Trying to relax on Hunter’s couch, Layla found herself missing both Hunter and his dog, though not necessarily in that order. Or so she told herself.
It surprised her how comfortable she felt in someone else’s home. Safe, even as she had to wonder if someone had truly been trying to run her down. They could have been after Hunter, for all she knew. After all, he’d probably made more than a few enemies while arresting criminals.
Still, every sound made her start, which was why she wished she had Goose there with her. The dog’s ever-vigilant hearing would alert her should any trouble arise.
Not, she reminded herself, that she expected any. In fact, to be perfectly honest, her jumpiness might just have to do with a certain tall, reddish-brown-haired man with bright blue eyes. Her attraction to him was off the charts. Amazing and wonderful, true. But also, frankly terrifying.
When headlights swept the front window and his car pulled into the driveway, her heart rate sped up. Now what? Hurrying to smooth down her hair, she glanced around frantically. She didn’t want to appear as if she’d been waiting up for him, even if she had, so she grabbed the book about dog training she’d been reading earlier that she’d originally picked up from his coffee table.
He came through the door—broad shouldered, narrow hipped—and every cell in her body buzzed alive. Mouth dry, she watched him walk across the room, holding a large bag from which wafted delectable smells. Chinese? She’d opened her mouth to ask, but then Goose spotted her on the couch and gave an excited bark. The dog launched herself at Layla, tail wagging furiously, seemingly overjoyed to see her.
Layla laughed, gathering the wiggling bundle of canine joy close. “Well, hello there to you, too,” she crooned. “Were you a good dog today?”
The deep, rich sound of Hunter’s masculine laughter sent a tingling warmth through her. She looked up from his dog and let her eyes drink her fill of him.
“She was a very good dog,” he said fondly, gazing at his K9 partner. “Come on, Goose, let’s get you your dinner.”
Apparently understanding every word, Goose abandoned Layla and trotted into the kitchen, tail wagging, head up, in search of food. Hunter poured some kibble into a bowl and put it down. “Here you go, girl.”
Not sure if she should stay put or join the man and the dog, Layla got up. Since she despised indecision in others, she refused to allow herself to vacillate. What to do, how to act? While she wasn’t sure what it was about Hunter Black that got to her, she definitely didn’t plan on letting her attraction to him interfere with her essential nature or personality.
But damn, he was easy on the eyes. She especially liked the way he moved, full of confidence. She found that sexy as all get-out.
“Productive day at work?” she asked, leaning her shoulder against the door frame. Though her entire body hummed with the need to touch him, she tried like hell to seem casual.
She thought her attempt at casual worked well, until their gazes locked and bam—she forgot how to breathe. All rational thought fled at the heat blazing from his bright blue gaze. He felt it, too, she knew he did. If she just took a few steps toward him, she knew she’d end up in his arms.
Tempting. So tempting, she swayed.
This could easily become a habit. She wasn’t quite sure if that was a good thing or bad.
“Come here,” he said, his voice rough as he opened his arms.
No indecision at all—she did exactly that. His big, muscular body felt amazing, making her conscious of her own petite size and softness. He merely held her close, safe and warm in his strong embrace, nothing more. Somehow, that was enough. More than enough. Her eyes stung and her throat ached as she realized how much she’d missed simple human contact.
Except with Hunter, it was so much more than that.
Heart hammering in her ears, she raised her head, intending to initiate a kiss. Instead, to her surprise, he released her and stepped away. “I’m starving,” he said without a hint of apology. “I picked up some Chinese. Would you like some? There’s enough for both of us.”
“No, thanks.” Taking a seat at the table, she watched while he opened the various cartons. It smelled delicious and she felt the tiniest bit of regret for not asking for some herself.
Instead, she rested her chin in her hand and watched him eat.
In between bites, he told her about his visit to Devlin Harrington.
“But why?” she asked once he’d finished. “What crime do you think he could possibly have committed? I don’t know Devlin all that well, but from what I can tell, both he and his father take visible pride in their reputations being above reproach.”
Hunter didn’t respond at first, clearly considering his words. “Sometimes, what people show the outside world isn’t exactly the truth about who they really are.”
She nodded. “True.” She thought about Devlin, with his pompous attitude and vain certainty that he was the best-looking and smartest man in town. He hadn’t handled it well when he’d learned of her engagement to his father. He’d hit the roof, ranting about how she planned to try to usurp him in his father’s company.
Swallowing hard, she passed that on to Hunter.
“Not too surprising,” he allowed, flashing a grin that caught her low in her stomach.
“Do you really think Devlin did something illegal?”
“I don’t have any proof,” Hunter finally allowed, “and there’s not a judge in the county that will allow a search warrant based on gut instincts. But in here—” he touched his chest “—I know. I just need him to give me a valid excuse for a search warrant. Goose has already alerted me that he’s hiding something. But I can’t do an actual search without a warrant.”
