19. Lincoln
19
LINCOLN
Anger and annoyance swirled, each one battling for dominance. Denver Wick was a prick. The fact that his last name rhymed with the word was only greater proof that the two were intertwined.
He didn’t give a damn about Arden. Or rather, he cared a hell of a lot more about what her art could get him than her well-being. And his sheer disrespect of her only had my anger mounting.
Arden’s berry-colored lips pressed together but fluttered as they did, as if she were desperately trying to hold in a laugh. “You don’t like him? What are you, five?”
A scowl twisted my face yet again. “No, I’m not five. But I am annoyed as all hell by his disrespect.”
Arden rolled her eyes. “It’s just him. He’s got a single-minded focus when it comes to The Collective. And he’s not used to seeing me with, uh, guys.”
That piqued my interest. “Not the relationship type?”
God, I hoped that wasn’t true. I had no interest in one-night stands or shallow flings. I’d gotten that out of my system in college. It wasn’t for me. I craved real, true connection.
Arden lifted one shoulder and then dropped it, her T-shirt sliding down and revealing tan skin and the absence of a bra strap.
Fucking hell.
“Told you,” she said, her voice dropping. “Not really good with the whole people thing.”
“Bullshit.”
Those gray-violet eyes flashed. “Excuse me?”
“You’re great with people. When you want to be,” I challenged. “But that doesn’t mean connection doesn’t make you uncomfortable.”
Arden pulled the drawstring of her shorts tighter around her finger, the tip turning white from lack of blood flow. “Why do you have to see so much?” she asked, her annoyance clear in her tone.
The corners of my mouth tipped up in a half smile as I moved in closer, gently unwrapping the cord from her pointer finger. “I spent a lot of my life trying to figure out what makes people tick. Might’ve learned a thing or two.”
Arden looked up at me, searching for something. “You tried to work out why your dad was the way he was.”
My body stiffened. I tried to catch the reaction, knowing it gave too much away, but I couldn’t. “Yes,” I admitted. I wouldn’t lie, not to Arden.
“Did you ever figure it out?” she asked softly.
I didn’t release her fingers, couldn’t make myself. “No. But he’s the master of walls and subterfuge.”
Arden gave me a sad smile. “Sometimes, understanding why helps, but it still doesn’t change what they did.”
“No. It doesn’t.” I forced myself to release my grip on her. “What do you know about Denver? Really know?”
Arden arched a brow. “Change of subject much?”
“It’s important.”
“I’ll let that one slide,” she said, a hint of amusement in her tone. “What do you mean what do I know about Denver? ”
“His history. Relationship ties. All of it. Maybe he’s the one who left the note,” I suggested. There were more than a few things I wasn’t crazy about with the dude.
Arden’s face transformed with a full grin. “He’s been my art dealer for almost as long as I’ve been selling pieces. Born and raised a couple of towns over and only a handful of years older than me. I highly doubt he was involved in murder for hire in Boston.”
She snapped her mouth closed at the last statement, her skin paling a fraction.
The reaction was like a knife to the gut. How hard would that be? To hide every part of your past twenty-four-seven? “That’s where you’re from?” I asked gently.
Arden rolled her lips over her teeth but nodded quickly. “No one’s supposed to know.” A little of the fear left her then, a hint of mirth lighting those captivating eyes. “But I guess you make me break all the rules, Cowboy.”
Fuck.
She slayed me. I wanted to break every rule with her. To smash down any walls between us. To pin her against one right now and take her. To lose myself in her body and brand myself on her bones.
“I won’t tell a soul.”
Arden looked at me for a long moment. “Maybe you will. Maybe you won’t. But I’m tired of hiding. Of guarding every word I say. It’s exhausting.”
I didn’t have her trust. Not yet. But I would. I brushed a strand of dark hair out of her face. The color seemed to have a golden edge in the sunlight. “I would give anything for you to be free of that.”
She searched my face as if looking for a lie. “I’m done waiting for it. I’m claiming it for myself. No more fear. It’s a choice. And I’m making it.”
God, she was brave. So damn strong. “Okay.”
“That’s it? No trying to tuck me away from the world?” she challenged.
“Not going to try to lock you up, Arden. It would suffocate you. But I will ask you to be safe and cautious while you grab that freedom.”
Arden studied me for a long moment. “Deal.”
One corner of my mouth tugged up. “That easy acquiescence makes me think I should’ve pressed for more.”
Arden laughed, and the sound was light and easy, musical. It grabbed hold the same way her art did. “Did I outmaneuver the business tycoon?”
“Not surprised at all, Vicious.” My fingers slid deeper into her hair, soaking up the feeling of the silky strands as I moved closer. The heat of her body poured into mine, and I wanted more. I wanted to know what it would feel like to have all of her pressed against me. To sink into that scalding heat.
My fingers tightened in Arden’s hair, and I tipped her head back. And then my phone dinged. Once. Twice. A third time.
I muttered a curse and pulled it out of my pocket.
Ellie
Where are you?
Ellie
8 a.m., hmm? Gym? Already in a meeting?
Ellie
???
I frowned down at the screen and began typing.
Me
I’m at Cope’s. Are you okay?
Ellie
Where at Cope’s? Open the gate.
She sent a compass emoji that had me chuckling.
I sent her a pin to my location. Maybe she was having something delivered but they’d have to buzz the gate to get in. Staring down at my phone, I waited, but Ellie didn’t respond.
“Everything okay?” Arden asked.
“My sister,” I muttered. “I’m pretty sure she probably had some bagels airlifted from New York or something, and I didn’t answer the buzzer up at the house.”
Arden grinned. “Sounds like she’s trying to take care of you.”
Movement in the distance caught my eye. A vehicle. The SUV picked up speed, spitting gravel, but slowed as it approached the guesthouse. The engine cut off and then a figure jumped out.
“ConCon!” Ellie shouted, a smile stretched across her face. Then she halted, her gaze jumping back and forth between Arden and me. “Oops. Did I just ruin my big brother getting some?”