Chapter Thirteen #2
She smirked. “I’m not sure yet, but when I figure it out, you’ll be the second one to know.” She arched both brows in quick succession and laughed. “Maybe the third.”
He laughed and shook his head at the profiler. Suki always knew how to lighten the mood, even in the middle of a murder investigation.
Ten minutes later, the fire crackled behind its screen, casting a warm glow across the living room as they settled into their work with steaming drinks in hand.
Sean stretched out on one end of the couch with the Philadelphia files spread across the cushion beside him, while Suki claimed the loveseat, legal pad balanced on her knee as her pen moved across the page.
The hours slipped by in near silence.
The only sounds were the turning of pages, the scratch of Suki’s pen, and the steady rhythm of waves breaking beyond the windows.
Every so often, Sean glanced her way and caught the look of complete concentration on her face.
He knew better than to interrupt. When Suki got into this zone, she was already piecing patterns together, fitting each detail into place one careful observation at a time.
Whatever conclusions she was drawing, he would learn them in the morning with the rest of the team.
By midnight, his eyes stung from staring at reports and crime scene photos for too long. The words on the page had started to blur together, and even the caffeine had lost its effect.
He pushed himself to his feet and crossed to the fireplace.
The flames had burned down to glowing embers, neglected while he’d been buried in case files.
After securing a metal panel across the front to let the rest die out without drawing warm air from the room up the chimney, he returned to the couch and stretched out, resting his head against the back cushion.
His thoughts drifted to Grace. He wanted to ask her out. Not another casual meal that happened because they ran into each other. Not another evening that could be explained away as old friends catching up. A real date.
The idea had been circling his mind for hours, growing stronger each time he thought about her.
Maybe he should run it by Uncle Dan first. The thought almost made him laugh.
He hadn’t gone to the older man for advice about women since high school, but Grace was different.
No, she was special—that was the only word that fit.
He closed his eyes, picturing her hazel eyes and the way they seemed to shift color depending on the light. He thought of her hair spilling free from its ponytail the night before, long and straight over her shoulders, and remembered the way he’d wanted to reach out and run his fingers through it.
His imagination wandered from there.
He pictured her dressed for an evening out, maybe in one of those simple dresses women wore that somehow managed to reveal everything and nothing at once.
He imagined taking her to dinner at the Cranberry Inn, then walking her to her door afterward.
This time, when he kissed her, there would be no hesitation.
In his mind, she welcomed him closer.
He could almost feel the brush of her body against his, the softness of her hair, and the heat of her breath against his neck as she murmured his name. The image deepened, blurring into something warm and intoxicating that wrapped around him until the rest of the world faded away.
“Hey, hot stuff, wake up.” The voice cut through the haze.
Sean’s eyes snapped open. For a second, nothing made sense. Then reality came rushing back.
He was lying on his side on the couch with a blanket draped over his lower half, as the morning sunlight poured through the windows. Suki stood over him, holding a cup of coffee, dressed in a brown suit and pale blue blouse, looking far too awake for this hour.
“Wake up, sleepyhead. It’s almost seven.”
He glanced toward the window, where blinding sunlight from above the horizon poured into the room.
Damn. He’d fallen asleep on the couch. And judging by the uncomfortable evidence beneath the blanket, his dreams had carried him farther than he would have preferred.
Dragging a hand down his face, he fought to wake up enough to regain control of both his thoughts and his body. The last thing he needed was for Suki to notice.
Oblivious, she turned toward the kitchen. “You looked too comfortable to wake, so I tossed that blanket over you around one when I went to bed. Go hop in the shower while I make coffee. Should I find us something to eat, or do you want to grab breakfast on the way in?”
Sean took full advantage of her back being turned. He shoved the blanket aside, got to his feet, and headed for his bedroom before she could glance his way. “Something on the way is fine. There’s a decent bagel place in town.”
“Sounds good to me.”
Twenty minutes later, showered and dressed, he emerged feeling far more human and in control. He gathered his laptop and files while Suki handed him a travel mug she’d filled from the fresh pot she’d brewed. She’d found a second mug in the cabinet and filled one for herself as well.
With a briefcase in one hand and a travel mug of coffee in the other, she followed him out to the Mustang. They had left her rental at the station the night before, since both of them needed to be back at the sheriff’s department by eight.
As Sean backed out of the driveway and turned toward town, his thoughts drifted to Grace once more. The first chance he got, he was asking her out.
Still irritated with Sean, Grace tried to shove him from her mind as she stood in line for breakfast at Bagel Bonanza on Main Street, just a few doors down from her shop.
Morning traffic drifted past the front windows, tires humming over pavement.
The rich scent of fresh coffee and toasted bread filled the small café, but it did little to ease the knot that had taken up residence in her chest.
She’d spent half the night twisting beneath her sheets, replaying the image of him with that other woman.
