“Are you all right?” he asked.
“Yes. I…I just need more time to think about everything.”
He nodded and positioned himself behind the steering wheel. He started the car and drove it out of the parking lot. For the first few minutes they were silent, but then he cleared his throat.
“I’m not going to Isabelle’s Escort Service now. It’s probably too late, anyway. We’ll go tomorrow.”
“All right.”
“Nine o’clock in the morning?”
She nodded. “I’ll meet you at the station.”
As silence came between them once again, she watched the road and tried to get her thoughts in order. Because her feelings were conflicting with her thoughts, she wanted to scream in frustration. Why did she get this way around Kurt? And why now did he choose this time in her life to confess his love? If only he’d done that before she’d met Austin.
Now what was she going to do? For being a woman who was always in control, she felt as if she was on a spinning ride at the amusement park that had kicked into overdrive. There was only one thing she could do—go and see Austin tonight and finish telling him what she’d started at the park.
She only let Kurt kiss her briefly when he’d returned her to her car. From there she drove to Austin’s hotel and hurried up to the penthouse suite. Knocking on the door, she prayed he’d be home—and he’d be alone.
Austin answered the door wearing the same clothes he had on when they’d met at the park. His eyes widened, and he took her arm to pull her inside.
“What are you doing here?” he questioned. “Not that I’m disappointed, though. I’m just surprised.”
“I just had to see you tonight. I desperately need to finish our talk that we had earlier.”
“I would like that very much. I also, have something to share with you.” He motioned his hand to the sofa. “But you go first. By the determined look on your face, I assume it’s more important than what I have to say.”
She nodded and followed him to the sofa. They sat close by each other, which was good. She had always been a touchy-feely person, and she needed that contact with him—if only to help get rid of the confusion still lurking in the dark recesses of her mind.
Once she was comfortable, she took a deep breath of courage. “Austin, I’ve been hiding something from you since we met, and I can’t go another minute without confessing the truth.”
Worried lines appeared on his forehead and around his eyes.
She quickly continued. “You’re such an awesome person, and I feel you need to know what’s really going on with me. I don’t want to lie to you any longer, but when you hear my explanation, I hope you’ll soon forgive me.”
“What’s this all about, Brittany?”
She swallowed hard and then licked her dry lips. “Before I entered your suite that Tuesday afternoon, I was waiting for back up…so my partner could come in with me. You see, I was given the assignment to interview you, but I was in the middle of my father’s engagement luncheon, so I was rather dressed up for the occasion.” She swept a hand over her clothes. “This is what I usually wear when I’m fighting criminals. And this,” she reached into her purse and pulled out her badge and G42, “is usually what I wear in plain sight while I’m at work.”
Pausing, she studied his expression. Just as when she had chased after the purse-snatcher, Austin’s face was slowly losing color.
“My partner and I,” she quickly resumed, “were supposed to ask you questions in regards to the Hillary Banks’ case. But when my partner didn’t show up, and I heard the thumping noise in your suite, I had no other choice but to go inside to see what was happening. I announced myself, but you didn’t respond. Of course, that was when you came out of the bathroom and caught me.”
He nodded in hesitation. “Why did you lead me to think you were a call girl?”
“When I first saw you, I literally lost my breath.” She chuckled lightly. “You’d startled me, but it was more than that. I’ve never seen a more handsome man in my life, and well…I was at a loss for words, as you could tell. I was extremely embarrassed because of the dress I was wearing, and I realized you wouldn’t have believed I was a police detective if I had my gun pulled on you…wearing the red dress. That’s another reason why I decided to be someone else. At the time, though, I wasn’t sure who you thought I was.”
He wore a blank expression as he shook his head. “I’m sure you were quite surprised when I said the things I had.”
“You havenoidea.” She laughed. “And when I left and met up with my partner later, he was the one who thought I should go undercover to finish collecting information from you. That’s why I came to your place yesterday.”
His jaw hardened, and the light in his green eyes disappeared. “You were wired when you were with me last night?”
“Yes, in a way. Our conversation was being recorded…well, up until we started arm wrestling. That’s when I decided to take out my earpiece.”
His gaze narrowed on her. “Why did you want to take it out?”
“Because I didn’t want Kurt in my ear any longer.”
