Chapter Fourteen
Panic assailed Moriah as she watched Brian enter the house.
Oh, God, a special agent! A cop!
What were the odds KC’s brother would be in law enforcement?
Things could get very ugly, very quickly, if she didn’t get herself under control.
She couldn’t do anything that would raise suspicion, which meant she had to act as normally as possible and do everything in her power to appear unflustered.
Pretend he’s a stockbroker, she told herself. Yeah, right. Good luck with that.
KC reached out, took her arm, and pulled out a chair for her. The simple gesture shouldn’t have affected her the way it did, but when he leaned in, his breath warm against her ear, a shiver slipped down her spine.
“You look beautiful this morning.”
Her pulse stumbled. Whether it was him or the weight of knowing his special agent brother was somewhere inside the house, she couldn’t tell. “Th-thanks.”
He straightened but didn’t let go right away, his gaze sharpening as it moved over her face. “Everything okay?”
Anxiety built as she wondered if Brian could already tell she wasn’t who she was pretending to be and that she was in deep trouble. She forced a smile, hoping it didn’t look as thin as it felt.
“Um, yeah. Sorry. I’m still trying to wake up.” She let out a small breath, aiming for light, teasing. “You wore me out last night.”
His expression shifted instantly, a grin breaking through as he leaned in and brushed a kiss across her lips. “Right back at you.”
The sound of the door opening behind them had both of them turning. KC moved first, crossing the short distance to pull it wider as Brian stepped out onto the porch with a loaded tray.
Moriah’s stomach tightened the second his gaze landed on her. It wasn’t obvious—most people probably wouldn’t have noticed—but there was something different in the way he looked at her now. Sharper. More focused. Like he was putting together the pieces of a puzzle that she couldn’t let him solve.
Noting the coffee, KC lifted a brow. “Only two cups? You’re not having any?”
Setting the tray on the table, Brian shook his head. “No, sorry, bro. I just got called into work. You two enjoy breakfast.”
Then his attention shifted fully to her, and that same look settled in again—measured, deliberate. It made her skin prickle and a knot form in her stomach.
“It was nice to meet you, Maura.”
The name landed wrong.
For a fraction of a second, she forgot how to breathe, her fingers tightening around the arms of the chair. Then she forced herself to move and play along as if nothing had changed. She prayed neither of them could hear the hammering of her heart. “It was nice meeting you too.”
“I’m sure I’ll see you soon.”
She nodded, telling herself not to read into it. He was simply being polite… wasn’t he?
Twenty minutes later, her stomach still unsettled, Moriah picked at the bagel KC had placed in front of her, never taking a bite.
His brother’s brief visit—and even quicker exit—gnawed at her.
She told herself he couldn’t possibly know anything about her past, but something about the exchange lingered, leaving her on edge.
With no appetite and her thoughts spinning, she pushed back from the table, catching KC off guard. “I’m going back to bed.”
“Mind if I join you?” The hope in his voice was unmistakable.
“I’m sorry, but I’m not feeling well.” At least that part was true. “I think I might be coming down with something. Maybe a nap will help.”
He didn’t look happy about it, but after a brief hesitation, he nodded. “Okay. Get some rest. Let me know if you need anything. I’ll check on you later.”
Not wanting him to worry, she leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. “Thanks.”
On her way to her room—not his—Moriah grabbed her purse from the back of the couch.
She shouldn’t have left it out in the open last night, not with her real ID inside, but she barely remembered setting it there after they’d come in.
She’d been too distracted by KC—something she needed to remember she couldn’t afford.
Inside the bedroom, she shut the door, turned the lock, and tossed her purse onto the nightstand before dropping onto the bed.
She couldn’t shake the unease Brian Malone had stirred in her. How had she let herself get this comfortable? Even for a night. The thought alone made her chest tighten.
Whatever was happening with KC—whatever it could have been—it wasn’t safe.
And pretending otherwise could cost her everything—what little she had left.
Damn it! She had just spent an incredible night with the most amazing man in the world, only to discover he had a detective for a brother.
Now, she would have to leave sooner than expected, and the thought of walking away from KC tore her apart.
It shouldn’t, considering she barely knew him. But it was.
