Page 46 of Shades of You

Guilt gnawed at me with hungry, sharp teeth. Even while I was entering Brenna’s building, I knew it was wrong. And when I saw her startled face, it hit home even more. Until the thrill of what I’d done eclipsed any rational thought. My pulse had raced, a mix of danger and desire coursing through my veins. And when she’d jumped—hell, it scared me too. But damn if it didn’t make me feel alive.Watching her expression morph from startlement to desire had obliterated any regret I’d had.

Until that regret had come back and taken up permanent residence.

Again.

As I rounded the corner onto Pelican Drive, I shook my head. Because that was the thing—I wasn’t the man for her, but I couldn’t stay away. I craved her like she was the oasis at the end of the desert, and I hardly dared to believe her reactions to me were real. I’d spent most of the nights since doing my best to make it up to her, and not just physically. Last night, I even read to her in bed from the tattered paperback on her nightstand, which happened to beLittle Women. Not my type of book but lying there reading out loud with her snuggled up against my chest had been one of the most amazing—mostright—things I’d ever experienced.

But we were playing with fire by keeping our relationship cloaked in shadows. Every stolen moment was intoxicating. We were supposed to be figuring out how to break the news to our families, except the secrecy added an edge that was too enticing to give up.

The town was stirring now, shutters opening and dogs barking in the distance. With one last look at the horizon where the sky kissed the sea, I turned and headed back. At least in the soft embrace of morning, I could pretend everything was simple. Just me, the open road, and the ghost of Brenna’s kiss lingering on my lips.

And that other thing I had to do today.

I was just a normal guy who had fallen in love with his girl over a decade ago but couldn’t admit that to her. A guy who happened to have scars crisscrossing his body and his soul.

Sweat clung to my skin as I pushed through the glassdoor of KeyMark Security. I entered the large open office space to find my two friends, now employees, already at work.

“Morning,” Garrett grunted, not looking up from his computer screen. Myles was at the desk beside him, leaning back in his chair and feet propped on the worktop as he scrolled on his phone.

Myles looked up and grinned. “Yeah, this is about right. The boss takes the day off to relax and we do all the hard work.”

I grabbed a cold bottle of water from the small fridge we kept in the room and drank it all in one shot. “It’s all part of my grand plan to make you feel useful, Decker.”

“Don’t taunt him, Myles.” Garrett shot him a dirty look. “Otherwise, he’ll never leave.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I said. My eyes darted to my open office door where the picture of Evan and me as kids still sat in the desk drawer. And the trophy lay in a box in the closet. I’d carried that trophy around for so many years, an albatross around my neck. Would today change any of that? Just the thought sent a mixture of uneasiness and dread slithering through me. I needed the distraction of work and pointed to Garrett. “Sorting out the new case?”

Garrett finally glanced up, then updated me on our new case with an ex-wife stalking her husband.

Myles set both feet on the ground. “The guy seemed pretty embarrassed about it at the intake interview, but I think we put him at ease.”

I nodded, having been there with Myles. And that was why I’d brought him. Light-haired and with a surfer-dude persona even as a Marine, easygoing Myles Decker had a way of making people feel comfortable. Unlike me. That particular skill of his had been invaluable when we wereMarine Raiders and needed information. Myles could have someone talking before they even knew what had happened. And despite his casual nature, he was utterly ruthless in a fight.

Garrett straightened in his chair. “The guy is convinced she’s been following him for weeks. We need to set up surveillance and get eyes on her before things escalate.”

It wasn’t so different than the situation with Brenna and Knox. Hopefully, it would end as anticlimactically. “Have you set up a schedule for monitoring her movements?” I asked.

“Myles is about to head out for day shift, and I’m covering tonight,” Garrett replied, his fingers already dancing over the keyboard, probably updating the schedule.

“Count me in for tomorrow.” I had a full day planned today but didn’t want the guys thinking I was slacking off too much.

“Noting it now,” Garrett responded as he typed.

“All right, I need a shower.”

“Pretty much the understatement of the century, dude,” Myles said with a laugh.

I grinned and flipped him off, then tossed the empty bottle in the recycling bin and headed for the stairs and my apartment. The pleasant ache of my morning workout pulled at my muscles. But there was also weightlessness, a sense of purpose that came with the job, with being part of something bigger than myself—a brotherhood forged under fire and solidified further in the quiet streets of our small town.

I let the hot water cascade over me, and steam filled the bathroom, enveloping me in a cocoon of warmth and tranquility. My fingers rubbed the shampoo into my hair as my thoughts scattered to the next task on my day’s agenda. Thebig one. A blend of excitement and nervousness built in my chest.

After stepping out of the shower and drying off, I dressed in black athletic shorts and a matching shirt. The fabric clung lightly to my damp skin as I downed a quick breakfast and tried to prepare mentally. When I descended the stairs, Myles called out to me.

“Hey, Hunter.”

I turned around and both men were looking at me. Myles was dead serious, not a trace of humor on his face. He nodded gravely. “Good luck today.”

I dragged a hand through my hair as Garrett added a solemn nod of his own. These two had known me for over a decade. They knew what today meant. “Thanks, guys.”

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