by Marie Carnay
She stepped closer. “At least let me take a look.”
Trent frowned but pulled back the towel. An angry gash snaked down his arm. “It needs to be cleaned. I can help.”
“I can manage.”
It was her turn to frown. “I know you can manage, but you don’t need to be a hero. Let me help you.”
“Fine. In the kitchen.” He turned on his heel and stalked to the hall.
Wow. Trent was one seriously pissed-off man. Anger rolled off him in waves and as he brushed by her, she fought the urge to step back.
Was he furious because someone broke in? Because he didn’t catch the guy? Holly had no clue. But she was going to find out. No more secrets. No more half-truths. Between the car accident and this…display…Ian was caught up in way more than a spat with a customer.
Holly glanced back at the busted-up sign. It’d been beaten to a pulp. Smashed and ripped apart and left for Ian to find. No one did that over misplaced shipments. She swallowed and turned to follow Trent down the hall.
Maybe he’d give her some answers. It was about time somebody did.
* * *
TRENT
Holly swabbed at the cut on his arm and Trent stiffened. He should be out talking to the police and Ian. Not standing in the kitchen letting Holly patch him up. But he couldn’t seem to pull himself away.
“So are you going to tell me what the hell is really going on? Or are you both still going to keep me in the dark?”
He snapped his head up and even though she tried to hide it, he caught the flicker in her eyes. She still wanted him. He knew the timing was shit. That he should be working the case and pinning Ian to the wall until he gave him something to go on. But Holly was a foot away, holding his arm like it was something precious.
He wanted her body beneath him instead of this case, but he tried to play it cool. “The only one hiding anything around here is Ian. I know as much as you, babe.”
“I’m not your babe.”
Trent smirked. “You could be.”
Her lips fell open, but she covered in an instant. “Don’t distract me. What do you mean, Ian’s the only one who knows? He hired you for security, you should have this all figured out.”
Right. “Ian hired me to identify who was sending the e-mails. From everything he showed me, they appeared to be from an angry customer, not some looney out to wreak havoc.”
“And now?”
Trent frowned. “Now I think we’ve got a much bigger problem. I don’t even know if they’re related. But—”
“There’s someone here who’s out to get Ian.”
“Or people close to him.”
Holly’s hand paused on Trent’s arm. “Like me.”
Trent nodded. “You. Me. His sister if she were here. Anyone could be a target. Until we find out who’s behind it, no one’s safe.”
Holly shivered and Trent reached out with his good arm. “Don’t worry. I can protect you.”
“I can take care of myself.”
“What if next time it’s not your car? What if it’s worse?”
Holly went back to cleaning his arm. “You can’t watch me twenty-four seven.”
She was right. He couldn’t. But he could damn well try. Trent had dealt with way worse than some crazy person with a grudge. They weren’t halfway around the world trapped in the middle of a drug war. Or on a ship in the Pacific a thousand miles from anywhere.
They were in a damn billionaire’s playground with Ian’s unlimited resources. This was easy. He waited until Holly finished with his arm and caught her eye. “We’ll find who did this. And we’ll stop them.”
She nodded, but it wasn’t with confidence. It hit him somewhere deep. Back when they were kids, he’d tried to look out for her. Hanging out after school. Keeping her out of trouble. He knew she’d had a rough go at home. She shouldn’t have to worry now. He softened. “What’s on your mind?”
“It’s nothing.”
“If you work that lip of yours anymore, you’ll draw blood. Talk to me, Holly. You can trust me.”
She packed up the first aid supplies and crossed her arms. “Ian doesn’t seem to be taking this seriously.”
Trent paused. A few hours ago, he’d have agreed. But watching him as he stared at the wreckage in his own home, Trent saw something different. Something more.
He cleared his throat. “Do you remember when your dad told you about the divorce?”
Holly focused on his arm. “Of course.”
