Dirty Little Secrets

by Elise Noble

  “We don’t know for sure it was him.”

  And we wouldn’t find out more until Colt questioned him next week. His roommate said he’d gone away for the weekend. A boys’ trip to Seattle, but he didn’t know precisely where Steve was staying or when he’d be back, and Colt didn’t want to call and give him enough time to concoct a story. The roommate had promised not to tip Steve off, and according to Colt, he didn’t seem to have a high opinion of Steve either.

  And Addy was right—why had Steve shown up at the party? He must have known I’d be there.

  “Why didn’t you tell me he was an ass?” I asked. “We dated for six months. It would’ve saved a whole bunch of trouble.”

  “Well, you seemed happy at the time. That was also why I kept my lips zipped about Dale.”

  “You didn’t like Dale either?”

  “Oh, please. If Dale was here, he’d be counting how many pieces of triangoli each person ate so he didn’t pay more than his share. And don’t forget frat-boy Cody.”

  “The thing with Cody wasn’t serious. We only went out four times.”

  “Which was three and a half times too many. Brooke, he clipped his toenails in my living room.” Addy finished pouring the wine and put an arm around my shoulders. “You’re a real catch, but we have to face up to facts: you’ve got questionable taste in men.”

  Thanks, Addy. I wanted to sink through the floor because Luca was standing right there. I couldn’t look at him. I didn’t dare. And Addy wasn’t wrong—apart from Luca, every man I’d ever gotten involved with had either hurt me or shafted me or both. Or worse.

  “I got unlucky, that’s all.”

  “Naw, sweetie, there’s a theme. Friends are always honest, right? And it’s time to tackle this head-on. We need to fix your dating mojo so that once Steve gets arrested, you don’t end up with another dud.”

  “Can we drop this? Luca’s here, and dinner’s getting cold.”

  “Hey, maybe Luca can help?” She turned to face him. “Can you give Brooke some tips on how not to fall for a womaniser like you?”

  “Addy!”

  “Hey, it’s not as if he tries to hide it.”

  “Just fucking drop it,” Luca practically growled.

  “What’s got your goat? I’m only trying to help here.”

  “Don’t.”

  “But—” Addy looked from Luca to me, then back to Luca, and her eyes suddenly widened with understanding. “Ohmigosh. Ohmigosh, ohmigosh, ohmigosh! Are you two…? You are, aren’t you? I totally didn’t mean any of the stuff I just said. Uh, let me put the food on the table.”

  A string of curses slipped out as I hurried after her. “Addy, it’s not like that.”

  “Like what?”

  “We’re not dating.”

  “I’m not stupid. I saw the way he looked at you right then.”

  “We’re… Uh, it’s complicated.”

  “Brooke’s just using me for sex.” Luca spoke from behind us, and if death were a painless option, I’d have taken it right then. “It’s nothing. I’ll be gone in a week.” His voice hardened. “And Aaron does not need to know.”

  Addy blanched at his tone. Easy-going Luca was gone. “Right, absolutely. I won’t say a word, I swear. You can count on me.” She held up a hand, palm facing me. “But high-five, sweetie. That’s a boss move.”

  I obliged because what else could I do? Inside, I felt sick. Luca’s words had been so flat, so emotionless. It’s nothing. Was that how he really felt? His actions of the past week said differently, but he sure had sounded convincing.

  The food lost its appeal, and I picked at my pasta. Forced down a portion of tiramisu. When Addy hugged me at the end of the night and told me to, “Go jump Luca’s bones,” I managed a wan smile while I held back tears.

  Five days left, and one of them had just been ruined.

  On Tuesday morning, I was back to daydreaming. On Sunday, Luca had told me the three little words I needed to hear. No, not those words—“I love you” was a mere pipe dream—but, “You’re not nothing.” He’d followed up with, “You’re everything,” and then spent the rest of the day womanising me.

