Hide & Seek

Nathan winked and stood up, watching her with a smile. It would have been so easy to give in, but he really was hungry. And if truth be told, he needed a moment. The events of the night before had been powerful, socking a punch to his emotions that he’d never felt before, and he’d awoken knowing he was in a serious bind.

Heading into the living room where his pants lay crumpled on the floor, he put them on, not bothering with his shirt. He bent over, picking up a withered blossom that had fallen from a vase of flowers, lifting it to his nose and still detecting the sweet scent. He thought about bringing flowers to bed, and rubbing that scent all over Jen’s skin. His cock twitched at the thought and he sighed—he was a goner.

Memories from last night assaulted him, followed by a wave of disgust at what he knew he had to do—and this was the perfect opportunity. He heard the shower come on, and took a deep breath, his smile fading. It was too easy to forget about what he’d learned, too tempting to just set it aside and refuse to do the department’s dirty work. A twist of shame knotted in his chest—he cared about her, nevertheless he had a job to do. What a shitty wall to be backed up against.

If what they said was true, then Jennie’s—Maria’s—existence could be a threat to all of their lives, no matter how impossible that seemed. And if by investigating her possible guilt he could prove she was innocent…that idea alone motivated him to move forward, his heart pounding.

He whispered her real name, closing his eyes and feeling the sound of it cross his lips. He’d always liked her as Jennie, but last night, she’d been Maria—dark, exotic, stunning.

He stood, peeking around the doorway to reassure himself that she was still in the shower, and walked to her dressers, lifting the tops of the small, decorative jewelry boxes, checking the bottom for hidden compartments and doing the same in her drawers and closet.

Moving swiftly and efficiently, he made his way back out to her desk, checked the drawers, her desktop, under the blotter—and found her password scrawled on the back of a restaurant receipt, buried in a sentence reminding her to make reservations next time.

It was clever—anyone else looking wouldn’t have any idea, thinking it was just a note on the back of a receipt, but Nathan spotted the acronym that formed with the first letter of each word, and added in the amount of the bill at the end—presto. He turned on her computer—the password worked, and he quickly shut it down. No time for that now.

Poking around a bit more, he found nothing else. Had he really expected to? Jennie wasn’t stupid; she wouldn’t leave evidence lying around. A thorough search through her computer files might expose something more. Still, he couldn’t repress his relief that at least so far, he’d found absolutely nothing to substantiate the claims against her.

He heard the water shut off and hurried into the kitchen, whipping open the refrigerator door and in the process nearly sending the items inside flying out.

Luckily, he was swiftly able to throw an assortment of foods on the table—fruit, cheese, jam, some bagels and half of a grocery-store Danish she had left. He found the coffee on the counter, started a pot. He could hear Jennie shuffling around in the bedroom, drawers opening and closing. A few minutes later she walked into the kitchen, fresh in her white satin robe.

“This looks wonderful—thank you.”

“Let me get the coffee—it’s almost done. Black, right?”

She looked up, her gaze curious. “How did you know that?”

“It’s how you took your espresso last night. And I’ve seen you drink black coffee at the office, remember?”

She shook her head, and laughed. He’d have to be careful. She was always “on”—it was a hazard of the job.

“I’m not used to anyone noticing things like that. Or being so sweet.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t have time to cook anything.” He meant that more than she could know.

“This is great. I don’t always eat breakfast. Much of the stuff I buy goes to waste, so it’s nice to share it with someone.”

They sat, and suddenly the easy banter disappeared, and things felt a little awkward. Nathan wasn’t sure what changed. They silently ate their breakfast. Finally, Jennie’s shoulders sagged, and a sigh escaped her lips.

“What’s wrong, Jen?”

“Nothing…I don’t know. It’s been amazing, last night, now, sitting here with you, but—”

“Too much too fast?”

“I don’t know. I like being with you. I want this, but I’m not sure I can promise you anything more than this, Nathan. And we should make that clear before things get any more…involved.”

“Why? Are you secretly married? A CIA spy or something?”

She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. Had he stumbled too close to the truth?

“No, nothing that dramatic. I never planned on getting seriously involved with anyone, and that hasn’t changed.”