Secrets Unsealed

Deacon stood outside her door, and she saw she’d automatically locked the doors after he’d left the car. Great, now I’m obeying his orders without realizing it. She got out of the car, leaving it to him to grab the keys.

Hurrying into the house, she let the familiar comfort fill her, pausing in the hallway to breathe in the scent of lavender, vanilla, and home.

“Smells girlie in here.” Deacon had followed and closed the door behind him, then set the security once more. “Did you spray the house with perfume before we left this morning?”

“I set out new candles.” Solene was a sucker for candlelight and flowers. Clichéd romantic decor, but hey, it was her house. A glance at the fading bouquet on her entry table told her she needed to pick up a new one.

“Not complaining,” Deacon said from right behind her. She hadn’t heard him move. “I like the way it smells. Fresh.” He had his face in the crook of her neck, and she froze. “Smells like you,” he said in a low voice.

She darted away, using the excuse to slip off her shoes and hang up her jacket to get some distance. She tried to calm her racing heart, needing anything but Deacon as a distraction. For some reason, she kept remembering that barely-there kiss from the restaurant.

She meant to tear into him for that, just as soon as she could think about it without turning pink.

“Solene?”

“Hang up your jacket and take off your shoes,” she snapped. “This isn’t a hotel, you know. I’m not the maid.”

A glance at him showed his amusement. Figured. Nothing irritated the man. Even her constant rejection only seemed to challenge him, not throw him off.

“Now, now. I’m perfectly capable of following the rules.” He tucked away his coat and shoes then joined her in the living room. “I gotta say, the more time I spend here, the more I can see what appeals to you. This place is amazing.”

“It should be. I paid a fortune for it.” Crass but true. “Bainbridge Island ain’t cheap.”

“But worth it. Those views of the ocean are killer.”

They stared out her back bay windows across her deck at the ocean beyond. The sun had set, but a full moon reflected off the choppy waves and turned the night sky into a starry lit evening. Her house on the water had come with a hefty price. She had way more space than she needed, an open floor plan, three huge bedrooms, an office, three baths, and a ginormous living/dining space that was overlooked by a grand kitchen.

Having worked her tail off modeling since the age of eleven, she’d more than earned her respite. Yet the past year or so, she’d been feeling lost in her home, almost…lonely.

Deacon standing so close made her feel safe and comfortable. As much as she complained about him taking up her space, she liked him being nearby. And that scared her almost as much as being so attracted to him did.

“So, are you really full?” she asked. “Or were you just saying that to get away from the lovebirds?”

He grimaced. “You know, I’m glad Noel found love and all, but those two are almost nauseating with all the smoochy crap.”

Solene laughed, relieved not to be the only one feeling that. “I thought it was just me being overwhelmed by the gooey eyes.”

“Nah. I was ready to be sick too.” Deacon stared at her, his gaze intense. He didn’t blink.

“What?”

“Shouldn’t you be sighing and wishing for that kind of lovesickness? Why are you so down on romance, anyway?” He followed her into the kitchen, where she put on water for tea. “You’re hot, loaded, smart. But not married or divorced.”

“Maybe I’ve got four ex-husbands and six kids stashed around here.”

“Nah, I checked.”

She frowned.

“I mean, Noel checked. You know he studied everyone even remotely connected with him—or his neighbor—when he first moved here.” He paused, fixed on her every move. “Although I would have investigated even if Noel hadn’t already.”

“Why?” At his sly grin, she changed the topic. “Never mind. Now tell me what you need help on, since I’m apparently forbidden from working anymore.”

“Come on, Solene. It’s not as if you love the daycare.”

She stared. “Huh? Of course I do. It’s my job.”

“But do you like it?”

“I revamped the place and made it a success in no time. It’s in the black already. And it was barely breaking even before I got into it.”

He just watched her.

“What?”

“You have yet to say you like what you do. Very telling.” He gave her that patronizing look that both annoyed her and made her want to laugh—well, laugh when he did it to someone else.

“Do you like what you do?” she asked.

“No.”

She blinked. “You don’t?”

“Solene, I kill people for a living. I don’t like that.”

“Oh. Well then, why do you do it?”

He shrugged and leaned over the wide kitchen island, watching her putter around the kitchen. “Somebody’s got to keep the scales tipped right-side up, and I’m good at it.”

“How did you get into the ‘Business’ anyway?”

“I’ll tell you if you tell me why you hate your job.”

“I don’t—”

“And why you hate men. Don’t lie; I can tell when you do.”

“No, you can’t.”

“Try it and see. There will be…consequences.” His voice turned smoky there at the end, and the butterflies in her belly swarmed at once, giving her tingles all over.

“Come on, Solene. An answer for an answer. I’ll tell you anything you want to know. For a price.”

She was dying to know all about him. But could she afford what she’d likely have to pay?