Page 36 of Baited

He had to crouch to keep them both engulfed in water. People frolicked around them, a child squealed in delight as his father threw him into the air to land with a splash, a Frisbee soared over their heads…and Riley didn’t take her eyes off him.

He moved his hands to support her upper thighs, bringing her even closer. Her lips hovered inches away from his. All he had to do was lean in…no. If he tried, she would bolt.

“It’s a long story, so I’ll keep it short. I reside in Seattle, and I came here to get lost for a while. After spending several years in the military and recon, I worked with the FBI. I was with the human trafficking task forces for almost two years.”

Her eyebrows rose and her breath sucked in. A beat passed. “And you’re just telling me this now?”

“When was I supposed to tell you? You’ve never asked me anything about myself.”

“But if I had of known…”

“You didn’t exactly give me the chance to tell you, Riley.”

One blazing green eye narrowed at him. “Fine, I guess I deserve that—”

“No, you don’t. I understand you’ve been going through a lot. I want to be your friend, and I want to do what I can to find Hanna. But we also need to talk more about what’s been going on with you. Have there been any more threats other than the ones I know about?”

Her eyes grew small and shifted to the lapping waves at his side. His radar prickled.

“Riley?” he prompted.

Her hands tightened at the back of his neck. “No. I just can’t shake that voicemail and hearing her scream.” Her voice wavered over the words as if it took great effort to speak them. Her eyes grew small and her body tense.

“I want to hear it.” Sandpaper of tension against the walls of his throat made his voice rough. He twisted his mouth indetermination. “From now on, we work together. If anything else happens, I want you to tell me.”

“I will. I promise.” A beat passed and she squinted at him. “Wait, you said you were with the FBI. So you’re not anymore?” Her hands slid from his neck to his shoulders as she eased out of his hold. She dropped to her feet in front of him, her nose barely reached his sternum.

“No. Like I said, it’s a long story. I’m in the middle of changing careers, hence the long vacation. But I have a lot of connections, ones that could really help in this situation. My friend Nathan is a special agent with the FBI. I’ve already requested that Joe send over Hanna’s file. He’s going to get back to me by the end of the week and see what he can piece together.”

Her shoulders stiffened. “Oh my god. Do you think they can find her?” She bounced on her toes.

Shit. He hadn’t meant to get her hopes up. He rested his hands on her shoulders and leaned down. “They’re going to try. No promises or guarantees. But it’s a big help.”

Her hands fell to rest on her hips. “Wait a minute, you went ahead and did all this before talking to me? What if I would have said I didn’t want your help?”

His fingers moved over her skin. “To be honest, I wasn’t asking your permission. If there’s something I can do to help, I’m going to do it whether you like it or not.”

She moved closer to him. Her teeth pierced her bottom lip before a grin spread across her face, her eyes shone. “This means a lot to me. Thank you, Ethan.”

He shrugged. “Don’t mention it. But no more partying, all right? We have real work to do.”

She laughed and splashed him. Satisfaction rippled through him. He’d cracked the barrier of armor around her even more. It had taken everything he had, and her smile had made it allworth it. He lifted her in his arms, her squeal of laughter echoed around them as he dunked them both under the waves.

Now all he had to do was keep himself in check and his mind off getting her naked.

CHAPTER 10

Riley rested againstthe counter. Holy shit, what a busy lunch hour. Only a few customers remained, and it would likely be quiet until dinner. Jenny nudged Riley’s shoulder and poured herself a glass of water.

“Bet you wish you hadn’t switched your weekend shifts.” She eyed Riley, and then sipped her water. Riley hadn’t had a chance to talk to Jenny since she’d come in at eight-thirty. Josh dried his hands on a towel as he left the kitchen and entered the dining area.

“Did you see that fight that broke out at the Beach Bash Saturday night?” he asked. Riley crossed one ankle over the other. She had witnessed a fight all right, but not the one Josh was referring to. And it had been more of a beat down from Ethan than a fair fight from the creep who had tried to take her to the motel.

“No.” She tucked her hair behind her ear. “I didn’t end up staying that late.”

Jenny’s eyebrows rose. “How come?”

“Jen, can you top me up please?”

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