J. Kenner - Heated

“Then we don’t get past it,” he said. “Not yet. We’ve been living in a bubble, sweetheart. Let’s stay in it for just a little longer.”

I drew in a breath and considered. I only had a few more days before I had to report back, anyway. And the truth was, I would do anything for a few more days with this man.

“All right,” I said as I glanced around my crappy apartment. “But can we stay at The Drake?”

The condo that Angie and Evan shared was about the most amazing place I’d ever seen. It was huge, and one side of the living room was made up of a wall of windows that looked out over Lake Michigan, and the boats lit up on the water at night made it look like there were stars both below and above us.

“It was my uncle’s,” Angie explained. “I inherited it. And since Evan loves the place as much as I do, we mostly live here.”

They had invited Tyler and me over for drinks, along with Cole and Kat. Kat had arrived before us, so I got a good look at her face when Cole entered. Attraction, fascination, and then—when Cole told Angie that someone named Bree wouldn’t be joining him—disappointment.

I liked Cole—he had a straightforward manner that I appreciated, and a deep-seated passion that I admired. I’d seen some of his art, and had been shocked by its beauty and power, the imagery in contrast somehow to the burly man with the dragon tattoo. I thought also of what I knew about Cole and Michelle and the dungeon. And then I said a little prayer for Kat. But whether it was for her to figure a way into a complicated man like Cole, or for her to just move on, I really didn’t know.

“Got any beer, Dragonbait?” Cole asked Angie.

“You know we do. Help yourself.”

He paused by me on the way to the kitchen. “I’m glad you and Tyler got clear,” he said. And then he surprised me by pulling me into a quick, tight hug.

While Cole went to the kitchen, the rest of us followed Evan and Angie through a living room filled with art, most in the kind of frames that each had their own spotlight.

One piece, however, stood out. It was a handmade quilt, framed and hung just off the living room in an adjoining hallway. “Isn’t that like Tyler’s quilt?”

“The same woman gave them to all three of the guys,” Angie said.

I glanced curiously at Tyler. “Really? How interesting.”

Kat snorted, but Tyler only rolled his eyes. “Mind out of the gutter, Detective. They were handmade by the grandmother of the very first girl we pulled out of the trafficking scheme.”

“They’re very special,” Evan added.

“They are,” I agreed. “You touched a lot of lives.”

Evan turned to Angie. “Why don’t you girls head up to the patio. We’ll bring the drinks up.”

The patio turned out to be a massive outdoor living area on the roof of the high-rise. Angie and I sat on two of the plush outdoor sofas, and Kat plunked herself down on the ground. “I thought you were running a con,” Kat said to me. “When I first saw you, I mean.”

“A con?”

She shrugged. “I knew the guys were keeping an eye on you, and I couldn’t figure out why. I didn’t know you were a cop, so I figured you were trying to scam them. I couldn’t believe that anyone would be stupid enough to think they could pull a con on those three and get away with it. Trust me, I know.”

“Yeah? How?”

“Well, not personally,” Kat amended. “My dad did a real estate deal with Tyler years ago, but I wasn’t involved. I got to hear about it from Dad’s end, though.” She grinned. “That’s how I know you don’t play mind games with Tyler Sharp.”

“He took your dad?”

“Let’s just say he didn’t let my dad take him.”

“That sounds like Tyler,” I said, and couldn’t help but wonder which side of the line Kat’s father fell on.

The guys were back soon with the drinks, and the evening fell into an easy rhythm. They talked about work and various projects, all of which sounded legitimate, and it occurred to me to wonder just how much Kat knew about what these men did.

As for Kat and Angie, they asked me all sorts of questions about being a cop and about stripping at Destiny. I had to admit, it made for an interesting mix of topics.

I was on my second glass of wine when Kat stood up and said she had to go. “Work,” she said, then pulled a face. “There really needs to be an easier way to make a living.”

She headed out, and Angie and I moved to the glass barrier that shielded the patio from the abyss below. “He’s gone on you,” Angie said, as soon as we were out of earshot of the men.

“It’s mutual,” I said. “But it doesn’t matter. Our lives just don’t intersect, you know? And I’ll be back in Indiana by the end of the week.”

“Maybe it’ll work out,” she said. “I didn’t think it would for Evan and me, but here we are.”