She was probably just another conquest in a long line of women he’d slept with—a temporary fling.
The thought made her jealous, although she had no right to be, and she chastised herself. He hadn’t professed love for her. They had known each other less than a week—there couldn’t be love there. That only happened in romance novels and fairy tales, didn’t it?
But Moriah knew it was there, deep down in her heart. She had fallen in love with KC the first time he kissed her on the beach. His touch and scent were forever burned into her memory. She would never forget him. But staying wasn’t an option.
Somehow, she would have to pretend nothing was wrong until she had an opportunity arose. KC couldn’t suspect she planned to run away. It would create too many questions, and she would have a difficult time leaving him as it were.
Standing, she stepped into the adjoining bathroom, took care of business, and washed her hands. She braced them on the edge of the sink and stared at her reflection.
She wanted her life back. Wanted her family back.
Neither was possible.
Her gaze dropped for a moment before lifting again.
She couldn’t rely on anyone to keep her safe.
Not when it was only a matter of time before they found her.
If she told KC the truth, he might not believe her—or worse, he would, and get himself killed when the danger she’d left behind in Chicago caught up to her.
And it would.
She couldn’t let him pay the price for her mistakes.
The decision pressed in, heavy and final. She would leave tonight.
After KC fell asleep, she’d grab her things, the bag of money, and go. She could walk into town, call a cab, and head back to Elizabeth City. From there… a bus. Anywhere. It didn’t matter, as long as it was far away from Whisper and the man who made her want things she couldn’t have.
Her chest ached, the pressure sharp and unwelcome, but she pushed it down and turned off the light.
Back in the bedroom, she climbed into bed and pulled the covers up, staring at the ceiling for a long moment.
She had a plan.
Now she needed to follow it through.
Maura hadn’t looked at him and had barely said a word since his brother left. She’d just sat there, picking at the bagel he’d given her without taking a bite. Was she regretting what happened the night before?
Dragging a hand through his damp hair, he cursed under his breath.
He shouldn’t have pushed her so fast. At the time, it had felt right—she’d responded to him, met him every step of the way—but maybe he’d read too much into it. Maybe he should’ve slowed things down, given her more time.
Didn’t change the fact that he wouldn’t undo a single moment.
It had been the best night he’d ever spent with a woman. The memory of it came back in flashes—she’d come alive in his arms—and his body reacted instantly. She’d been incredible, no matter what she’d been led to believe before.
After she went back to bed, he stayed at the table longer than he should have, staring at nothing in particular, turning everything over in his head.
He had to fix this. Whatever doubts she had, whatever hesitation had crept in this morning, he needed to find a way to ease them.
Because one night wasn’t enough. Not even close.
Shaking his head, he got to his feet and went inside to grab his car keys, irritation riding him the whole way.
Two hours later, after an extra-long workout at the local gym owned by an old high school buddy, along with a quick shower and change of clothes, KC pulled into a parking spot in front of the hardware store.
He shut off the engine and sat there for a moment, fingers tapping against the steering wheel as he replayed the night before and the awkwardness of the morning for the umpteenth time.
He couldn’t think of anything he’d done wrong—except maybe moving too fast. Maybe he should’ve waited and given her time and space to come to him instead of taking what felt like an open invitation.
He exhaled slowly and rested his head back against the seat.
Yeah… he might’ve messed everything up. Now he had to figure out how to get things back on track.
After banging his hand on the steering wheel in frustration for the fifth time since leaving the beach house, he climbed out of the car and headed into his uncle’s shop.
His mind was elsewhere, and he didn’t see Jinx stretched out in the doorway until his foot caught on the dog’s leg.
He went down hard, landing sprawled on the floor in front of the counter.
Jinx lifted his head, gave him a bored look, then went back to sleep as if nothing had happened.
“Real helpful,” KC muttered as he pushed himself up and brushed off his jeans.
Dan had a front-row seat to the whole incident and laughed outright behind the counter. “Don’t blame the dog because you weren’t watching where you were going. What’s got you in such a mood? I figured you’d be on top of the world today.”
He shot Jinx one last irritated look before turning toward the counter, his eyes narrowing. “Why would you think that?”
“Brian stopped by on his way out of town.”