  Monday was a little less intimate because Brady and Deck were back, so we had to wear clothes, but we got what would someday be my bedroom painted, and in the evening, our culinary tour of the world continued with a trip to India. Well, Little India. Luca picked out the restaurant and drove us north to Reedsport so we could eat dinner together at an actual table. And then he paid the check while I was in the bathroom even though we’d agreed to split it because he hadn’t managed to ditch his “asshole” persona altogether.

  Secretly, I kind of liked it.

  But now we had two days left together, and I wished I’d taken the day off because the Craft Cabin was quiet and Luca was waiting.

  “Still thinking about your man, hun?” Darla asked.

  “He’s not my man. That’s the whole problem. But yes.”

  “You like him, and he obviously likes you. That doesn’t seem like such a big problem to me.”

  Who else did I have to confide in? Addy had her own notions about Luca, although I still didn’t understand why he was branded a womaniser if he had a no-strings fling while I was a “boss” for doing the same. Paulo would run his mouth, and I didn’t have any other close friends.

  “I think this ‘ten days’ thing is going to be the death of me.” I told Darla part of the truth—that I didn’t want Luca to leave but couldn’t ask him to stay, about Aaron coming back and his overprotectiveness. The fact that I’d been stupid to think I could wish my feelings away. “Whatever I do, somebody’s going to get hurt.”

  “You want to know what I think?”

  “Yes.”

  “I think you should stop trying so hard to make everyone else happy, because in the end, you’ll only make yourself unhappy. Even if Luca’s overseas for a while, a long-distance relationship isn’t impossible.”

  “That doesn’t help with the Aaron situation.”

  “Your brother might be more understanding than you think, if you break the news to him tactfully.”

  “Really?”

  Darla had met Aaron once or twice, and unlike me, she was usually a good judge of character. Wise beyond her years, Nonna would have said.

  “Introduce the idea slowly. Don’t rub it in his face. I’ve seen how close you two are—above all, your brother’s scared of losing you, and he’s probably scared of losing Luca too if they’re good friends. Make sure he knows he won’t be pushed out.”

  “Three’s such an awkward number.”

  Darla gave a heavy sigh. “Don’t I know it.”

  Before I could ask what she meant, the bell over the door rang and two ladies from the local knitting circle ambled in.

  “Why don’t you take the rest of the afternoon off?” Darla asked. “I can manage here.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “It’s dead in town today, and we’ve already mailed out the online orders. Go. Enjoy your time with Luca.”

  Sometimes, dreams did come true.

  And sometimes, nightmares did too.

  I’d been home for five minutes when Brady walked in with a potted plant. A pink kalanchoe that matched the ones Luca had bought for me.

  “Hey, Brooke. Looks like you have an admirer.”

  All my happiness drained through my feet and puddled out across the floor. I’d already spotted the envelope, but just in case, I glanced at Luca. He’d broken off his conversation with Deck when Brady walked in, and he gave his head a barely noticeable shake. No, he hadn’t been responsible for the plant.

  “Where did you get that?” he asked Brady.

  “On the step outside. I almost tripped over it when I went to get more 3-core from my truck.”

  “Did you see who left it? A person? A vehicle?”

  “Nah, I didn’t see anybody.” He glanced between us. Paused on my ashen face. “Why? Is there a problem?”

  “Some motherfu
cker’s been sending Brooke unwanted gifts. Put it down. Did you touch the note?”

  “I don’t think so.” Brady dumped the pot at his feet, still puzzled, and understandably so after the efforts we’d made to keep him and Deck in the dark. My heart sank at the thought of having my dirty laundry aired in public. Luca had told me again and again that what happened wasn’t my fault, Colt too, but I still kept thinking about the what-ifs. “It’s just a plant.”

  “It’s what the plant represents that’s the problem. He’s crossing boundaries.”

  “Boundaries?”

  “I need to call Colt.”

  “The sheriff’s department is involved?”

  “Yeah. He might want to take your prints for elimination purposes.”

  “Well, sure, if you think it’ll help.”

  It wouldn’t. I was certain of that. There hadn’t been any prints on the chocolate box or the note left on my car. The man who loved to torment me was careful. He either wore gloves or wiped everything down, and it was pointless wasting Colt’s time. Before Luca could stop me, I grabbed the note and tore it open. Better to know than to wonder.

