Page 39 of Hideaway Reunion

Brayden finished sweeping the deck and set the broom aside, reaching for his travel mug of coffee. The loose leaves and twigs were gone, but a layer of grit needed to be rinsed away. The hose would help, but he figured they had a pressure washer around here somewhere.

And a ladder. They’d done a walk-through inside to check for any leaks, but he wanted to get up on the roof himself and look around. Between sips of strong, hot coffee, he stretched his shoulders.

That big limb that crashed down last night had dragged smaller limbs and brush along with it, altering the way the light moved through the strip of forest. He imagined the manager’s suite would be brighter at an earlier hour now. Brayden’s bigger concern was that the developer would use the gap as a literal opening to reach their goals faster.

He wondered if Bobby and the others would drag their heels or go back to following orders to the letter as soon as their bosses showed up.

Scattered between the house and the beach, the cleanup crew was making good progress. The three Hargrave sisters along with Cav and Bobby had been joined by a few folks from the dance club. They would definitely be ready to host the special class this evening.

From the few messages he’d received through Jess, the office trailer was the most significant structure damage reported so far. Great news for everyone, as long as Indigo Reef didn’t push.

Brayden was halfway to the shed for a ladder and hopefully a pressure washer, when he heard someone shouting his name. Instantly, he spun around, concerned for Roni. But it was Trent Blakely, a new permanent addition to the Guardian Agency satellite office.

“Didn’t hear you pull up,” Brayden said as Trent jogged over to join him. “Everything good?”

“Seems to be.” Trent wore a ball cap backwards and was ready for work with jeans, boots, and a long-sleeved t-shirt. He held work gloves in one hand. “Can’t believe you and Veronica hosted the enemy last night,” he said, voice low.

“Me either,” Brayden admitted. “We got some interesting intel, though, so it was worth it. And the men aren’t the jerks we thought, so there’s that.”

“But they can’t stop their bosses?”

“It’s doubtful.” Brayden opened the garden shed, grateful yet again for teammates like Trent who helped him make the swap possible before Vanbeck could drag Roni down into a morass of criminal charges. “We’re closer than ever to putting this mess to rest,” he said, glaring into the forest.

He spotted the ladder, a folding, multi-use thing, and hoped it would be enough. “Do you know if they have a pressure washer?”

Trent glanced around. “Maybe?” He said it more like a question. “What’s the ladder for?”

“I need to walk the roof and check for damage,” Brayden replied, taking the ladder outside.

Trent clapped a hand on his shoulder. “You won’t need the ladder. Just use the drone.”

“You have a drone?”

“We have a drone,” Trent corrected. “It’s Guardian Agency gear in the office storage room. I’ll go get it.” He was in motion before Brayden could thank him.

As he tucked the ladder back into place, Roni appeared in the doorway, the bright sunlight casting a halo around her blond hair. An angel of the most practical and perfect design, in his eyes anyway.

He’d been doing his best to keep his mind off of last night’s major milestone, with pretty much zero success. He’d slept with the woman he’d been dreaming of holding for most of his adult life.

Any effort he’d made to distract his body from what Roni meant to him had been pointless. Fleeting satisfaction. He’d never even let himself fall asleep with another woman. But last night… Everything with Roni had been different. More intense than his most heated fantasies. Discovering what made her sigh and gasp and arch into his touch had been indescribably amazing.

It only underscored what he’d hoped for, what he’d believed with every fiber of his being: they were fantastic together in every capacity. She might not be in love with him, yet, but her body loved being with him and that was a solid start, in his opinion.

Friendship would always be the foundation. He’d promised her that. Sharing his true feelings was a fresh miracle in itself. And though he’d never admit it to anyone but her, sleeping with his arms around Roni had been a life-altering experience.

And here she was, in easy reach once more, while they were alone. She couldn’t expect him to keep his hands to himself.

He drew her close, into a deeper shadow, and claimed her mouth. Gently at first, then letting it run away with him. Just for a moment. Or two. More. He pulled back, reluctantly, his hands skimming the curve of waist to hip and back again.

“The deck looks great,” she said, her breath ragged.

“Glad you approve.”

“Mm.” She arched into him. “I approve of many things.” He squeezed her hips and it sounded as if she purred. “What were you looking for?”

“You, mainly.” He cleared his throat, told his body to dial it down. They could have more fun tonight, when the Hideaway was empty. “I wanted to walk the roof.” She jerked and started to protest. “Easy. First of all, I know what I’m doing.”

“You know enough to be dangerous,” she argued. “We only did one summer with Habitat for Humanity.”