Page 76 of High Seduction
Extra time off. She wasn’t sure what they would do with it.
Her stay with Tim at Matt’s had been—she hated to be cheesy and saymagical, but it certainly hadn’t been real life. Maybe that was why she’d been so willing to let Tim take control.
I let him take control because that’s what I wanted.
And there it was again. That edge of honesty that cut into her fear. There really was no going back. It wouldn’t be fair to either of them. Either she confirmed what she’d said to Tim before about enjoying what he’d arranged, or she needed to call this relationship off and let them both move on.
Only confirming that she wanted more of what they’d shared on the island also meant they had to have a serious discussion, and soon. Their past wasn’t going to vanish without a trace, and the longer she held off discussing it, the harder it got.
Tim caught her eye and straightened. All his attention focused tightly on her. Watching, assessing. Like he did during sex. Like he did all the time. The cheeky wink he tossed her did nothing to answer her dilemma, except... it was such a purely instinctive Tim move, she had to smile in response.
Maybe that was her answer. Things with Tim would move forward, and they’d see what came next. What came naturally.
And at the end of it all, she hoped she still had herself as well as him.
***
It was crowded around the grill, but Tim didn’t mind. He was in his glory. Erin hadn’t been far off in her tease about him getting maximum mileage out of sharing their adventure.
Their time with the group was also a great distraction from having to make the next set of plans. He knew what he wanted, but first he needed confirmation from Erin for the go-ahead.
Getting the catch-up time with the team was important, but he was itching for the next step.
“You had far more luck than you should have,” Anders pointed out, a murmur of agreement rippling through the group as Tim, along with Matt’s enthusiastic additions, finished their story.
“Luck was a big part of it.” Matt pointed in the window. “Luck and that lady. When I heard the propellers stall I thought we were going to plummet straight down and be gone in one huge explosive fireball.”
“Erin’s the best.” Tripp leaned on the wall, one arm around his boyfriend. “Although I can’t imagine autorotation becoming a popular method of transportation.”
“Better than the spinning thing she had us doing a minute earlier.” Matt shuddered. “God, I need another drink just thinking about it.”
Tim slapped him on the shoulder. “You did great. Most people react like Red. You only whimpered for your mommy.”
“Ass,” Matt replied without rancor.
Marcus laughed. “I’m glad everything worked out.”
“Not everything.” Tim didn’t want to dwell on it, but he was still wondering. “I wish I could figure out what those guys were doing in the middle of nowhere. It wasn’t drugs, but it was obviously something important enough they felt the need to kill a man and kidnap us to get off the mountain before the authorities arrived—it makes no sense.”
“Did the police pick up the guys at the cabin?” Tripp asked.
Tim shook his head. “Got a call this morning from our contact. The police made it to the cabin before morning, but the men were already gone. Must have had a car in one of the outbuildings. Good thing we got Red arrested—it’s probably the only thing keeping him safe right now.”
Tripp frowned. “You and Erin aren’t in any danger, are you?”
“Nah,” Tim reassured him. “There’s no reason for them to want to see us again. They’re probably thankful they don’t have to deal with us.”
“I don’t even want to think whatdealing with usmight have meant,” Matt said.
Tim patted him on the back. “We’re safe. End of story.”
“And it’s a good end,” Marcus affirmed. “Matt, if you need a hand while you’re here, I’m yours. I can drive you to Calgary if that’s where you’re flying home from.”
“I’ll let you know if I need anything,” Matt promised. “Oh, that reminds me.”
He passed something to Marcus.
Marcus then glanced down, confusion drifting across his face. “Your business card. Thanks.”
