Page 87 of Building Courage

“I hope they are.” She slid open the bottom drawer of her workstation and froze. An electric feeling of shock charged through her, and for a moment, she couldn’t breathe. “My-my SSD is gone. Every website I’ve worked on, every design I’ve done, every photo I’ve taken, every podcast I’ve recorded in the last three years is on that drive.”

“You have them saved off-site.”

“Yes, of course, but…” Her stomach turned, and she felt almost sick. This was her work, her business. The damage they could do… She dropped her head in her hands as a fresh wave of anxiety hollowed her belly.

Tucker laid a hand on her shoulder, and it took her a moment to control her expression before she looked up.

“Pack whatever you need for tomorrow, including any of the equipment you want to take. I want you to stay with me.”

She closed the laptop and rose.

“We’ll figure out what to do later.”

That one word we’ll landed on her heart, and she struggled to maintain her composure. She turned to lean against him and breathed in the masculine scent that was distinctly him.

As he held her, his arms provided the haven she needed.

“It’s going to be okay, Brynn.”

Chapter 25

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Tucker wasn’t surprised that Brynn kept it together. She’d had plenty of practice in the past. Had he not looked for signs of stress, he’d have never noticed she was still upset. The slight tremor of her hands and the way she kept biting her bottom lip were barely noticeable.

It had been a good move to host dinner in Jess and Oliver’s apartment. It gave Brynn a chance to recover from the realization someone had been in her space She’d stay with him until they figured out their next move.

He loaded several cushioned bags holding cameras and equipment and an external hard drive she’d unearthed to replace the SSD drive. He studied the cases and wondered how much space she might need to move it all. They could convert his weight room into her office. There was room there for the cabinets in the living room. And the others in her bedroom could go in the garage.

The fact that he was thinking of a way for her to move into his house was…. It hadn’t been long enough for either of them to think about it, but she slipped into his life so easily. He enjoyed spending time with her. They liked some of the same things. She was open to learning new things. When he was busy, she didn’t bitch, but found things she needed to get done, so they had a working rhythm.

Even with her hair slicked back from the wetsuit hood and the furrows in her face from the mask, he wanted her. All he had to do was look at her and the need to carry her off to the nearest bed and lay claim… The way her sherry-colored eyes went dark when she was aroused…He was getting hard just thinking about it.

But it went beyond that. Since they’d been together, she’d lost some of that wariness in her gaze and stance. Still, she wasn’t as open with him as he wanted her to be. Her trip to Bryant’s office and the police station still bothered him.

The moment she’d leaned into him for comfort…there had been something in her face that had taken his breath.

Oliver appeared at the door and held it for Brynn while she exited the building. She turned to rest her hand on his arm and say something, then took her overnight bag from him. Her long, dancer-like stride carried her forward. Her postcard-sized purse strap draped across her body, and her laptop case hung off one shoulder. Her mane of caramel-streaked hair fell on either side of her beautiful, heart-shaped face.

Damn! He was crazy about her.

“I told Jess about what happened,” she said.

“I thought you might give her a heads-up. I asked Oliver to walk you down while I loaded the car.”

She nodded. “I didn’t want to say anything to Martin. He’s overwhelmed right now, but Jess said she and Oliver will keep an eye on him. The police said they’d meet me at my apartment and dust for prints tomorrow. I told them I was leaving with you and to call me when they needed to be let in. They’re looking at it that it was probably Tate who broke into my apartment.”

He took the laptop bag from her shoulder and pushed it between two camera bags. She shoved the overnight case into an empty slot.

He drew her in against him. “He’s going to be okay. The super repaired the doorknob and the lock, and Tate’s in jail. I think Martin may have planned to break up with Tate at the spa, hoping to avoid what happened.”

“You’re probably right. He’s been unhappy for a while now.” She seemed emotionally drained. And who wouldn’t be? She’d dealt with one issue after another all day. And they had more to talk about once they were at his house.

“I’ll be right behind you all the way home.”

“Okay.”

Once at the house, he had her park her car in the garage. “Your cameras will be safer inside, and you won’t have to unload any of it until you need it.”

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