Page 16 of Wicked Rush

“Trust, Brae.” His voice went soft. “Not always easy, but it feels good.”

Braelynn’s gaze fell to his lips and returned once again to his eyes. How in the hell did eating bacon become so damn sexy? Her cheeks heated as he smiled at her as if he’d read her thoughts.

“I rearranged a few business meetings so we’d have more time,” he said, changing the subject.

“Meetings,” she repeated. Holy shit. I have officially become inarticulate around this man. Help me. She shook her head and continued. “I could come back another time.”

“Sorry, sweetheart. Nice try, though.” He laughed and reached for a towel, wiping the grease from his hand.

“A girl’s gotta try.” She almost asked if she could lick his fingers but thought better of it.

“It’s a gorgeous morning. If you promise not to go scaling down the cliff, we can eat out back.”

“Ha, ha,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“Come,” he said, walking toward the sliding glass door.

He flicked a switch and the glass wall slid open, exposing an immaculate patio. Braelynn followed him in awe, taking in the sight of the enormous rectangular swimming pool. Surrounded by herringbone brick pavers, the water sparkled in the morning sunlight. She looked to the lawn. What had seemed like miles in the dark was only fifty feet to the cliff’s edge.

“Have a seat.” Lars pointed to a lounger.

“But what about you?” she asked, ignoring his demand.

“I’ll be right back. We’ll eat out here in a few minutes.”

A bark sounded from behind her and she turned to see a tumbling ball of fur spiraling toward her. She laughed, and instinctively went to her knees. As the dog ran into her, she embraced the sweet animal.

“Who are you?” she asked, her voice high as if she were talking to a baby. “Oh I know…you are such a good dog, aren’t you?”

“Sasha,” he half-heartedly scolded.

Braelynn glanced up to see him smiling, shaking his head.

“Sasha. What a beautiful name. Oh yes.” She giggled as a wet tongue brushed her cheek.

“Okay, girl, come on now.” Lars clapped his hands and the pup obediently ran to him. “Sorry about that. She, uh, she gets excited pretty easily.”

“She’s adorable.” Braelynn shoved to her feet.

“Thanks. She’s a rescue.” He rubbed his hands over the dog’s ears, who enthusiastically wagged her tail in return.

“I love dogs. I used to have…” Braelynn reconsidered sharing the tragedy of what had happened to her beloved family pet. It was found dead along with her mother’s body in the car crash. The painful memory gutted her and the discussion would only lead to more questions she couldn’t answer. She turned to the chair and sat, hoping he’d drop the topic.

“You have pets, huh? Where do you live?”

“San Diego.” She ran her palm over the ultra-soft covering, avoiding eye contact. “I’ve got a cat.”

“San Diego, huh? Never would’ve guessed.” Lars tilted his head and blew out a breath. “Bacon. Trust.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked, aware she hadn’t answered him. As she had no intention of providing her address, the vague reply suited her.

“That means we are going to be here a lot longer than I anticipated.” A beeper sounded in the kitchen, and he pointed to Braelynn. “You. Stay here. No running down to the beach.”

“I like the beach,” she countered.

“Did you know that San Diego has over seventy miles of coastline?” he asked as he turned to walk away.

“I study organisms in the ocean, not geography, but that sounds about right.” She blinked as the sunshine blinded her.

“Big place,” he replied with a sigh. “It’s going to be a helluva long morning, Doc.”

Sasha happily trotted beside Lars as he disappeared into the kitchen, and Braelynn threw her head back against the chaise. She hated lying to Lars. She glanced to her bitten fingernails and wondered if she could survive another day. She was so close to getting the data back. Soon, she’d be free.

She took a deep breath and wrapped her arms around her waist. As the healing sun penetrated her skin, warming her entire body, she dreamt of a life where she no longer lived in fear. What if Lars could forgive her? Let her into his life? Wanting to tell the truth, yearning to trust, it seemed so easy to roll the dice and let the chips fall where they may.