  “Brooke, don’t.”

  “It’s addressed to me.”

  Of course, once I’d opened the card, I regretted it. The neat writing, the cupid’s heart, the message, it all turned my stomach. Good thing I hadn’t eaten dinner yet.

  I’LL SEE YOU AGAIN SOON.

  “Oh no,” I whispered.

  Luca snatched the card from me. “The hell he will. I’ll be sitting outside your bedroom door with a gun. Brady, we need cameras installed here, front and back. Same set-up as at Brooke’s apartment.”

  “The same…” Realisation dawned on Brady. “He went there as well?”

  “Yeah. He’s stalking her.”

  Deck leaned in to read the card. “That’s creepy as fuck. If you need someone to take shifts with you, I got a gun too.”

  “I can handle it. Brady, the cameras?”

  “Ah, sure. I’m meant to finish here at the end of the week, but I can extend things by a few days. My next job doesn’t start until the middle of May. Should I bill you or Aaron?”

  “Me. Aaron doesn’t know about this yet.”

  Deck goggled. “You didn’t tell him?”

  “Not yet. Brooke made a misguided attempt to avoid drama.”

  Aaaaaaaaand there was the asshole again.

  “Hey, don’t call me misguided. I just wanted Aaron to enjoy his vacation.”

  “And you did that by putting yourself in danger.”

  “You think she’s in danger?” Deck asked.

  “Yeah, I do.”

  “Uh, I also have a gun,” Brady offered. “Out in my truck. You know, if you need any more help.”

  “I already said I have it handled where Brooke’s concerned. Catching this asshole, that’s the problem.”

  Brady backed away, hands in the air, and I had to concede that Luca looked a teensy bit scary at the moment. “Okay, man. I’ll get those cameras ordered.”

  “Got any ideas who it might be?” Deck asked.

  “Maybe. There’s an ex of Brooke’s who was around when all this started. Colt spoke to him today, and he denied everything, but he fits the description. Plus he’s a freelance IT consultant so his schedule’s flexible, and he doesn’t have alibis for any of the incidents.”

  “So you have a description?”

  “A vague one. White male with brown hair, between five-five and six feet, light to medium build.”

  “That doesn’t narrow it down much. Hell, I fit that description, and so do half the men in town.”

  Luca shrugged. “It’s all we have at the moment. Which is why we need the damn cameras.”

  “Okay, okay.” Brady pulled out his phone. “I’ll order what I need this afternoon.”

  But would it be enough? The freak was clearly watching me. He hadn’t been back to my apartment since I moved out, and he knew I was at Deals on Wheels now. Like, right now. The timing wasn’t a coincidence, I suddenly realised.

  “He followed me from the Craft Cabin, didn’t he? He knew I finished work early today. Did you see anyone behind us?”

  Luca cursed under his breath. “No, but I wasn’t checking for a tail. This sick bastard’s always one damn step ahead.”

  I wished Deck and Brady would leave. I really, really needed one of Luca’s hugs, but we were still under embargo.

  “He’s got to make a mistake soon. Right? The more people who are looking for him, the more chance he has of being spotted.”

  “We’ll get him, sweetheart. Nobody can hide forever.”

  27

  Luca

  After Brooke’s shitty afternoon, I wanted to take her mind off the latest note, but she had her own ideas of how to do that. Which involved putting on a movie, not watching it, fidgeting, getting up, walking to the bedroom, coming back with a pillow for her knees, and sucking my cock.

  I wasn’t gonna complain, and I fully intended to repay the favour once she’d finished.

  Twofold.

  She paused to take a sip of wine, and I took a moment to study her. To burn her features into my memory. The flushed cheeks. The tumbling waterfall of hair. Those twinkling brown eyes. The open shirt hanging from her shoulders. The full breasts straining at a bra I’d be removing pretty damn soon. Who the hell knew if or when I’d get to see her like that again after this week?

  “Two fucking days.”

