“Mornin’.”
Brantley peered up from his phone to see JJ walking in through the sliding glass door, a smile on her face despite the raindrops splattered on her hair. Two steps behind her was Baz, looking just as chipper as he swept a hand over his hair to shake off the water.
“Hey, there, girl,” JJ greeted Tesha when she ambled over to sniff out their company. “I know. The weather sucks, huh?”
According to the meteorologist, the rain should be letting up sometime in the near future, but it probably wasn’t going to be today. As it was, the storm that had rolled through had put a damper on his morning run. Then again, he’d gotten his exercise in another form, one involving water from a showerhead and a sinfully sexy man who’d bent over and let Brantley take him in the shower.
All in all, Brantley figured the rain wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
He set his phone on the counter and smiled back. “Mornin’. Coffee?”
JJ peered over her shoulder at Baz briefly before giving a reluctant shake of her head. “I’m not allowed.”
Baz rolled his eyes. “Then why’d you have one cup already this mornin’?”
JJ smiled sheepishly, winking at Brantley conspiratorially.
Brantley chuckled, then offered coffee to Baz.
“Nah. I’m abstaining to show solidarity for the pregnant gal.”
“More for me then,” he said, taking a sip of his own coffee. He found it amusing how JJ’s eyes caressed the mug like it was a long-lost lover.
The yearning look disappeared from JJ’s face as she skimmed the room. “Where’s Reese?”
“Shower.”
She popped her eyebrows dramatically. “Really? He’s naked, huh?”
“Settle down there,” Baz grumbled good-naturedly.
“Have a seat,” Brantley motioned to the stools at the island. “What brings y’all over here?”
“Nosy Nelly said we had to.”
“Hey, now.” JJ shot him a look over her shoulder. “I amnotnosy. Just … curious.”
“Same difference.”
Brantley took another sip of his coffee and watched the pair. Despite their bickering, or maybe because of it, they looked genuinely happy. It wasn’t something he was used to seeing when it came to JJ and her personal life. The woman did not make things easy on herself for whatever reason.
“Y’all are workin’ a case,” JJ accused, at the same time thunder rolled across the sky.
Brantley paused before taking another sip, the comment catching him off guard.
“Iknewit.” JJ’s eyes narrowed on his face, then rapid-fired more questions. “What is it? Who’re you lookin’ for? And why’m I not helpin’?”
“You meanwe,” Baz corrected.
“Right,” she said, sitting up straight. “Why aren’twehelpin’?”
Feeling cornered, Brantley glanced toward the hall that led to his bedroom. When Reese didn’t miraculously appear, he glanced back at JJ.
“Brantley Walker, you’re hidin’ somethin’ from me,” she declared, her gaze skimming his face as though she was trying to read his pores to get the whole story. “And the only reason you’d do that is if it’s a juicy backstory. Spill.”
“There’s no story.”
There was no heat in her tone when she said, “Liar.”
