“I believe you.”
Those three words caused his throat to tighten. Gratitude flooded every part of his body, and he found himself locking his gaze with hers. “Thank you.” The lump at the back of his throat grew even bigger. “But I meant what I said before. We can’t be friends, Jamie. Right now, my only concern is staying out of prison, and I can’t drag anyone else down with me.”
Though she looked sad, she gave a slight nod. “You were right, anyway. I’m not sure this attraction between us is conducive to a friendship.”
He swept his gaze over rumpled clothing and mussed-up hair, and a sigh lodged in his chest. “Friendship might be hard to manage.”
A silence fell. Cole watched as Jamie picked up her purse from the floor and slung the strap over her shoulder. Neither of them spoke as they headed for the front door, the slow pace revealing the hesitation Cole felt, which she must be feeling as well. But it was for the best. Every cell in his body might be pleading with him to take this woman to bed, but he couldn’t act on the foolish impulse.
His last relationship had died a fiery death, all thanks to him throwing caution into the wind and jumping into something without thinking. And now his life was in shambles.
Sleeping with Jamie wouldn’t fix a damn thing. It would only add to his current stress levels. Yes, he knew that Jamie Crawford was nothing like his ex-wife. She wouldn’t betray him. Wouldn’t destroy him.
Or at least he didn’t think she would.
But that sliver of doubt couldn’t be ignored. Teresa had made it impossible for him to ever fully trust another woman. He refused to be played for a fool again. And if that meant staying away from Jamie Crawford, then that was something he was willing—not happy to, but willing—to do.
Chapter 8
Jamie’s entire body was trembling as she hurried down the porch steps of Cole’s house and made a beeline for her car. What had she done? Coming to Cole to offer support was one thing, but nearly having sex with the man? Thank God he’d stopped them before she made a huge mistake.
She slid into the driver’s seat and took a calming breath, then glanced in the rearview mirror. Her reflection floored her. Tousled hair, swollen lips, a rosy glow to her cheeks.
She tore her gaze away and drew more air into her lungs. So she’d given in to her primal urges and almost slept with Cole Donovan. She’d made a mistake, and she’d always prided herself on being able to learn from her mistakes. All she had to do was recognize that sleeping with Cole would be a terrible error in judgment and make sure she didn’t give in to temptation again.
Because really, what was the point in jumping into an affair with this man? Cole wasn’t the man she envisioned when she thought about settling down with a husband and children. She wanted someone to balance her out, a man who was kind, stable, who’d be a good father. Someone whose job wasn’t as demanding as hers. Cole was a multimillionaire real estate developer, for Pete’s sake. He was probably as busy as she was, if not more so. They’d never be able to make it work.
Oh, and he was a murder suspect.
How could she forget that little tidbit? But for the life of her, she still couldn’t bring herself to believe that Cole Donovan was a killer.
As confusion spun through her body, she started the car and placed her trembling hands on the steering wheel. She needed to get out of here. Away from this house. Away from Cole. Everything he’d said back there had been right. They couldn’t get involved. And they couldn’t be friends. He was a suspect, she was the cop investigating his ex-wife’s death.
Then start investigating.
The annoying voice in her head gave her pause, causing her to slow the SUV as she drove through the gate on Cole’s property. The image of Cole’s ravaged face burned across her brain, the defeated tone of his voice as he’d spoken about kicking a man when he’s down. The way he’d mocked her about being scared of him. The choked words—“Don’t feel sorry for me.”
God, she had to help him. Maybe she really was a total idiot, but she didn’t like to see anyone suffer. Especially a man as strong and powerful as Cole.
Lifting her chin in resolve, she accelerated swiftly and took a left turn, not in the direction of town, but towards Joe Gideon’s cabin. Gideon was the key. The one holding Cole’s freedom in his hands. The man had lied to her when she’d gone to see him. He must have seen Cole that night, only he was too damn stubborn to tell the truth.