“That makes sense.” She took a deep breath. “Could Devlin be behind Mark Hatton’s accusations against me?”
“Possibly.” He grimaced. “Right now I’m one of the only cops in Red Ridge who thinks there’s a strong possibility Devlin might be the Groom Killer.”
Stunned, Layla couldn’t find anything to say to that.
Clearly spotting her skepticism, Hunter changed the subject. They chatted about inconsequential things, but Layla kept going back to what Hunter had said about Devlin.
Finally, she couldn’t stand it any longer. “Devlin doesn’t want me to marry his father.”
Hunter nodded. “So you said. Something about him fearing you wanted to take over their company.”
“Yes. But there’s more. Devlin had the nerve to come on to me right before he started dating my sister—half sister—Gemma, and I said no. With his huge ego, my rejection was hard enough for him to handle. But then when his father rubbed his nose in it by bragging to the public that he and I were engaged... Well, Devlin lost it.”
Gaze sharpening, Hunter leaned closer. “When you say he lost it, what exactly do you mean?”
“He confronted me.” She’d told no one about this, not her father, especially not Hamlin. “Showed up on my doorstep one night. He’d been drinking, and at first, I couldn’t decide if he was hurt or if his pride was injured. Stupidly, I let him in.”
“If he laid a hand on you...”
The icy menace in Hunter’s voice felt oddly reassuring. “He didn’t,” she replied, not saying that it hadn’t been for lack of trying. “He ranted and raved, slurring his words.”
Still Hunter watched her, his expression inscrutable. “Did you feel threatened?”
Reluctantly, she answered. “A little. Okay, a lot. He pinned me up against the wall and demanded to know why I didn’t want him. He rambled about his dad being old and told me the company would pass to him eventually. His insinuation was that I was marrying his father to gain control of Harrington Inc. I tried to brush him off, especially since it was the opposite, but he pinned me and tried to force his tongue down my throat.”
Saying the words made her shudder.
Judging from Hunter’s furious expression, Devlin ought to be glad he wasn’t in the room.
“And then?” Hunter prodded. “What happened?”
“And then I brought my knee up and got him right in between the legs.” She shook her head. “I’ve never heard a grown man make a sound like that. He doubled over in pain and I ushered him right out the door. I told him I’d call the police if he didn’t leave, ditto if he ever came back. And that was the end of that.”
Silence. And then Hunter laughed, the kind of deep, masculine laughter that made her feel warm all over. “Good for you,” he managed in between laughs.
“And when Devlin started dating Gemma, I tried to get her to listen to reason, but of course she refused to hear a word I said. Thank God she got rid of that toad and found her prince in Dante Mancuso.” Dante was also a K9 officer.
Though she smiled, she had to point out the obvious. “Apparently, I made Devlin my enemy. I can see how he’d set up something like the Mark Hatton thing in order to get even.”
Now Hunter’s smile vanished. “Yet when I asked you earlier if you had any enemies, you failed to mention this entire incident.”
“I told you I considered Devlin one of them. Sort of.”
“You only said you’d overheard him talking to Hamlin and that he was against you two marrying. Not any of this. Christ, this is motive.”
“Judging from the accusation in your tone, you think I withheld vital information on purpose.”
“Did you?” he shot back, frowning.
“No, not at all. He came by the office and begged me not to tell anyone. I agreed. And I haven’t. No one else knows about this, except you.”
His frown deepened. “Layla, that doesn’t sound like you.” He flushed, but set his jaw and continued. “I mean, what I know of you. Why would you keep something like that quiet? What if he did that to someone else?”
Instead of answering, she waited, knowing he’d make the connection. When he did, she knew instantly.
“Because you didn’t want to do or say anything that might affect your marriage agreement with his father.” The flatness in his voice told her what he thought of that.
Refusing to be ashamed, she lifted her chin. “I did what I thought I had to. My family’s company was—is—in trouble. I agreed to marry Hamlin to save it. That was before I knew my father’s out-of-control spending was the reason.”
“And now that you know? Does that change anything?”
“I’m not sure.” She realized she wanted it to, for reasons she didn’t want to examine too closely yet. “Colton Energy still needs an infusion of cash. The charges against me aren’t helping our public image, either, though we’ve managed to keep most of it out of the press. It’s between the attorneys now.”
“I see.” Pushing up from the table, he carried his plate to the sink. His rigid spine and stiff movements told her what he thought of her answer.
She opened her mouth to speak and then thought better of it.
“I’m going to go out for a while,” he said, excruciatingly polite. “Goose will be here to keep you company.”
He left without a backward glance. Layla got up and went to the window, watching him drive away. That was when she understood the bubble of her fantasy had just burst. She couldn’t continue staying at Hunter’s house. Time to go back home and deal with her life the way she always tended to.
