Finn’s face went beet red. “I can’t believe you’re even considering this!”
“Why not? He’s got a locked gate, a top-notch alarm, cameras, motion sensors around the property. I took a peek into his security room and it was pretty impressive.”
“The best security system in the world isn’t going to help when it keeps you locked in with a murderer.”
“He’s not a murderer,” she said in an even tone.
And this time there was no doubt in her mind. Maybe Finn didn’t trust in Cole’s alibi, but she did. In her profession she’d come across a lot of pretty awful people. She knew a bad man when she saw one, and Cole Donovan was not a bad man.
“You’re not going home with him,” Finn said, making a frustrated sound in the back of his throat. “I agree that you need protection, now that someone tried to bring you harm, but you can stay with me.”
She crossed her arms. “At your isolated farmhouse?”
Finn’s lips tightened. “Fine, then leave town. We’re not making any headway with the case anyway.”
She experienced a burst of irritation. “I’m not leaving Serenade until we catch this killer, Finn. You asked for my help. So guess what—you’re stuck with me. And I think staying at Cole’s place isn’t such a bad idea.”
Finn raked both hands through his black hair, then let out a string of curses that would’ve made her blush if she weren’t so pissed off. “I can’t believe this,” he muttered. With a scowl he stalked toward the door, over his shoulder adding, “I swear, Jamie, if he pulls something, you’ll have nobody to blame but yourself.”
Finn stormed out of the room, leaving her staring at the doorway in shock. For a moment she was tempted to run after him, but she forced herself to stay put. She understood his anger stemmed from concern, that he was truly worried about her safety, but she didn’t appreciate being treated like a dumb kid. She could protect herself, with or without Cole’s offer to stay with him, but a good security system didn’t hurt. She just wished Finn would put aside his damn dislike for Cole and see that she had nothing to fear from him.
“Uh, yeah. So I didn’t mean to cause trouble between you two.”
She glanced up at the sound of Cole’s voice. He looked uncomfortable as he reentered the room, his dark eyes flickering apologetically.
“Finn is just being overprotective,” she said with a sigh.
“I don’t blame him. Someone tried to kill you today.” He gave an awkward pause. “I couldn’t help but overhear— Finnegan wasn’t trying to be quiet about it—but…did Gideon really sign a statement backing up my story?”
“He did,” she confirmed.
His handsome face lit up, stealing the breath right out of her lips. He looked even more gorgeous without that crease of worry in his forehead. And his voice was husky as he said, “Thank you for getting the truth out of him.”
“My pleasure,” she murmured.
They watched each other for a few seconds, and then Cole let out a breath. “I’m sorry if I was unreasonably harsh before, when I said we couldn’t be friends.”
“You were right,” she said quietly.
“I was wrong,” he corrected. “Just because we shouldn’t act on this crazy attraction between us doesn’t mean we can’t be friends. And I really think you should stay with me until the sheriff finds the person who messed with your car.”
She hesitated.
“Please,” Cole added, his voice gruff. “Let me do this for you. You got the truth from Gideon, the least I can do is make sure you have a safe place to stay.”
Jamie bit her lower lip, feeling her resolve crumble. His house was more secure than her room at the B&B, and though she wasn’t going to say it aloud, the car accident had left her pretty shaken. Somebody had intentionally cut her brake lines. Whether her death was the ultimate goal didn’t matter. She could have been seriously injured, and it troubled her to know she’d made an enemy in this town, that someone truly wanted to hurt her.
But was placing herself in close quarters with Cole a good idea? Her body continued to betray her whenever this man was around. Each time she looked into his charcoal eyes she melted. She was drawn to him, aroused by him. Yet she knew getting involved with him would be a mistake. Not only did they come from different worlds, but she was trying to solve his ex-wife’s murder. She might not be working the case officially, but she had a strict code when it came to sex on the job.
Then don’t have sex with him.
The nonchalant thought gave her pause. Because really, why was she assuming that staying at Cole’s house automatically meant they’d sleep together? She was thirty-two years old. Surely she could muster up some self-control and keep her hands off the man.
“Okay,” she finally said.
“Okay?” he echoed.
She exhaled a long breath. “I’ll come home with you.”
Chapter 10