Maya Banks - Hidden Away

Fifteen minutes later and feeling guilty for leaving Garrett for so long, she walked back onto the deck, towel in hand, to see him exactly as she’d left him. Kicked back in the chair, head back, eyes closed and looking completely relaxed.

“Sorry I took so long,” she said. “I had sand everywhere so I showered.”

He cracked one eye open and stared at her. “Yeah, sand in the sensitive parts is a bitch. It can cause some chafing issues.”

“Do you ... do you want to use my shower? You probably have sand issues too.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, I could use a quick rinse if you don’t mind me staying in my swim trunks. Otherwise I can just run back over to my place and shower and change.”

It made the most sense for him to just go home. It wasn’t as if he were a long distance. But she hated the idea of him leaving. Even for just a few minutes.

“I don’t mind. You’re welcome to my shower and towels. I only have girly soap. Sorry.”

“I’ll just rinse if you can bear the smell,” he drawled.

It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him he smelled so damn good that it would be a sin to use soap at all.

“I’m going to start dinner while you clean up.”

He plopped his legs down and ambled into the cottage ahead of her. He disappeared into her bedroom and she went into the kitchen, so many butterflies scurrying around her belly she felt dizzy.

There was a man in her bedroom. In her bathroom. Taking a shower in her shower. Naked. Right now. She grinned. And she wasn’t even running the other way, hyperventilating or otherwise freaking out. It was a start.

This might even constitute a date. An actual evening with a gorgeous specimen of a man.

She seasoned the brisket, washed the potatoes and put everything into the oven. Then she pulled out the three kinds of beer and her own bottle of wine and went out to the deck to wait for Garrett.

Just a few minutes later, he came out, barefooted and in his swim trunks and looking so delicious she wanted to lick him. He rubbed at his damp hair and then spotted the beer as he closed the glass door behind him.

“Oh hell, you didn’t lie about the beer. I feel so honored that you bought it just for me.”

She gestured toward the bottles. “Take your pick. I had no idea what to get so I grabbed what I could.”

“It looks good to me. It’s wet and cold. That’s all that matters.”

They sat enjoying the afternoon, her with her wine and him with his beer. The sun was settling over the western horizon, plunging the sky into vibrant shades of gold, pink and purple. The huge orange orb reflected and shimmered on the water, sending fingers of fire racing across the still ocean.

“This is my favorite time of day,” she murmured. “The sunsets are so beautiful here. They take my breath away.”

“They remind me of home,” Garrett said. “My brothers and I used to sit out on our back deck, drink a few beers after a long day and watch the sun go down over the lake. We haven’t done that in a while. I’m thinking when I get back home, we need to do it more often.”

Sarah smiled. Then she remembered dinner. “Oh crap! I need to check the brisket!”

She hurried into the house and was immediately surrounded by the scent of cooking meat. It smelled homey and delicious. More importantly, it didn’t smell burnt. She took the casserole dish out of the oven and set it on the stovetop and then she reached in with an oven mitt and retrieved the two potatoes.

The brisket looked perfect. It needed to rest a few minutes so she put the potatoes on a platter along with butter, cheese and sour cream and carried it outside so Garrett could dress his potato while it was still hot.

Then she returned inside to prepare a small salad for herself, get more beer for Garrett and sliced the brisket and arranged it artfully on a chipped platter. Bumping the door open with her hip, she carried the food and drink outside and set everything on the table so they could eat.

“It smells wonderful,” he said with an appreciative sniff.

“We need to eat quick or it’ll cool too fast with all this breeze.”

He chuckled. “I don’t ever dally when it comes to food.”

She sat and they both dug in. Garrett put away a shocking amount of food, but then she’d seen his exercise regime and it was clear he needed a lot of calories. By the time they’d finished dinner, the sun was barely hanging in the distance and in the east, stars had begun popping in the darkening sky.

“I have dessert,” she said.

He visibly perked up at that.

“Chocolate cake. Chocolate frosting. I’ll apologize in advance for the fact the frosting is store-bought.”

“I’m not picky when it comes to sugar.”

She smiled and then hesitated. “Would you ... Would you like to come inside and eat? The bugs will be bad if I turn on the outside light.”

“I’d like that,” he said softly.