What annoyed her most was that every time she closed her eyes, her mind betrayed her by dragging her back to the kiss they’d shared and the way her whole body had responded.
The memory had enough power to warm her skin every time.
She could still recall how she’d softened against him, how the solid heat of his chest had sent a sharp pulse through her, leaving her breathless and wanting far more than she should have.
At the time, she’d been disappointed when he’d walked away instead of kissing her again—or following through on what he’d hinted at.
In the cold light of morning, she was thankful that was where the evening had ended. At least she’d been spared even greater humiliation.
After paying for her bagel and coffee, she turned toward the door, eager to get back to her therapy clinic. It swung open before she reached it, and she nearly collided with Sean… and her.
Grace stopped short. Her pulse stumbled when she saw him, only to spike again at the sight of the petite brunette standing beside him. Her fingers tightened around the cardboard sleeve of her coffee cup.
“Grace! Hi!” Sean grinned.
Really? Doesn’t the man have any shame?
“Hi, Sean.” The reply sounded calm enough to her own ears, and she clung to that small victory. There was no way she intended to let him see how much this stung.
It was barely seven-thirty in the morning, and he was still with the same woman he’d had dinner with the night before. It didn’t take a genius to connect the dots. Her stomach dropped as her imagination supplied all the details she didn’t want. Then she noticed the faint color rising in his cheeks.
Of course he was embarrassed.
The thought should have satisfied her, but it only deepened the ache blooming behind her ribs. Part of her wanted to march right out the door and keep walking until she reached the edge of town. Another part wanted to plant her fist squarely in the center of his broad chest.
Then the woman beside him smiled. Not smugly. Not with pity. Just… warmly?
She stuck out her hand. “Hi, Grace, I’m Suki Ralston. I work with Sean. He told me all about you last night. I hear you’re opening a business nearby. Congratulations.”
The unexpected friendliness left Grace blinking in confusion.
This was not the confrontation she’d prepared herself for.
She’d already decided she disliked the woman on principle.
Maybe more than disliked. Yet Suki met her gaze without hesitation, as if she could read every mortifying thought racing through Grace’s head and had chosen kindness anyway.
Still dazed, Grace reached out and shook her hand. “Um… yes, I am. You… um... you work with Sean?”
“Actually, Suki has a doctorate in criminal psychology,” Sean explained. “She’s a behavioral analyst based out of Quantico and came to help us out with the case. We’ve been friends for a couple of years.”
“Oh.” The flat response slipped out before Grace could stop it, her brain scrambling to process this sudden shift in reality.
Suki must have picked up on her confusion because her smile widened.
“We’re just friends—nothing more. I’m staying in the guest room at the beach house, across the hall from Sean’s room.
” She glanced between them. “Now, why don’t I grab a bunch of bagels for the rest of the task force while you two talk?
” She winked at Grace and headed toward the counter.
Grace stared after her, mortification sweeping through her as understanding crashed over her. Oh no.
“Grace? You okay?”
She turned back to Sean and let out a soft groan, pressing both hands to her burning cheeks. If the floor opened beneath her right then, she would have welcomed it. “I’m such an idiot.”
His brow furrowed. “What are you talking about?”
Before she could retreat, he grasped her elbow and guided her toward a small empty table near the window, steering them out of the way as several customers pushed through the door behind them. The warmth of his fingers around hers made her pulse jump all over again.
Grace swallowed, wishing she could disappear, but the words tumbled out before she could stop them.
“I saw the two of you walking into Sassy’s last night and just assumed you were on a date.
And when you walked in here with the same woman, I figured you’d spent the night together.
And you have no idea how embarrassed I am right now. ”
“Ah.” Sean laughed, and though it wasn’t cruel, her humiliation climbed even higher. “Is that why you didn’t answer your phone last night?”
She nodded, keeping her gaze fixed on the center of his chest. Looking him in the eye felt impossible.
“Sorry for the misunderstanding. But Suki and I are not and have never been romantically involved. As she said, we’re good friends. I just thought she’d be more comfortable staying at the cottage than at a hotel.”
With two fingers beneath her chin, he tipped her face up until she had no choice but to meet his gaze. The concern she found there made her chest squeeze.
“I hope you’re not mad,” he said.
She shook her head with more force than necessary.
“Mad? No. Just very, very embarrassed. I’m sorry.
I mean, we aren’t even dating, but after that kiss the other night…
” She hesitated, nerves tangling her thoughts.
There was no graceful way to admit this, so she forced herself to say it. “Well, I guess I was kind of hoping…”
His whole face brightened, and the low chuckle that escaped him sent a flutter through her stomach.
“If you must know, I was kind of hoping too.” He brushed a loose strand of hair back from her cheek, his fingers grazing her skin. The touch was brief, but it sent a shiver trailing down her spine. “Listen, I don’t know how busy I’ll be today, but is it all right if I call you later?”