I shifted to look at her better. “Can I ask you something? I know your dad’s a senator,” I began after she nodded. “And I know the guys are into a few things that are less than legitimate.”

She cocked her head. “You figure?”

“Tyler told me,” I said.

“Oh.” Her eyes widened. “Well, that is interesting.”

I grinned wryly. “Yeah, well. I imagine Evan’s clean. What with your dad being who he is. Am I right?”

She nodded.

“So he changed. Evan, I mean. He changed for you.”

“He changed,” she said. “But it was for himself. I don’t think I could be with a man who was someone other than himself. Could you?”

“No,” I said, “I couldn’t.”

But I also couldn’t be with a criminal.

When we returned to the guys, they were still talking work. This time, the gallery space.

“You mentioned it before,” I said. “You’re opening an art gallery?”

“We are,” Cole said. “And it’s an amazing space. You should check it out, Evan.”

“You know I’m not signing on with you.”

I raised a brow as I looked at Tyler. “Something shady going on under the layers of paint?”

As soon as I spoke, Evan and Cole glanced sharply at Tyler.

He just shrugged. “I told her,” he said. “Everything.”

I saw them tense, and then relax at his next words: “I love her,” he added, then held out his hand for me.

The other men said nothing, but I saw the acceptance in their eyes. That was all it took, I thought, as I rested my head on Tyler’s shoulder. They were family.

“Come take a look,” Tyler said to Evan. “It’s not like we’ll make you sign in blood. And who knows,” he added. “Maybe we’ll end up going legit. Stranger things have happened.”

We stayed another two hours, and then Tyler pulled me away, making our excuses to the others. Angie gave me a hug, and Cole and Evan both kissed my cheek. I felt, I realized, like I belonged.

“I like them,” I said. “We can hang out longer if you want to.”

“Can’t,” he said, checking the time on his phone. “We’re on a schedule.”

“We are?”

“We are,” he affirmed, with mischief dancing in his eyes.

“Will you tell me what?”

“Nope,” he said, but when we stepped out of the building, I saw my first clue—a stretch limo, complete with liveried driver holding the door open.

I turned to Tyler to ask, but he just shook his head. “In,” he said, and I complied.

He followed me in, only now he held a single, blood-red rose. He gave it to me, followed by a long, slow kiss.

“I like this,” I said, when he drew away. “Mysterious and romantic. How far are we going?”

“Not far,” he promised, as he put his arm around me and pulled me close.

The watch that Jahn had given him brushed my shoulder and that, coupled with the fact that we’d just left a condo that had been owned by Jahn, made me remember what I still hadn’t asked.

“Will you tell me now why you won’t get the watch fixed?”

He turned, looked at me, and nodded. “Howard Jahn was an incredible man. Brilliant. Engaging. Entrepreneurial. He taught Evan and Cole and me everything we know,” he added, with a meaningful grin.

“He wasn’t, however, good with women. He kept too many secrets, and they always left. Apparently one of his first wives got so fed up with him that she threw the watch at him. And then another one did the same. Instead of fixing it again, he decided to wait until he found the woman of his dreams.”

“He never did,” I said, thinking of the broken watch. “That’s so sad.”

“I know, it really is. But when he got sick, he wrote notes to the three of us. And in mine he said that he thought he and I had a certain spark in common. That we each needed to find the right woman to make us whole, and he hoped that I would find her soon, so that I wouldn’t be lonely like he was.”

His eyes were on me as he spoke, and my pulse quickened.

“He said that time could start again once I found her.” His smile was quick and just a little winsome. “I’m hoping to have the watch fixed soon.”

“Are you?” I said, smiling.

“I am,” he said, and had just enough time to kiss me before the limo came to a halt and the driver pulled open the door.

I peered outside. “The aquarium? Weren’t we just here?”

“I thought we should try again. I like this place. I want you to have good memories.”

“But it’s the middle of the night. It’s closed.”

“Not for us,” he said, then led me to the entrance. Sure enough, we were allowed in, then led back to the Caribbean Reef Rotunda again.

“Tyler,” I said, the word little more than breath.

The room was set up with just one table, draped in a white tablecloth. A violinist played off to the side, and a private chef stood at the ready.