated piles to make sure I have enough for our upcoming Caribbean “vacation”. While my biggest fear would be that he forgot to pack underwear, I’m amused to find he emptied what has to be my entire lingerie drawer. There are over twenty matching sets of panties and bras, most lace and delicate silk. It’s one of my guilty pleasures and sadly underutilized.
A knock sounds on the front door of Cruce’s apartment, and I head through the living room to open it. It’s unlocked and anyone could walk in, but I imagine manners supersede.
I smile when I find Joslyn standing there.
“Just doing a quick check to see if there’s anything you need,” Joslyn says as I step back to invite her in. “I can do a quick run out to the store.”
“I don’t think so,” I say, having been through most of my clothes. Not like I needed anything dressy. The casual dresses, shorts, t-shirts, and jeans will work fine on a private island. “Are Cruce and Kynan still down with their… um… prisoner?”
When she nods, I turn for the bedroom to resume packing. Cruce said we’d be leaving before noon, which is fast approaching. Joslyn follows behind. Once we’re inside, she casually starts helping me fold the remaining items.
“Sure brought a lot of lingerie…” Smirking, she gestures toward the stacked sets on the bed.
I roll my eyes. “That was Cruce. When he said we were leaving in a hurry, he meant it. He packed for me. As you can see, it’s pretty easy to guess where his mind was.”
“I imagine that’s most men’s minds,” Joslyn replies with a laugh.
It makes me chuckle. “I get it. Time was of the essence, and he was in a rush.”
Silently, she folds a t-shirt and places it on a similar stack. By the way she’s chewing on her lip, I deduce she wants to say something, but it’s obvious she isn’t sure if she should tell me her thoughts.
“What is it?” I ask.
She shakes her head as if she’s going to deny my curiosity, but I’m not having it. “Tell me.”
Her shoulders lift as if she’s unsure, but her gaze is direct. “I think there’s something between you and Cruce.”
Instinct says to deny, deny, deny, but I hesitate. Why lie? It’s not like it’s a big deal or like she’s off base. There isn’t anything I should be embarrassed about.
Besides, I’m not sure she’s wrong.
“We had a moment last night,” I admit, smoothing out a wrinkle in a shirt so I don’t have to look at her. It may not be embarrassing, but…my belly still dips when I say, “Or rather… in the wee hours of the morning.”
“Oh, do tell,” she says, eyes wide with interest. She sits on the edge of the bed, laundry forgotten. “Because I was serious when I said I sensed something between you.”
“We… um… well, we kissed.”
“You kissed?” she exclaims loudly. Gleefully, she claps with clear delight.
“Yes,” I murmur, hoping my lowered voice will encourage her to do the same.
“I knew it,” she whispers fiercely. “I knew he was attracted to you, and I figured he’d make a move. Although, I imagine fraternizing with clients might be frowned upon in this line of work, but still… I’m all for the romance of it.”
I shake my head, not willing to let Cruce take the blame—or credit. “He didn’t make the move. I did.”
She blinks a few times, mouth slackening in clear surprise. “Oh, well… nothing wrong with that.”
“He put a stop to it,” I continue. That same sinking feeling I felt in my gut when he gently pushed me away came rushing back. “Said he can’t afford to lose focus while protecting me. The bottom-line conclusion Cruce came to—we can’t do anything about our attraction.”
“Well, I suppose an argument can be made for that. Like, maybe it’s not the right time. Besides, nothing is more important than making sure you aren’t kidnapped while ultimately catching the crazy people who are intent on doing so.”