She stood and began collecting the dishes. Garrett piled several up and followed her inside to the kitchen.

“Have a seat,” she directed. “I’ll clean the mess later.”

He settled his large frame on the other side of the bar and watched while she uncovered the cake and took out saucers. She cut a huge hunk for Garrett and a much smaller piece for herself and then slid his across the counter to him.

She opted to stand so they faced each other. In truth, she liked watching him.

“Thank you for today,” she said.

He glanced up, his expression curious.

“Swimming. I had fun. It was nice to just relax. The water is fantastic. Everything here is fantastic.”

She tried hard to keep her tone light, speaking as anyone might on vacation, but she couldn’t quite keep the wistful note from her voice. It was hard not to feel guilt or to allow herself to drop her guard even for a moment when the truth lingered so close to the surface. A man was dead and she was involved—responsible—even if she hadn’t pulled the trigger herself.

Even now, there were probably any number of people looking for her. Marcus included, though she couldn’t imagine him not being able to find her if he was set on it. She thought it likely he already knew of her whereabouts, but he was no fool. He had to know that it wasn’t smart for her to be anywhere near him while Allen’s murder was being investigated. His emails had gone from where the hell are you to asking her if she was okay. Yeah, he probably knew exactly where she was.

Stanley Cross was another matter. A shiver stole down her neck. He wasn’t the type to sit idle and allow just the authorities to investigate his brother’s death. He too would be looking for her and she was well aware of how ruthless he could be.

“You don’t look like you’re thinking fantastic thoughts,” Garrett broke in.

Startled, she settled her gaze back on him to see him watching her thoughtfully. “Sorry. Wandered off for a minute there.”

“Wherever it was, I’d say it wasn’t a pleasant trip.”

“It wasn’t.”

“Want to talk about it?”

She wasn’t sure what surprised her more. His blunt question or the fact that for a moment she had an overwhelming urge to unburden herself. She could just see the direction of that conversation. Garrett struck her as a black-and-white kind of guy. No shades of gray. And her entire situation was so murky that it would make swamp water look like the crystal Caribbean waters.

“Wouldn’t want to ruin what’s been a perfect day,” she said lightly.

He stared intently into her eyes. “Everyone needs somebody to talk to, Sarah. If you ever change your mind, I don’t mind being that person.”

She smiled, warmed to her toes by the sincerity in his tone. “Thank you, Garrett. You’ve been so wonderful.”

“No, thank you,” he countered. “Dinner was wonderful. Dessert was delicious. But the company was superb.”

He rose as he said the last, and panic hit her. She nearly laughed. She wasn’t panicking because he was here in her personal space. She was panicking because he was about to leave.

“It was the least I could do. You’ve done so much for me, Garrett. I really can’t thank you enough.”

He smiled. “Ain’t no thang. Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow.”

It came out more as a question, and she realized he was leaving it up to her.

“I’d like that. Maybe we could swim again.”

He reached across the bar and cupped his hand over hers. Warm and slightly rough. The feel of his fingers over her skin was electric. Heat pooled in her belly and she was shocked by the instant reaction, that she was capable of responding. She wanted to run around the bar and hug him. She wanted to do a lot more than that, but she stood there, stock still, not wanting the moment to end.

“I’ll be around.”

His hand slid away from hers and she curled her fingers, determined to keep the sensation alive for as long as possible. With a grin and a jaunty wave, he let himself out the door, leaving her in the kitchen to stare after him long after he’d gone.

THE next day another storm rolled in and by early afternoon, the skies were black and threatening and the wind blew in a ceaseless line from the water to shore. Sarah was vexed. She’d woken up feeling alive and ready to roll. She’d planned a trip into town for picnic supplies and then she was going to march over to Garrett’s cottage and invite him to go swimming and have a late lunch.

Now she was stuck indoors watching it rain when she wanted to be outside. With Garrett.

Instead, she curled up with one of the books Garrett had bought her and she cracked open the last chocolate bar. Still, there was a niggling of hope that Garrett would pop over. At what point she’d come to rely on his company, she wasn’t sure, but he’d crept in, slipped through her defenses and she found she quite liked it—a lot. It was nice to have a friend. Someone she could let her guard down around even just for a little while.