by Tara Thomas
He put his hands on her shoulders. “I’ll admit I’m being a bit selfish. I don’t like the thought of you being here alone. Call it testosterone. Call it being a bullish male, but I’d sleep so much better with you in my arms.”
Tears filled her eyes, but didn’t fall. He wasn’t sure if she thought he was just giving her a way to agree to stay with him without her having to admit she wanted to do, but he’d spoken the truth. He didn’t want her here alone. Hell, she didn’t even have a security system. “Okay,” she finally whispered.
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her forehead. “Thank you.”
She relaxed against him and he swore he could feel her strength and resolve returning. He dipped his head and smelled her hair. Lavender.
She pulled back and looked to Bea. “Sorry.”
Bea waved her apology away. “Don’t even think about it.”
“I wonder if Alyssa and Mac were able to eat.” Janie stepped out of his embrace and headed to the kitchen. “I probably have enough for all five of us.”
“All five,” Bea said. “So tonight I’m not just the third wheel, I’m also the fifth.”
Though Bea was rarely alone, she never appeared to find anyone she wanted to see beyond the second date. Her tone was light; Brent hoped she was joking.
“Don’t worry, sis,” he said. “Mr. Right is out there somewhere. You’ll find him.”
He meant for it to be a lighthearted remark, but she didn’t smile. Her cheeks actually flushed and suddenly she was looking anywhere except at him.
“Bea?” he asked, and then it hit him and he smiled. “You’ve found someone, haven’t you?”
She opened her mouth to reply, but right at that moment there was a knock on the door. Janie sprinted into the living room.
“I’ll get it,” she said.
“Make sure…” he started, but then stopped when she gave him the I’m a cop and I know what I’m doing look. “Sorry.”
She checked the peephole and opened the door. Alyssa came inside, followed by a tall and lanky man whom Brent assumed was Mac.
“Oh my God,” Alyssa said, pulling her friend into a hug. “Are you okay? Where are the flowers? Let me see.”
“Over here.” Janie led her to the table.
“Hey, Brent,” Alyssa said in passing. “That’s Mac.”
“Mac.” Brent nodded at the guy who looked the slightest bit uncomfortable. Brent couldn’t blame him. This wasn’t how Mac had planned to spend his evening. But then again, that’s what happened when you dated a cop.
“I’m Bea,” his sister said, holding out her hand to Mac. “Brent’s sister.”
“Nice to meet you.” But Mac’s attention wasn’t on Bea. He was watching Alyssa.
“We can look for prints on the letter,” she was saying. “But I wouldn’t hold out much hope. I’m off duty now—Mac and I were on our way to dinner—so I’ll do the preliminaries and finish it up later. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “So sorry I brought him on official business. I knew it’d be quicker this way.”
“That’s what I was thinking.” Janie nodded. “And the box is probably a waste of time. Most of us touched it. And please, don’t apologize. I understand.”
“You’ll find my prints on the letter,” Brent said. “I took it from her after she read it.”
“Not a problem, we have DNA.” Alyssa said, and then turned and sighed. “Seriously, Mac? Please don’t mess with that.”
“How did you get DNA?” Mac asked, putting the box back on the table.
Alyssa sighed. “I really can’t say.”
“But you haven’t linked it to a person yet.” Mac spoke it as a statement. Not a question.
“Obviously,” Alyssa snapped. “We haven’t made an arrest yet, have we?”
Mac held up his hands. “Just curious.”
“It’s not a good time.”
An uncomfortable silence fell over the room. At least, Brent thought, Janie no longer looked scared. She stood with her arms crossed, watching Alyssa.
Alyssa sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. “Look, I’m sorry, guys. I’m just under a lot of stress. This case…” She shook her head, then took an evidence bag and put the letter in it. “I’m going to go on and take this by the lab. Come on, Mac. Since you touched the box, I need to get you printed for elimination purposes.”
Mac’s lips tightened into a thin line, but he looked back at Janie and he smiled. “See you later. Be safe.”
“Thanks. Take care of my girl.” Janie smiled and took the few steps over to him to give him a quick hug.
Brent lifted his head when he heard Janie ask, “What type of cologne do you wear, Mac?” Something about her voice sounded off.
“My cologne?” Mac smiled and lifted his shirt for a sniff. “I don’t even know. It’s new. Alyssa’s partner wears it and gave me a sample. Do you like it?”
“It’s unique,” Janie replied in a tight voice.
Mac snorted. “I’ll take that as a ‘no.’”
Alyssa coughed from her position by the door.
“Got to go. See you guys later,” Mac said. “Nice to meet you, Brent … Bea.”
Janie locked the door behind them. “Wow, that was odd. I’ve never seen her like that.”
“Probably just stress,” Bea said. “It can do things to a person. That Mac guy was nice enough, though.”
“Yeah,” Janie said, but she didn’t sound convinced. “I guess that’s possible, but she’s been in stressful situations before and I’ve never seen her like this. It makes me wonder if it might be Mac. Maybe there’s something to the fact that she keeps turning down his proposal.”
