“I’ve got no doubt you’re capable,” she said, eyes searching his. “It’s just…risky.”
Now, this, he liked. A lot, in fact. He couldn’t hold back his smile and leaned in, cupping her chin. “Are you worried about me, Elise?”
She blushed, something she didn’t do often. “We just don’t know what we’re up against or why this is happening. I don’t like sending anyone into that situation. You’re going in blind.”
“Ah, I see.” He brushed his thumb across her bottom lip, wishing they could forget Connie’s and Isaac’s bullshit all together and get lost in each other. “You know what I think?”
“What’s that?” she asked, her voice husky.
“That you are worried about me. And I like it.” Things were shifting between them, and he liked where that shift was taking them. He closed the distance and pressed his mouth against hers, relishing in the way her lips parted, inviting him in to take anything he wanted. “Keep doing that, all right?”
When she backed away, she rolled her eyes. “Again, don’t go getting a big head about it.”
“Oh, I’m getting a big something about it.” He winked, and her infectious laughter filled the truck as he drove away.
Chapter 12
Elise had spent the remainder of the day sitting behind her desk, keeping an eye on Connie and Isaac through the location on their cell phones. Thank you, Penny. Both stayed at the house for a couple of hours but parted ways after. Connie went home to her husband. Isaac went back to work. Elise dug harder, looking through all the files Penny sent her way. Even after hours of searching, she hit a dead end. They hadn’t taken another step out of place. No one approached Rhys to blackmail him over sharing more details about Phoenix. But an idea began to present itself right as her cell phone rang. One look at the screen revealed it was Archer.
She hit the speakerphone. “I was just about to call you,” she said by way of greeting.
“I beat you to it, then.”
She smiled at the warmth in his voice. “Can I go first, or do you have something pressing to tell me?”
“Go ahead. My news can wait.”
Elise turned in her swivel chair, staring out at the city skyline, the sun nearly blinding against one of the windows of the skyscraper. “The police called to tell me they made an arrest on my break-in. Both the professional thief and Mr. Wadsworth.”
“Good news,” Archer said.
“Yeah.” She paused, sensing a question lingering in the air between them: will you still stay tonight? A question she didn’t feel needed answered. She already knew he would want to, and she’d want that too. “The other thing I’ve been sitting here thinking about is, do you think this is a kink for Connie and Isaac?”
“A kink?”
“They like to watch, right? Maybe they get off on being watched too? And for them, exposing the photograph is their kink. To see themselves in the media, exposed for all to see, got them off? It’s like playing out a fantasy but with no real risk, because their identities weren’t exposed.”
“It’s possible,” he said. “Of course, it would terminate their membership, but it’s a lot less of a headache for us.”
“It is,” she said. “But it’s just one theory because I can’t think of anything else, and there are so many loose ends that we need to keep on this until we know for sure.”
“Agreed,” he said. “Which brings me to my news. Penny texted. We’re all set to go after sundown.”
“Excellent. Where are we meeting?”
A pause. “Why don’t you come up to my place tonight? A change of scenery might be nice.”
She smiled. She kept waiting for that spike of panic to creep up since she was letting things happen with Archer she never let happen, but it simply never came. She wasn’t sure where this was going between them, but she didn’t want to stop it either. “Sounds good. What time?”
“Whenever you’re done,” he said. “I’m home now. I’m sending you my address. See you soon.”
Her phone dinged, and the text message crossed the screen. “Bye.” She ended the call, then sent Hazel a quick text. Cops called today. They made an arrest on the break-in. You’re all safe. Nothing to worry about. Won’t be home tonight. Staying at Archer’s.
Elise powered off her computer and scooped out her purse from her drawer when Hazel’s reply dinged on her phone: Just friends, huh?
Elise replied with the tongue-sticking-out emoji and left it at that. Even she couldn’t explain exactly what was going on or where they were headed, so she decided to just let what was happening, happen and felt good. She felt safe, felt…happy. She made it outside quickly after locking up her office and gave Keith a wave on her way out the door before hailing a cab. Twenty minutes later, she was surprised to find Archer lived in the pricey East Village neighborhood, not far from Union Square. Apparently, Rhys paid him well if he could afford this place. She reached security and was quickly approved to enter. When she stepped into the elevator, she found buttons that led to a rooftop pool, fitness center, and courtyard garden. She hit floor six, and the elevator whizzed up. When it opened, she found Archer leaning against the door with a smile on his face.
“Hey,” he said, wearing all black and looking damn fine in it.
She returned the smile. “Hey.”
“Come.” He gestured down the hallway. “I’ve got a surprise for you.”
She followed him to the third apartment door down on the right. When she entered, she found a sleek, contemporary space with floor-to-ceiling windows showing off the city she loved. The adjoining kitchen was clean, with white lines and stone countertops. But all that took a back seat to the roast beef dinner set out on the kitchen table near the windows. “What’s all this about?”
He slid in behind her, wrapping his arms around her. “I cooked for you.”
“You did?” She spun around, lacing her hands behind his neck, again waiting for the unease to spiral through her. A date. This was a date, and she didn’t hate it. All the heat and tension that had once been there had shifted into something much more…real. “That was very nice of you. It smells delicious.” She gave him a quick kiss, which she ended before it could go any further, then took the seat he pulled out for her.
He poured two glasses of wine, then joined her and dug in.
She ate a bite of the beef and nearly purred in happiness. “I had no idea you can cook.”
“I can grill a mean steak,” he said with a soft smile. “But this recipe, my mom taught me as a kid, and truly, you can’t screw it up.”
“I probably could,” she said. “Cooking isn’t really my forte; that’s why Hazel always cooks for me.”
“She’s a good friend, Hazel?” he asked, cutting into his dinner.
“The best. Her, Zoey, and Penny,” Elise said before taking a sip of her wine. “We’re just very, very close. Like sisters. Do you have anyone like that?”
“Rhys, Hunt, and Kieran,” he said between bites. “It’s just like that.”