“I found you out on the beach. You were standing in the surf, shoes still on, just letting the water rush up your legs.”
Holly nodded.
“It was freezing. What was it, November? By the time I pulled you back, your lips were blue.”
“I couldn’t feel it. I couldn’t feel anything.”
Trent nodded. “I think that’s what Ian’s going through right now. He’s in shock.” He stood up and pushed the stool beneath the counter. What Trent would give to make all of this go away and turn this into the vacation Ian had planned. Then he could take his time and get to know Holiday all over again.
Instead, they were left with bits and pieces.
She huffed and hugged herself. “I hate this.”
“Me too.” He stepped closer and brushed a lock of hair off her face. So damn beautiful. “You sure you’re okay?”
Holly let out a trapped breath and nodded. “I am.” As she said it, her eyes lit up. “Are you hungry?”
Trent blinked. “What?”
“Are you hungry? Whenever I’m stressed, I cook. How about I make dinner? The cops have to leave eventually. The three of us can eat and talk. Forget all about this for a few hours.”
“I don’t think—”
She reached out and touched his lips. “That’s just it. How about we don’t think for a while?”
CHAPTER NINE
HOLLY
HOLLY WHISKED THE Alfredo and checked on the pasta. Almost done. This had been the best idea she’d had in forever. Good food made everything better.
She turned off the burner, set the sauce to the side, and grabbed the pasta pot. The steam billowed in front of her face and she dumped the starchy goodness into the waiting colander. As she poured the pasta into a bowl, Trent appeared carrying an armful of bottles.
“I have no idea what most of these are, but I’m pretty sure they’re wine.”
Holly laughed. “I take it Ian’s cellar is a bit crowded?”
“It’s like a wine emporium. If the world ever ends, I know where I’m coming first. We could drink ourselves through the apocalypse and still have plenty left over.” He set the bottles on the counter and took a deep breath. “That smells delicious.”
“I hope so. Can you find plates? We should eat while it’s hot.”
Trent made his way to the dish cabinets and rummaged through them while Holly tossed the pasta. She grabbed the salad she’d already made and the steaming pasta bowl, and headed to the breakfast table.
“It smells like you’ve been busy. Please tell me there’s alcohol involved.” Ian breezed in through the doorway and Holly smiled.
“Trent pilfered your wine cellar. According to him, you have quite the collection.”
Ian snorted. “Trent wouldn’t know a good bottle of wine if I bashed him over the head with it.”
“I’d argue, but that’s pretty much true.” Trent carried a stack of plates to the table with a grin. “How’d the police interview go? Officer Boy Scout have any ideas?”
Ian rubbed his face. “Besides telling me to get the door fixed right away? No. But they’re going to stand guard all night. There are two cruisers outside.”
Holly had been so absorbed in cooking, the vandalism had faded in her mind. “I forgot about the sliding glass door. What are you going to do?”
Ian smiled. “What any rich guy in Midnight Cove would do. Pay to have it fixed. A new one should be here any minute.”
Holly shook her head. Billionaires. “Well, dinner’s ready. So co
me eat.”
Both men sat down and Holly grabbed the wine from the counter. “Chardonnay or Merlot? Pick your poison.”
Ian took the bottles. “Let’s do both.”
Holly shrugged and carried both bottles to the table. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re trying to get us drunk.”
Ian grinned. “What’s wrong with that?”
* * *
IAN
Ian sat back in his chair and wiped his mouth with his napkin. Holly had outdone herself. “That was delicious. Hillary’s a fool to let you leave at the end of the month. She could use you.”
Holly picked up her glass of wine, but not fast enough to hide her blush. “Thanks.”
“I mean it.” Ian tossed his napkin on the table and leaned back in his chair. He still couldn’t get over how much she’d changed. The girl he’d had to ignore was gone. They were adults now and Ian could ogle all he wanted.
He laughed out loud. “You remember that time Mandy cut her own hair? She was what, ten?”