Head-on and facing reality. Luckily, the media frenzy appeared to have died down and no one would be staking out her house.
Hunter couldn’t believe how badly he’d allowed himself to be taken in by Layla’s pretty face. To be fair, she’d been nothing but honest with him, but still...to think she was still actually considering going ahead with that sham of a marriage, even now that she was aware of what her father had done.
He wanted to punch something. And, though he wasn’t really dressed for it, he knew just the place. The gym. Luckily, he kept a gym bag in the trunk.
An hour later, drenched in sweat, he felt immensely better. Clearheaded, able to think beyond the constant press of his desire for Layla. Yet her refusal to see reality drove him crazy.
It shouldn’t matter to him at all what she did. Her life choices were hers alone. He hadn’t been involved with her long enough to have a say. However, he couldn’t seem to make himself not care. Marriage was permanent, or should be, for Pete’s sake. One should marry for love, not money, or in hope of pleasing a parent who clearly had long withheld affection.
Getting in his car, he took a deep breath. While truth be told, he wanted to go home, pull Layla up against him and kiss her senseless, he knew he couldn’t. Not with something like her engagement between them. He’d never been the type of guy who poached on another man’s woman, nor would he start now. He’d only kissed her at all because he’d honestly believed once she felt the strength of the chemistry between them, she’d end her sham of an engagement. That hadn’t happened. No matter what the reason for it, Layla had agreed to marry Hamlin Harrington. If she still planned to go through with it, she would be off-limits, as far as Hunter was concerned.
Now he just needed to convince his body of that.
When he pulled up to his house, the first thing he noticed was the absence of her rental car. Slightly concerned, he parked and headed up to the back door, which was locked.
After he unlocked the door and stepped inside, Goose greeted him with her usual enthusiasm. He flipped on the lights, let his dog out in the backyard for a potty break and picked up the note Layla had left on the kitchen table.
“I thought it best if I went back home,” it said. “Thank you so much for your kindness and hospitality. Give Goose a hug for me. Layla.”
Of course. As usual, her actions made perfect sense. Why had he expected she’d stay longer?
After letting Goose in, he sat down in the living room but didn’t turn on the TV. Instead, he pulled out his cell phone, toying with the idea of calling her. Only the lateness of the hour dissuaded him.
When his phone rang, his heart stuttered. But caller ID showed it was one of his buddies at the police department. Hunter almost didn’t answer, but he knew Tim Lakely wouldn’t call if it wasn’t important.
“Hey, I know you just got added to the Layla Colton case,” Tim said. “A neighbor just called in a break-in at her home. Apparently, Layla surprised an intruder midburglary.”
Damn. Jaw clenched, he struggled to respond. “Was she hurt?”
“No, at least nothing life-threatening. I’m on the scene now and she’s pretty shook up. She’s asking for you.”
“I’ll be there in a few.” Hanging up, Colton snagged his car key and told Goose he’d be back. As he hurried to his squad car, he wondered why Layla hadn’t called him herself. He guessed he was about to find out.
When he arrived at her town house, he noted two marked squad cars parked outside. After pulling up alongside them, he hopped out and headed up the sidewalk.
The front window had been broken from the inside out. Glass crunched underfoot. A uniformed police officer stood in the open doorway. Tim. When he spotted Hunter, he motioned him inside.
“She’s in the other room talking to the Greg,” Tim said, keeping his voice pitched low. “He’s taking her report. She’s pretty upset.”
“Thanks for calling me,” Hunter said. He headed toward the kitchen, where his colleague Greg stood, making notes on his pad. When Layla saw Hunter, she jumped to her feet and took a step toward him before apparently rethinking that. “Hunter,” she said, relief in her expression and tone. “I’m so glad you came. I would have called you, but my phone got broken in all the craziness.”
He pretended not to notice the way her voice wobbled at the end of her sentence. “Is anything missing?”
“No. And that’s the weird part. This guy was going through my stuff, but he didn’t take anything. It was almost like he was searching for something specific.”
“Like jewelry, maybe?” Greg put in helpfully.
“Maybe.” But she sounded doubtful.
“Do you have anything else you want me to add to my report?” Greg asked.
Slowly, Layla shook her head. “I think I’ve told you everything.”
“Well, if you remember anything else, here’s my card.” Greg handed it to her. “You can give me a call, or just tell Hunter, okay?”
“Thank you.” Layla didn’t move. She and Hunter watched in silence as the other two policemen left.
Once they were gone, she sighed. “I’ve already called a glass repair company, but they can’t get out here for a couple of days.”
He matched his tone to hers. Friendly, a bit impersonal. “I don’t suppose you have any plywood?”
“No.”
“I’ll go get some. It won’t take long to nail it up to cover that window.” He turned to go.
“Wait.” She grabbed his arm. “I’d like to go with you.”
