“Use the peephole.”
She padded over and looked. “It’s Peterson.”
“Slick? What does he want?”
“No idea.” She unlocked the door and waved him in.
“Aftyn, I’m sorry to just stop by, but—” Peterson stopped when he saw Cole. “I didn’t realize you had company.” He glanced between them.
Cole had already moved to stand beside the counter, arms folded, eyes on Peterson.
“Cole Harrison, Sterling Peterson.”
The two men looked at each other. Neither moved to shake hands.
“Peterson.”
“Harrison.”
Aftyn closed her eyes for a few seconds and inhaled deeply. Men.
“As you can see I have company. Can it wait until tomorrow?”
“It’s not urgent. I’ll stop by in the morning.”
“She won’t be here.” Cole’s voice was easy, almost pleasant. “She’ll be with me.”
Peterson shook his head slowly. “I’m sure you enjoyed sharing that.”
“Damn right.”
“Guys, please.” She looked at the ceiling. “I’ll contact you when I’m back, Mr. Peterson.”
Peterson held Cole’s gaze a beat longer, then nodded and let himself out. She listened to his footsteps on the stairs, then turned to Cole with her arms folded.
“What?” he said.
“What? You could feel the testosterone in the room. Geesh.”
“I don’t like him.”
“You don’t know him.”
“And you do?”
“He’s helping me find my sister. That’s all.” She paused. “How did he even know where I live?”
“He’s a PI. But he’s also attracted to you.”
She walked to Cole and slipped her arms around his waist. “I’m only attracted to you. You wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t.”
He kissed her, took her hand, and led her back to the sofa to finish their dinner.
****
After helping Aftyn clean up, Cole sank into the sofa and closed his eyes, the day’s tension slowly unwinding. It had been a long one, the kind that left dust in the creases of his jeans and a dull ache between his shoulder blades. He felt her fingertips brush the hair from his forehead and opened his eyes to find her watching him.
“You’re tired,” she said softly.
