She didn’t answer. There was no explanation for it. There never had been.

“Come with me.”

She stood quietly and took his hand. The dress slipped from her body as she led him to his bathroom. Nathan’s sharp intake of breath and muttered curse told Emma he liked the view. She smiled.

She examined every cut and scrape on him. After locating a first aid kit under the sink, she parked him on the broad edge of the immense marble tub and set to work. He winced as she dabbed a particularly deep cut near his ribs.

“Hang on. Something is catching the cotton.” She retrieved a pair of tweezers from the case and carefully got a firm grip on the small protrusion. Gently she pulled out a metal splinter and, without a word, wrapped it in a tissue to throw away. She returned to his injuries with a concerned perusal.

“Aren’t you going to ask?”

“Nope.”

“Why?”

“Three reasons. One: if you lie and tell me you were off-roading with a bunch of college buddies, I will cry. Two: I know you well enough to know it’s probably something you can’t tell me, which is okay. Three: If you could have told me, you would have by now.” She started to dab a new cut, but he cupped her face in both his hands, stealing her attention.

“I....” He just stared at her, and it was everything Emma was feeling. Exactly.

“Me, too.” She smiled.


Tags: Debbie Baldwin Bishop Security Mystery