  I must have said it out loud because she shifted her gaze to mine, slightly unfocused thanks to the bottle of white she’d drunk most of.

  “Please don’t remind me.” Brooke put the glass down and shifted her hands to my knees, raising herself to plant a row of feather-soft kisses on my chest. “I don’t want to think of the future, just us here, now.” She traced a finger over my tattoo. “Why do you have a clock on your shoulder?”

  “A long and painful story.” And I didn’t mean from the needle. “Do you want to hear it?”

  “Only if you want to tell it.”

  I didn’t, not really, but I also didn’t want to hold back from Brooke. The tattoo was part of who I was. Who I’d become.

  “You remember I told you about Nathan?”

  She pinched her lips together, thinking. “Your friend who died?”

  I nodded. “We called him Worm, as in ‘bookworm,’ because no matter where we went, he always had some massive fucking brick of a novel with him. And after about a year, he started carrying a notepad too. He’d stay up at night, scribbling away, even when we were exhausted, and when I asked him why, he’d say he just needed to get the words out. That life was short and he might not get the chance otherwise.”

  “What was he writing? A journal?”

  “Nah, his own novel. Eventually, he let me start reading it, and it was pretty damn good.”

  “What was it about? War?”

  “Victorian sci-fi. Steampunk. The tattoo came from one of his illustrations. I wanted the clock as a reminder not to waste time on unimportant things.” And he’d died at ten past six. The compass pointing west? That was for Brooke, my girl on the West Coast, but I didn’t want her to realise the depth of my obsession so I kept quiet about that part. “And speaking of not wasting time…”

  I pointed at my cock and raised an eyebrow, and Brooke’s giggle was a relief in more ways than one. Nathan had never finished his book, and he never would. Talking about him hurt. People thought special forces operators were tough motherfuckers, but we still bled the same as everyone else.

  Brooke squeezed my hand. “Thank you for telling me the story.”

  And then she got back to work.

  Damn, this woman was everything. My everything. I wanted to tell her that. To tell her that I was in love with her, that I wouldn’t, couldn’t, leave her. The words balanced on the tip of my tongue. Maybe I’d blurt them out when I came. When I lost my damn mind again. Now wasn’t the right time, but when was? Nathan was right about—

 
The overhead lights blinked on.

  Vega started barking as I dove for the gun I’d left on the box we were using as a side table, and Brooke screamed. Adrenaline kicked in, but adrenaline could only do so much when my fucking pants were around my ankles. I got the gun. Blinked in the glare as my vision adjusted. Aimed at the figure walking toward us and shoved Brooke onto the floor.

  “What. The. Ashuuul. Fuck?” Aaron slurred.

  Brooke screamed again, but this time in horror rather than fear, and the bottom and sides slowly fell out of the world I’d tried so hard to protect.

  There was no way to fix this. No way to hide what we’d been doing. My rapidly deflating dick was hanging out, Brooke was half-naked, and we both looked guilty as hell. I dropped the gun, got my pants buttoned. Helped Brooke up as she shoved her arms into her shirt. Steeled myself for what was to come.

  “I-I-I thought you were in Cabo,” Brooke stuttered.

  Aaron ignored her. “What the hell were you doing with my sister?”

  He might not have been able to walk straight, but his voice had turned low and dangerous. I couldn’t blame him. If I’d walked in on him doing with Romi what I’d been doing with Brooke, I’d be getting arrested right about now.

  “Shit, buddy, I’m sorry.”

  “Buddy? Don’t you fucking call me buddy.”

  “Aaron, Luca hasn’t done anything wrong. Are you drunk?”

  “Not so drunk I can’t fucking see.” Aaron took a step forward, clutched at the counter for support. “Get away from her.”

  I took a step sideways, but Brooke followed. I gave my head a surreptitious shake. “Brooke, don’t.”

  “But—”

  “Don’t.”

  Fuck, now she looked hurt. But having her take my side in this would only inflame the situation. Emotions were fuelling Aaron right now. And I knew him—he needed to get his anger out before he’d calm down.