Page 91 of High Seduction
“Nope. I’ll deal with the RCMP. Only when you’re on duty again? Make a note to check the narcotics.”
“Done.” Tim breathed a little easier. “Lock up tight, and we’ll be back in a few days.”
Dealing with Marcus’s questions had been good for him, even though he wondered at the rash of break-ins Banff was experiencing. Between the call and the fresh air, his mood had turned, and he’d lost more of his bottled frustration.
He let himself back in the house and made his way upstairs, somehow unsurprised to discover Matt waiting for him in the living room. His friend’s appearance was too timely to be coincidental.
Tim slowed to a stop at Matt’s deliberate throat clearing. “What?”
Matt dropped the paper he was hiding behind, folding it carefully and placing it to one side. “That woman is in love with you.”
Tim laughed, unable to remain annoyed at his friend for his obvious upcoming interference. “You’re a relationship expert now?”
His friend shrugged. “She’s got all the signs of it, in case you’re too close to notice. She told me everything, by the way. Everything that happened back in the old days, and what she did this morning. She’s in the gym working out the advice I gave her.”
“Which was?”
“That she needs to trust you all the time.” Matt rose to his feet and paced toward him. “Tim, I’ve been your friend for years. We’ve done some crazy things together, and I don’t trust you just because you saved my life. You’re an amazing man in so many ways. I don’t think she understands how much thought and caring you put into being in charge.”
Sudden clarity struck, and Tim felt damn near light-headed with the rush of inspiration.Holy fucking shit.“Matt, you’re a genius.”
His intense approval made Matt pause. “Well, thanks, but—”
“No, I’m serious. Damn.Damn.” After all his concern regarding how he was going to move them forward, the idea triggered by Matt’s casual comment was like having an impossible algebra equation magically unfold before him. “You know how I asked if you’d help me give Erin a fantasy? Would you be willing to also help straighten out this mess?”
A crease formed between Matt’s brows. “I don’t know what more I can do than offer advice. I mean, I’m willing, but what do you have in mind?”
Tim paused, ideas rushing him, but the specifics still falling into place. “Give me a bit to work out the details, but your point is valid. Shedoesn’tknow everything I think about heading into a situation, sexual or otherwise. Maybe that needs to change. Maybe what Erin needs is a hands-on dose of being completely in charge, not just the bit of holding back I was doing over the last couple of months. It might be the eye-opener we both need.”
Matt clasped him by the shoulder, his smile growing firmer as he nodded. “Whatever I can do to help, I’m your man.”
Tim slapped his back earnestly, then took off to figure out exactly the right way to make his point.
Erin was going to be his because she would know one hundred percent he was not only what she needed, but what shewanted. Heart and soul.
No turning back. Her body, her choice—it had to be for him.
CHAPTER25
It was one thing to know where they had to go. It was another situation entirely to convince another person to take them both there. Tim changed quickly and headed down to the workout room before Erin could vanish.
She had finished her run and was seated on the floor stretching. Her dark eyes tracked him cautiously as he headed straight across the room into her space. When he squatted and wrapped his fingers around the back of her neck, leaning their foreheads together, tension oozed out of her like a slow leak in a punctured tire.
“It’s going to be okay,” he whispered. “We’ll figure it out.” They weren’t typical words for a vow, but it was still a promise.
Erin nodded silently, and he ignored the extra moisture welling in her eyes. A bit more space was called for, so he pressed his lips to her forehead, then stepped away.
He headed to the free weights and grabbed a couple of light dumbbells to use for warmup. “Matt’s got some business to take care of this morning, so he said for us to help ourselves to breakfast. He’ll be free after lunch.”
“I thought he was on holidays until Wednesday?”
Tim met her gaze in the mirrors. “He’s giving us time to work this out.”
“Just like that?” Utter misery in her voice. “We can get rid of years of baggage in a moment?”
“Make a start then. Move forward.”
Erin didn’t answer.
