Page 32 of A Little More Forgiveness

His face shuttered. He’d gotten better at keeping me out and his newfound ability annoyed the fuck out of me.

“What happened while you two were out?”

He refused to maintain eye contact.

“Something did. You two appear to have got overly buddy-buddy, all of a sudden.”

“No, we haven’t.”

He may have been able to shutter his face, but he hadn’t managed to control his body language. Arms crossed, legs planted a few feet apart, his defensive posture screamed “keep away.” Walking to stand in front of him, I waited until he looked me in the eyes. It was brief, but I got a glimpse of the nerves he tried to hide.

“What happened today?” I spoke the words quietly, hoping they’d come across the way I felt. Interested more than angry they’d managed to bond while I continued struggling to get anywhere with either of them. Discounting the kiss, of course, which had nothing whatsoever to do with bonding and everything to do with being horny.

Finally, his eyes stayed on mine. “Do you really want to know or are you merely gathering more ammunition to use against us?”

Us?

Ignoring the heavy feeling crushing my chest, I answered truthfully, “I really want to know.” The sudden sound of the wood crackling loudly in the fire made Leo jump, proving how nervous he was. “Come on. Why don’t we make ourselves comfortable on the couch,” I soothed, hoping a more subtle approach might work. He hesitated for a minute before agreeing. “You want some wine? I already opened a bottle for when we eat.”

“Thank you.”

“Go sit. I won’t be long.”

He walked over and made himself comfortable. A few minutes later I returned with two glasses of red wine. I didn’t particularly want any alcohol but figured Leo would feel more relaxed if I had a glass too.

Sitting down beside him, I half turned to face him, my right knee resting on the cushion, arm along the top of the couch. He took a couple of sips of wine, and I watched his throat work when he swallowed. A sudden urge to lean over and lick a path along his neck, mark him, make him see me as well as Mitch had me forcibly gripping the cushion until my fingers ached.

“We talked about his wife,” Leo began. “I knew she’d died, but I didn’t have any information on how.” He took another sip and rather than lick him, I moved my hand along the sofa closer to his neck, making him more aware of my presence. “It was an automobile accident. Something happened to make her swerve off the road and into a ravine.” He turned to look at me. “She wasn’t wearing a seat belt so died instantly when she went through the windshield.”

Shit.

“How long ago did the accident happen?”

“Nearly four years ago.”

“So they lived here together?”

“After his dad died and left everything to him and his brother, yeah.” Everything started to fall into place, and I understood better now why Mitch was so adamant about not selling. Why he’d been devastated when I told him his brother had. The cabin and land weren’t only his home, they’d been his and his wife’s sanctuary. With her gone, it was all he had left of her, of what they hoped to achieve together.

How to feel like the biggest asshole in the world.

“I didn’t know,” I said.

“Why would you?”

I shook my head. “I should have. I pay people to find these things out.”

He considered my response for a second before scowling at me. “To what? Use what you find against them?”

I stared at him in horror. Did he really think I’d use someone’s grief as a bargaining chip to close a deal? When in truth we conducted our investigations to consciously avoid this type of situation, ensuring we didn’t go in blind and cause a potential seller any unwarranted distress.

His hand landed my thigh and rubbed a couple of times. I moved my leg out of his reach. “I’m sorry, Gabe. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.”

“Sounded like you did, Leo.”

“No, please. Forget I said anything.” Nope, don’t think so. His slight proved exactly how far on the other side of the fence from these two I was. The big bad investor out to get the sale at all costs. Fuck, that hurt. “I know you wouldn’t do something so horrible.”

So why say it?

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