Holly almost choked on her wine. “Oh my God. That was terrible. I was supposed to be watching her.”
“I think you were busy watching someone else.”
Holly hid behind her wine glass. “You knew I was there?”
“I always knew.” Ian pulled his lower lip into his mouth before flashing Holly a grin. She always thought she was so stealthy. She’d plop Mandy down with some books and sneak off to catch a glimpse of him doing laps in the pool or lifting in the gym. He’d tried to ignore it. She was way too young. College guys and high school girls didn’t mix.
But now? Damn. Those curves. That voice. The way she still looked at him with a gleam in her eye.
There was no way he was letting her walk out of his life again. Not when he had a whole month to convince her to stay. She wasn’t anything like the other women in Midnight Cove. He’d spent years fending off the barracudas looking for a rich husband to take care of them. All they wanted was someone who could keep them in the lifestyle they so desperately wanted.
Holly wasn’t like that. She seemed to turn her nose up at his house. His cars. All of it. Ian had the sense that if he’d been broke, they’d have already fallen into bed. She was just the kind of woman he’d been looking for.
He shifted in his seat. “It was flattering, having you always peeking about, seeing what I was up to.”
She took a sip of wine and winced. “Sorry. It seems so creepy now.”
Ian laughed. “It was cute.”
Holly groaned. “God, that’s even worse. I must have driven you crazy.”
“Not hardly. Well, unless you count wanting what I couldn’t have.”
“I’m sorry?”
“You were in high school. But it didn’t mean I wasn’t interested. I just knew better.”
“You mean my father.”
Ian nodded. “Can you imagine what the man would have done if we’d gotten together?”
“He’d have sent me to a convent.”
“And I’d have been shipped off to military school.”
“That’s not a bad thing.” Trent smirked and Ian shot him a look.
“Not for you. Look at you, you’re a damn warrior now.” Holly wasn’t the only one who’d changed. Gone was Trent’s bad boy persona. In its place was a businessman with a lethal right hook. “Whatever happened to the troublemaker we used to know?”
Trent shrugged. “He grew up. Besides, I still get into trouble, but now it’s just helping the good guys.”
Ian shook his head. They’d all changed so much in the years they’d been apart. But one thing he knew for sure—Trent wanted Holiday as much as he did. They hadn’t had a chance to reconnect and talk about Devin and Blake and their fiancée Summer, but Ian hoped it’d given Trent an idea. A glimpse into what was possible in Midnight Cove.
The last thing Ian wanted was to force a showdown and make Holly choose. If the threesome that’d already blazed a trail in town was any indication, they didn’t have to.
He knew it was terrible timing—someone was out there threatening him, Holly, and his business. But they’d dealt with it for one night and with the police standing watch outside, they could forget for a few hours. Indulge.
Trent and Holly fell into conversation, reminiscing about the years when Ian was away at college. The more he listened, the more he made up his mind. Ian couldn’t think of anything he wanted more than to see what the three of them could do together. Holly and all her luscious curves trapped between them. Her cries of pleasure as he and Trent worked her body.
Ian was a big boy and he could share. But could Trent? And would Holly let them?
* * *
HOLLY
They’d been eating and drinking and reminiscing for hours. But Holly couldn’t shake the sense that something lurked beneath the surface. At first she’d thought it was stress and tension over the break-in. But as the night wore on, the mood shifted.
It was tension all right—of the sexual kind. She glanced up at Ian. He’d been watching her for a while. “Something on your mind?”
He cocked his head. “I was thinking about our trip to the beach. Do you remember?”
Holly swallowed. Forget one of the best orgasms of her life? In the parking lot of the beach? Never. “Yes, I remember.”
Ian ran his tongue over his lip. “So do I. Every detail.” He turned to Trent. “But I’m not the only one tripping over himself to get with you, am I?”
Trent shifted in his chair. “No.”