Brent tilted his head. He’d never heard Janie say anything but positive comments about Alyssa’s long-term boyfriend and there was nothing he’d said or done tonight that seemed out of line to Brent. He frowned. Except for that weird argument about the DNA.
“Everything okay?” he asked, coming up behind her and putting his arms around her.
She leaned back into his embrace and he swore he could feel the tension leave her body. “Yes, it’s probably nothing.”
“Want to talk about it?”
She thought for a second and then replied, “No. No, I don’t think I do. What I want to do is pack up dinner and get a bag together and go to your house. What I do not want to do is spend another second here tonight that I don’t have to.”
He tightened his arms around her, wishing more than anything he could snap his fingers and make this whole thing go away. “Sounds like a great idea. Why don’t you go pack, and I’ll set out dinner here for us all? Then we can leave.”
* * *
“I hope you won’t let the events at my house keep you from coming back,” Janie said, throwing a smile in Bea’s direction. They had finished eating and Brent was cleaning the kitchen. “It’s usually quite dull around here.”
“Don’t worry about it. I can only imagine how stressful this is.”
“Yes.” She waved to the couch for Bea to sit down. “What do you think about Brent going to Washington?”
Bea leaned back into the couch. “Part of me is shocked. He’s such the quintessential Southern gentleman, you know?”
Janie couldn’t help laughing. “True.”
“But he said he’s not going to sell his house.” Bea shook her head. “Thank goodness. I’d have to kick his ass if he did that. You have no idea what I went through decorating that place.”
Janie smiled. “He told me. It’s beautiful, by the way.” She wondered where Bea lived and if she had a home filled with antiques.
“It’s a hobby of mine. I’m living in a much smaller apartment at the moment and don’t have near the amount of furniture Brent does. He inherited most of it from his father.”
Janie knew from past conversations with Brent that the two half siblings had different fathers. Brent’s had passed away, but Bea’s was a prominent minister in the Charleston area. From what she’d heard about him, he was all
hellfire and brimstone. Which was odd since Bea seemed the exact opposite.
Brent had been offered a position on a federal committee working with several executives on measures that would lead to reducing preservatives and toxins from food, and Janie knew he was thrilled with the opportunity to make an impact. Plus, he’d be excellent at it. If only it wasn’t in DC. But then again, she no longer had a job. She wasn’t tied to Charleston.
Actually, if she thought about it, she rented her place and Brent owned his. He had more ties to the South than she did. Of course, she told herself, it helped that due to everyone’s schedules, he’d only be in Washington for six months at a time.
“I guess you don’t worry you’ll never see him much?” Janie asked. After all, that was her fear. But she’d never been in a long-distance relationship, so maybe it wasn’t outright fear. Perhaps it was fear of the unknown.
“A little, but I’m hoping it wouldn’t be for long. I’m planning to run for Congress term after next.”
Janie hadn’t heard that. “Really? That’s great.”
“It’s horribly ambitious and it’s taking up so much of my time, even now.”
“I say go for it.”
“Thanks.” Bea flushed a bit and her mouth opened, like she was going to speak, but then she must have changed her mind because she closed it without saying anything.
“What does your dad think of your running for office?” Janie asked. She could only assume, based on things she’d heard about the man, that he would hate it.
“He’s less than thrilled,” she said with a grin and an eye roll. “But what else is new?”
“He doesn’t want you to run?”
“He didn’t want me to go to law school.” Bea waved her hand. “He’s completely stuck in the 1950s. He thinks I should be married with two kids and another on the way.”
“Oh, wow.”
“Right? I mean if that’s what you want,” she said with a shrug, “but I’m not at that point yet.”
“I hear you. I’m not ready for kids yet, either.”
Footsteps sounded as Brent made his way from the kitchen to the living room. “I made some coffee if anyone would like a cup. Decaf.”
He flashed Janie a smile and raised his eyebrow. She nodded. She’d been a little apprehensive about meeting his sister, but she was great. Not that she should have been worried; after all, Bea shared half of Brent’s DNA.
He stood in the doorway grinning and though Janie knew he was worried and it probably took a lot of effort to smile, she appreciated his doing so.
“It’s rare that I get to have a free night with my two most favorite women,” he teased as he came over to the couch where they were sitting.
Bea playfully batted his hand away when he tried to take it. “It could have happened a lot sooner than now if you hadn’t been hiding Janie from me.”
“I was afraid you’d scare her off.”
“No way. If you hadn’t scared her off, nothing I would have done could.”
Janie wouldn’t have believed it five minutes ago, but she actually felt relaxed and lighthearted as they made their way to her kitchen for coffee.
* * *
Later that night Brent and Janie lay in his bed, not really sleepy and just talking. Brent still felt on the edge but Janie seemed so peaceful the last few hours.
“I’m so glad you decided to stay over tonight,” he started out by saying. “I feel so much better with you here.”
She twisted in his arms and propped up on her elbow beside him. “I might actually sleep tonight, and that wouldn’t have happened if I stayed at home.”
He sucked in a breath as she started running her fingers on his chest. “I have a proposition for you,” he said.
She laughed. “Aren’t you supposed to proposition me before I get into bed?”
“It’s not that kind proposition,” he said with a smile.
“Damn.”
