in a captivating package.
He met her at her SUV and climbed into the passenger seat next to her. The subtle scent of her coconut fragrance wrapped around him. Feminine and tough at the same time.
What man could resist such a combination?
She laid her arm along the top of his seat and backed out of the space. As she returned her focus to the front, their gazes met for the briefest of moments. He got lost in her eyes, and interest in a woman that had lain dormant for years flared to life. She quickly jerked her gaze away, but before she did, he saw the same spark of interest.
You’ve got a great sense of humor, God, sending this woman into my life after all these years and at the worst possible time.
Not really expecting God to talk back, given Luke’s strained relationship with Him, Luke turned to look out the window. He caught Dani’s reflection in the glass and that little zing sparked again.
He stifled a groan and reminded himself of all the reasons why getting involved with any woman right now was a bad thing. Working with Dani Justice was going to be interesting. Maybe too interesting for his own good.
* * *
The sun was setting in glorious oranges and reds behind the West Hills by the time Dani pulled into Luke’s driveway and parked behind his rental car. After extensive testing, the E.R. doc had cleared him to drive, so they’d retrieved his car from SatCom and she’d followed him to his town house.
Long, uncomfortable silences had populated their time together, and she almost dreaded getting out of the car, but she had a job to do. She grabbed a flashlight, and as she walked toward the front door she searched through the light drizzle and thick fog blanketing the lushly landscaped property.
In one of their brief discussions, Luke had claimed to have sunk all his money into his company, and yet he lived in one of Portland’s most exclusive areas. Dani’s sister, Kat, had bought a foreclosure home in the area, so Dani knew the high price of property here. Luke could be renting, she supposed. Or maybe her initial instincts about him were totally wrong, and he wasn’t who he seemed.
“Nice property,” she said, trying not to sound obvious in her search for an explanation.
He watched her for a few moments, then grinned with that magnetic smile he seemed to flash freely. “For a P.I., you’re not very good at fishing, are you?”
Her irritation instantly flared, but she wasn’t sure if it was because he saw right through her or because her pulse kicked up whenever he grinned with boyish charm, in direct contrast to the imposing man standing before her. Either way, she wouldn’t let him see her reaction.
She gave him an innocent smile. “I’ve never been much for fishing. I’m a city girl through and through.”
“Too bad.” His smile widened, one corner crookedly tipping higher. “I could’ve shown you all the best fishing holes in the area.” He opened the door, then turned back. “Oh, and in answer to your unspoken question, the town house belongs to my sister, Natalie.”
Ugh! She’d known him for only a few hours and yet he seemed to think he was always right. So confident. Everything she was attracted to in a man. Sure, he was good-looking—fit, muscular with a swagger that spoke to his self-assurance—and she’d have to be blind or near death not to react to him. But men like him were off-limits for her. He was too much like her ex-boyfriend, Paul. She’d found his confidence attractive, too. Until six months ago, when he’d gone all controlling and stalker on her. She wouldn’t put herself through that ever again. Not for any man.
“You can go on in,” she said, trying to sound unaffected by anything he said or did. “I’d like to do a quick inspection out here.”
His brow went up in question, and he held his position.
She’d have to explain if she wanted him to go inside. “I need to see if there are signs of a break-in. If your computer was used without your permission, they would’ve had to break in or access your wireless connection from close by.”
“I hadn’t thought about that.”
“That’s why I’m the private investigator and you’re the client.” She kept her voice free of the sarcasm that wanted to creep in. “I’ll be just a minute.”
He nodded but stopped mid-nod when a flash of pain darkened his face.
“You should take something for the pain,” she suggested.
He straightened his spine. “I’m good.”
Right. Mr. Tough Guy. “It’s not a sign of weakness to accept help, you know.”
“Come in when you’re finished,” he said, changing the subject. After a protracted look, he went inside and closed the door.
“Fine, be in pain, then,” she mumbled as she often had when her stubborn brothers refused to listen.
She shone her flashlight over the property, checking the windows for pry marks. She continued around the home, catching a welcoming wave of light spilling from floor-to-ceiling windows in the backyard. As she glanced into the family room, she spotted Luke leaning against a counter in the adjoining kitchen, talking on the phone. Even if he hadn’t just told her that the town house belonged to his sister, the feminine decor screamed he wasn’t the owner. She was certain he wouldn’t abide floral prints of any kind in his home, and she had to admit neither would she.
She finished circling the town house and stood in the driveway, making a quick sweep of the neighborhood. A security camera on the home across the street pointed down their driveway, which meant Luke’s place would show up in their footage and it might prove useful.
Useful if she cleared Luke’s name and if she found herself searching for another suspect, she reminded herself as she headed for his front door.
Since he was expecting her, she didn’t knock but entered the two-story foyer with an open staircase. Through the rich mahogany banister she could see the family room and the adjoining kitchen island.
“Luke,” she called out.
“In the kitchen,” he responded.
She found him still resting against the counter, his phone to his ear. He held up a finger and told the person he was talking to that he had to go.
“That was my sister, Natalie.” He stowed his phone. “I figured you’d want to look at her computer, too, so I got her permission.”
Not something a man with a secret to hide would do. Was he really a ruthless traitor and he planned to set up his sister? Or could his sister be behind the sabotage?
“Did you find anything outside?” He pushed off the counter, coming closer.
She took a step back, garnering a quirk of his eyebrow. So what if he knew she was being cautious? He was a former SEAL. He could end her life in a moment if he so chose.
“There were no signs of forced entry, but the people across the street have a security camera pointed in the direction of your house. If I determine a break-in did occur, we may have the suspect on video.”
“They’re good friends with Nat, so I’m sure they’ll share the video if we need it.”
“Good to know,” she said. “I’d like to look at your computers if you’ll show me where to find them.”
“This way.” He led her toward the back of the house.
She crossed the gleaming wood floors and shook her head as she imagined this big hunk of a guy trying to get comfortable on his sister’s dainty sofa and chairs in the family room. He stepped through French doors into an office with an ornate desk sitting in the middle of the room and white bookshelves circling the perimeter.
“The laptop is Nat’s. She lets me use her old desktop.” He gestured at an older model computer, the monitor sitting by a pricey ultrathin laptop.
Dani’s