Holly stiffened. Was Ian turning this into some sort of contest? A fight between him and Trent to see who would be the one to win her for the night? If so, she wasn’t interested. Holly made her own decisions and no chest-thumping show was going to change that. She opened her mouth to shut Ian down, but he talked over her.
“I wasn’t the only one with a teenage crush, was I?”
Holly snapped her mouth shut and turned to Trent. No way. “What is he talking about?”
First Ian admitted he had a thing for her back then. Now Trent? That couldn’t be right. She knew the sparks were flying now, but they were adults. It was different. Back when they all lived in the Cove, he’d always treated her like a sister. Not someone he liked…that way.
Trent focused on the table. “Maybe I had a bit of a crush. It was a long time ago.”
“You never said anything.”
Trent grabbed his napkin and folded it back and forth. She couldn’t catch his eye no matter how hard she tried. At last, he answered. “What would have been the point?”
What? He was making no sense. “I don’t understand.”
Trent stood up and ran his hand over his head. “I was a punk back then. Always getting in trouble. Cutting class. You deserved better. Someone with potential and opportunities. Not someone like me.”
Holly blinked. “You mean all that time you thought you didn’t deserve me?”
Trent didn’t answer.
“Oh my God. I was so oblivious. I thought…I mean…” Holly glanced at Ian and then back at Trent. Suddenly it’d become a million times more awkward.
“You thought what?”
“I…never mind.” She was not about to admit she had a crush on both of them. Talk about embarrassing.
“No. You can’t do that now.” Ian sat forward in his chair. “No holding back. We’ve spilled our little secrets. It’s your turn.”
Holly rolled her lips over her teeth. Could she admit it? Hell, she’d already kissed both of them. Maybe it was the wine making her bold. Or the revelations both men had shared. She wanted to tell them.
She drained the rest of her glass and met Ian’s stare. “I might have had a thing for Trent, too. I just thought he wasn’t interested.”
Trent sat up and she stole a glance. “You never said anything.”
“Neither did you.”
Ian broke the tension with a laugh. “Aren’t we something.” He grabbed the last bottle of wine and peeled back the foil. “Grown
adults still acting like embarrassed children.” He uncorked the bottle and poured each of them another glass.
Holly picked it up and swirled the burgundy alcohol around in the glass. “What’s your point?”
“My point is, maybe we should all stop pretending and go for what we really want.”
Trent grabbed his glass and the tension in the room increased by a million degrees. This needed to end. Right this minute. Holly took a drink and shook her head. “I’m not getting stuck in the middle of some testosterone-fueled contest between the two of you. No way.”
Ian took a sip and grinned. “Who said anything about a contest? Trent and I are pretty damn confident, isn’t that right?”
Trent grunted his reply.
“So?”
“I think we can figure out how to share.”
“What?” It came out in a squeak and Holly sat straighter in her chair. He couldn’t mean what it sounded like.
Ian shrugged. “We wouldn’t be the first threesome in town.”
“You’re talking about that artist.”
Ian nodded. “Summer Crenshaw. She’s engaged to Blake and Devin.”
Trent spoke up. “Seems they have a good thing going. The guys run a surf shop and Summer has a gallery upstairs.”
Holly cocked her head. “You know them?”
He rubbed his head with his palm. “Ian might have introduced us.”
What had started out as an ordinary dinner had morphed into something completely insane. She might have fantasized about the three of them doing the nasty, but to talk about it? Like it could actually happen? Complete insanity.
“I think the wine has gone to both of your heads.”
“Other parts, too.”
“Ian Knowles! You are ridiculous.” Holly balled up her napkin and threw it at him.
“No. I’m all grown up. And I know what I want.”
“And that is?”
“You. Any way I can get you.”
Holly’s mouth fell open. This is crazy. She shifted in her seat and turned to Trent. He’d talk some sense into Ian. “What about you, Trent? You can’t possibly agree with Ian.”