Chapter 37
Adrian’s fingers glided over the keyboard as he brought several documents up on his laptop screen.
“You see,” he said. “Adair Development is completely on the up-and-up as far as I can tell. In fact, I was able to hack in to their files about this project, and it’s not been made public yet, but they are giving up their plans to build here.”
Cora was impressed. “My boyfriend, the hacker.”
His eyes met hers again and this time bore no shame, more like lust. Pure, animalistic lust. Tingles traveled through Cora’s center. My goodness.
He reached for her.
“Wait,” she said. “We have more work to do here and you and I have to chat about another secret you’ve been keeping.”
“Secret?” he said, wrapping his arms around her waist, looking up at her. He cleared his throat.
“Your inheritance,” she said. “You didn’t tell me about it.”
He laughed. “Oh, that.” He dropped his hands and stood from his chair, perched in front of the computer.
“It would be nice if you’d communicate with me,” she said. “I don’t want to have to pry everything out of you.”
He pulled her close to him, wrapped his arms around her, and he felt muscled beneath those thin clothes. T-shirt. Shorts. And long, lean muscles.
Oh, she wanted to sink into him.
“It’s nothing,” he said.
“What?”
“Well, not nothing, but I don’t believe it. I don’t believe for one minute she’d leave me a thing. It’s an old will. I’m sure a new one will turn up. She married Josh. I’m sure he’s going to inherit her money,” he said.
Cora was startled. If it wasn’t about money, why else would someone be trying to frame Adrian for this murder?
“Why else would . . .” The sentence remained incomplete because Adrian’s lips were in the way. A kiss. And another and her thoughts turned to mush.
“I’m not worried about it now,” he said. “What I’m worried about is this dress.”
“What? What about my dress?” she said.
“It’s vintage and I have no idea how to unhook the buttons. I’ve been thinking about it,” he said, hitching an eyebrow. “From the minute you walked in here.”
“Adrian, I—” Now? Here? At this time? When Cashel was down from being drugged and Adrian was suspected for murder? Now?
“So,” he said, and pulled himself away from her. “I’m thinking I’m going to watch you take that dress off.”
Heat rushed through Cora. Could she? Would she?
A pounding at the door interrupted her thoughts. “Cora! Adrian!”
It was Jane. Cora had quite forgotten about Jane.
She cleared her throat. “Coming,” she said.
Adrian walked out on the balcony. “Give me a minute, would you?”
She nodded and opened the door.
Jane frowned.
“What’s wrong?” Cora asked.
“It’s Cashel,” Jane said. “He’s back and he wants to see us all in his room. I saw him in the hallway. He looked terrible.”
“They let him out of the hospital still sick?” Cora asked.
Jane nodded. “Evidently, there was nothing they could do about it. He insisted.”
“What’s going on?” Adrian came up behind Cora.
“Cashel wants to see us all in his room,” Cora said.
“Okay, let me collect my laptop. I’ve been wondering when he’d be back. We’ve got some talking to do,” he said, and went about gathering his things.
“I’m not sure I need to be there,” Jane said. “I still haven’t been able to contact London. The Wi-Fi is terrible. Lulu’s cell phone keeps going straight into voice mail. I even called Zora. She’s fine and she says Luna is doing great, by the way.”
Cora eyed Jane. She had made the right decision in getting her daughter off this island. She knew it made Jane nervous sending her daughter off with Lulu, a woman she only knew through her sister. But both Jane and Cora thought highly of Zora.
“It’ll be okay,” Cora said to Jane, hoping she was right. It was unlike Cashel to call a whole group together. He must have his reasons.
Pangs of worry shot through her. Poor Cashel. So sick. And he had been trying to help. Even though he often annoyed and angered her, she considered him her friend and would not want anything bad to happen to him. Besides, he was Ruby’s son and Adrian’s lawyer—he needed to stay healthy.