Staring down at her long fingers clutching the sleeve of his jacket, he reminded himself of his earlier resolve. “No need. You stay here and clean up. I won’t be gone that long.”
“Please, wait.” Instead of letting go, she moved closer. “To be honest, I’m afraid to stay here by myself. I’m not sure why I’m being targeted, but first someone tries to run me down, my car is stolen, and then my home is broken into? That doesn’t sound like a coincidence to me.”
It didn’t to him, either. “Did the intruder try to hurt you?”
“Not really,” she admitted. “I think somehow, whoever was behind it knew that I wasn’t staying at home. The guy seemed surprised. Since I was between him and the door, he shoved me hard. Into the window.” She swallowed. “I broke it.” Releasing him, she held up her hands, revealing a series of bloody cuts. “The EMTs wanted me to go to the hospital. But they cleaned out all the glass and none of these cuts are very deep, so I refused.”
A horrified shudder ripped through him at the thought of what might have happened to her. “You need to go get checked out, just in case. I’ll drive you.”
“No.” Her smile didn’t touch the fear in her gaze. “I’m fine. Let’s go get that plywood so we can fix my window.”
Again, he wanted to pull her close and hold her, reassuring himself that she truly would be all right. Exerting every ounce of his willpower, he managed to keep his hands to himself, even though they were clenched in fists at his sides.
“Fine, let’s go.” He eyed his squad car, and then her rental. “I don’t suppose you know anyone with a pickup truck?”
Her eyes widened as she realized what he meant. “We have no way to get the plywood here.”
He nodded. “Let me make a call.” He got a hold of another of his coworkers, quickly outlined what he needed and secured Jesse’s promise to meet them. After passing that information along to Layla, they got in his car.
As they drove to the home improvement store in silence, he ran a thousand different scenarios through his mind. She could stay with her father, except she couldn’t. She’d already told him that she had no close friends. That left him, and his place, with all the temptations having her there would bring. But in the end, it all came down to one thing: keeping Layla safe.
“You’re staying with me,” he told her, his tone leaving no room for argument. “Until we either apprehend whoever is after you or figure out what exactly is going on.”
“Thank you.” The relief in her soft voice nearly undid him. He had no idea what it was about this woman, but she got to him in ways no other ever had.
At the home improvement store, he purchased a large sheet of plywood and wheeled it out front, where Jesse waited as promised with his pickup truck. Jesse followed them back to Layla’s town house and dropped it off, cheerfully refusing any offer of payment.
With Layla’s help, it didn’t take long for Hunter to have the window covered. Luckily, she kept a fully stocked toolbox, including a hammer and nails.
“Go ahead and gather your things,” he said. “Goose will be happy to have you back.”
She nodded and hurried off. He supposed he should be glad she hadn’t asked him how he felt. Because despite giving himself a stern talking-to, he couldn’t help but feel glad to have her back, too.
Once they arrived at his place, he helped her carry her bags inside. This time, she’d brought considerably more with her. Goose, of course, greeted Layla as if she’d been gone for weeks rather than hours.
Once they’d stowed her bags in the guest bedroom, Layla trailed after him toward the kitchen, Goose hot on her heels.
“I’m sorry to be such an imposition,” Layla said. “I can pay you rent, if you’d like. You name the amount, but make sure it’s enough to repay you for me putting you out.”
“Don’t insult me,” he replied, his mild tone revealing none of his tangled emotions. “You’re no bother. Truth be told, I actually enjoy your company.”
He turned in time to catch the look of surprise on her face. “Why does that shock you?” he asked, genuinely curious.
“I don’t know.” Clearly flustered, she looked away. “I guess I just assumed things between us were more physical than anything else.”
He touched her shoulder, a quick squeeze, not trusting himself to let his hand linger. “I’m not going to lie, Layla. I want you. But I also like you. A lot.”
Her gaze darkened, and she parted her lips. He held up his hand, forestalling her before she could speak.
“And while I mean every word of that, I have to insist on one thing. The attraction between us is pretty damn powerful, but it’s completely off-limits as long as you’re still engaged to Hamlin Harrington.”
Not immediately responding, she appeared to consider his words. “Like friends?” she asked, her voice flat.
“Exactly.” And though the next words he spoke might be a lie, they had to be said. “I think we can be great friends, if we put our mind to it.” As long as he could somehow make himself stop wanting her. Which wasn’t going to be easy. Every time he looked at her, his entire body caught fire.
“You know what?” Tilting her head, she nodded. “Challenge accepted. Friends it is.”
She spun on her heel and left the kitchen without waiting for a response. A moment later, he heard her door close. Hard. Not exactly a slam, but pretty close.
Looking down at Goose, who appeared startled, he grinned. Layla’s reaction made him feel a bit better. At least it appeared he wouldn’t be the only one suffering.