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“Sure there is.” She smiled sweetly like she hadn’t just declared herself part of my team, as if she’d already decided we were in this together whether I liked it or not.
I couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped, and I found myself stepping even closer, our faces now inches apart. So close, in fact, that it felt like the only dangerous thing in these woods wasn’t the case we were working—it was her. Or, more specifically, whatever the heck was brewing between us. “Are you always this stubborn?”
As predicted, she didn’t back down. “Are you?”
She was insufferable. She was exactly the kind of woman I’d always avoided. She asked too many questions, and she clearly had a habit of taking too many risks. And contrary to what she said at the vending machine, Dakota Cole knew exactly which buttons to push, and was an expert at pushing too many of mine.
It should’ve morphed me into the version of myself who could make her stop flirting with me and start backing off—I knew he was in here somewhere. Instead, I was two seconds away from kissing her.
What was I doing? We were standing in the spot where I’d been shot.
“Look,” I said, taking a giant step back, “if you really want to help, and if you’re sure Hope’s grandpa is innocent, why don’t you ask her if I can go inside and take a look around? My client thinks his property is in a safe in the old man’s basement.”
Dakota bit her lip and considered my words. "No."
I lifted a brow, not sure I’d heard her right.
"I don’t want Hope involved. I don’t want her worried about you being in her basement or about what else might be down there."
Her answer surprised me, and I found myself once again admiring her loyalty. Still, I pressed. "I get that, but you know what the alternative is, right?"
She furrowed her brow, confusion flickering across her face. "No…"
I leaned in slightly, lowering my voice. "I break in when I’m sure you two are busy painting or eating pizza or whatever other girls’ night activity is on the menu, and I have a look myself."
Her mouth dropped open. "That’s illegal."
I pursed my lips, giving a nonchalant shrug. "Not leaving me much choice."
Her eyes narrowed as she glared up at me, hands on her hips. "No wonder you got shot in the butt."
“Rude.”
There was a long pause, the tension stretching between us. I could practically see the gears turning in her head as she weighed her options, her eyes flicking between mine as though trying to read my intentions. Telling her I’d break in was meant to scare her off and make her realize how serious this was, but all I’d done was pull her further in. And somehow, staring into those sharp eyes of hers, I wasn’t as annoyed by that as I should’ve been.
"Okay, here’s the deal," she said, straightening up, determination hardening her features. Her voice had an edge offinality that made my heart sink. She wasn’t going to back down. "Meet me here tomorrow afternoon while Hope’s at work. I’ll let you have a look around, and we won’t say a word to her about it. I’m sure you’re wrong, and if you are, there won’t be any need to worry the poor girl."
"Seriously?" I raised an eyebrow, surprised at how easily she’d agreed.
"What? You’re gettin’ to have a look around without havin’ to break in."
I shook my head, incredulous. "I just told you I’m willing to break the law to do my job, and now you’re offering to meet me here—alone—and go into a creepy basement with me?"
She grinned, not a trace of fear on her face. "Um, hate to break it to you, but that doesn’t scare me."
"It should," I said softly, taking a step closer, the tension between us shifting into something electric. I wasn’t sure what unsettled me more—the fact that she wasn’t scared or the fact that I didn’t want her to be.
"Why? You already told me you could break in, and you admitted enough about girls’ nights to let me know you’ve been stalkin’ us. If you wanted to hurt me, would you really show so much of your hand first?"
I clenched my jaw, frustrated that she was making sense. She had a point. But still, something about this girl’s fearlessness unnerved me.
"So, you’ll meet me here tomorrow? Say, five o’clock?" she asked.
I grunted in response, unable to muster more than that. She was far too close, and every inch between us felt charged.
She smirked, clearly enjoying her victory. "I’ll take that as a yes."
I watched her back away, the playful glint in her eyes making me more nervous than I wanted to admit. I rubbed the back of my neck. "Will you go inside now, please?"