“Two things actually.” He decided to bring up the one she was most likely to agree with first. “Come with me to DC this weekend.” This coming weekend he would have to find a place to live if he wanted to start the position on time.
“Are you looking for apartments?” she asked.
“Yes, and I really need to put an offer on something this weekend. I would love your input.” He wasn’t sure what they would do when he started the new position. He wasn’t overly thrilled by the thoughts of a long-distance relationship, but he’d do whatever it would take to still have Janie in his life.
He remembered the night they’d met. She’d been working undercover at a local club and he saw her. All he knew right away was that she was beautiful. But it was when she quoted Aristophanes that he felt he had to get to know her. She was refreshing. Strong, self-assured, and smart, she neither seemed impressed by his money nor did she seem to want him for his wealth.
“You would?” she asked.
“Yes. I know I won’t get you out of the South permanently, but I do hope you agree to visit me in Washington. A lot.”
“Yes, of course I will.”
“Well, in that case, I definitely need your opinion on where I’ll be living.”
She leaned over and kissed him briefly. “Okay, I’ll go. When do we leave?”
“Friday morning around ten?”
“Sure, I mean, it’s not like I’m working or anything.” Though she probably meant for her statement to be lighthearted, it didn’t come across that way.
Bea was a lawyer. Brent had been hopeful that she would be able to look over Janie’s case and find a way to get her reinstated at the police department. He didn’t have a chance to talk to her tonight, not with everything that was going on, but he didn’t think it looked that hopeful. He would need to call her in the morning, though, just to make sure.
“I’m sorry,” he said. He couldn’t help but feel partly responsible. After all, she had been placed on probation because she was seeing him. At the time, when they first met, he had been a suspect in multiple kidnappings, along with one murder.
Janie’s boss hadn’t taken too kindly to one of his top investigators having an affair with a potential suspect. Brent couldn’t fault him on that, but he didn’t like the outcome. He especially didn’t like that Janie was without a job because he knew how much she enjoyed being a cop. It was her passion. And she was damn good at it.
His mind drifted away. He couldn’t help but think that if he moved to DC, and he happened to convince Janie to move with him, she could find employment in Washington.
“What was item number two?” she asked, bringing him back to the moment.
He took a deep breath, “I’d like for you move in with me.”
Her expression grew serious; even with the low light in the bedroom he could tell. He pushed a lock of hair back from her forehead. “Thinking?”
“If I hadn’t received the roses tonight, would you still be asking me to move in?”
She had him there.
“Eventually.” It was the most honest thing he could say. The truth was, he hadn’t planned to ask her to move in tonight. Not before she got the roses. “But you did, and the way I look at it, the roses are like a catalyst. I was going to eventually ask you to move in, I just did it quicker than planned. I can’t be in Washington knowing you’re here alone. I need you and I couldn’t stand myself if something happened and I wasn’t able to protect you.”
She sighed and rolled over to her back. “Thank you for being honest.”
“Janie,” he said, sitting up so he could look at her and she could see his eyes. “I will always be honest with you. Was it my plan to ask you to move in with me tonight? No. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad idea. And it doesn’t mean that I don’t want it.”
“I see what you’re saying. But part of me takes issue with being asked to move in only because someone is after me.” She held up a finger when he started to protest. “Or that you didn’t realize you wanted me to move in until someone came after me.”
&n
bsp; Of course she would take issue. What person wouldn’t?
“I can’t fault you for that,” he said. “How about this? Don’t make any decision tonight. Just sleep on it. Take a few days to think about it. Maybe take the weekend. You might find yourself unable to live without me after spending the weekend with me.”
That actually got him a smile. “Okay, Mr. Big Head. I’ll take the weekend to think about it.”
“Mr. Big Head?” he repeated, glad to hear her joking.
“It was the best I could come up with on short notice.”
Her hand stroked his chest and he realized he was wide awake. On the upside, it appeared Janie was as well.
“I’m not sleepy at all,” he said.
She stretched against him, lazy, like a cat enjoying the sun. “Me neither, but I’m not about to get out of this bed.”
“I wasn’t about to suggest anything remotely related to getting out of bed,” he assured her, settling back down on the bed, this time taking her with him and rolling them so she was on top.
“Oh, yes.” She looked marvelous above him. Fierce and strong and sexy. “This is so much better than either sleeping or getting out of bed.”
As it turned out, it was much, much later before they finally made it to sleep.
* * *
After Brent left the next morning, Janie called Alyssa. Taking a sip of coffee, she waited for her friend to pick up the phone. Hopefully, she’d be in a better mood this morning.
“Hey,” Alyssa said after she answered the phone. “I was just getting ready to call you.”
“You have any information?” Janie didn’t think that it had been enough time for the fingerprints to be run, but with Alyssa so excited to hear from her, maybe she was wrong. She debated bringing up the cologne Mac said her partner wore. Just to see if she’d smelled it and to potentially ask if she thought her co-worker could be involved. In the end, she didn’t because she didn’t want to jump to conclusions without the proper facts.
“No,” Alyssa said. “But we’ll at least know if there’s a match with the next hour or so.” She paused before continuing. “I want to apologize for my behavior last night.”