Page 23 of Cross Point

She was relieved when he got up again and went to retrieve their meal. Talking about her past wasn’t difficult, but it wasn’t pleasant either. When he brought back the dinner he’d ordered for them, she had to admit that he had been right. The steaks were perfectly cooked, and as they ate, the conversation turned to a safer subject concerning what she had found out about the hotel expansion project.

“Basically what you have is a project that is over cost and behind schedule on the surface. I know they claimed they would be back on schedule by the end of the week, but I don’t think that’s going to solve the problem. In fact, I know it won’t. I have a few theories right now, but I’d really like a closer look at the site before I make up my mind.”

“We can tour the site tomorrow. But in the interim, what are those theories?” he asked as he refilled both of their glasses again.

“Well, for one. Something is seriously wrong with this build if someone is willing to kill to keep it covered up.”

He froze with his glass halfway to his lips. Then, he set the glass down slowly, giving her his full attention. “Explain.”

Trinity explained what had happened when she’d gone to the construction site the day she’d arrived on the island. As she did, she watched the fury burn bright in his blue eyes and found herself comforted by how pissed and worried he looked.

“You’re all right? He didn’t hurt you?”

“I’m fine, but we weren’t able to catch him. Still, I’ve tried to get ahold of the security guard, Billy, that I met on-site, but he’s been on the mainland for the last few days. They said he should be back in a few days, so I plan to go talk to him to see if he knows anything.”

“We. We will go speak to him. I don’t like the fact that he was the only one who saw you there, then you were practically run off the road right after you left. No, I don’t like that at all.”

“Neither do I. Which is why I want to get a better look at the construction site from another perspective tomorrow, too.”

Finished with his meal, Maxwell leaned back in his chair. He was amazed by the amount of food Trinity packed away, but he guessed it was understandable for someone as active as she was. He loved watching her eat since it was like she was savoring every bite. He couldn’t remember ever seeing someone appreciate a good meal like she did, and he felt a strange surge of satisfaction knowing he was the one who had provided it for her.

He wanted to groan when she moved on to dessert. Watching her eat her piece of key lime pie was borderline obscene. God, that woman had a wicked tongue. Imagining what it would feel like on his body made his cock swell, and he shifted in his seat to relieve the pressure so he didn’t permanently damage himself.

Bloody hell, everything about her fascinated him.

He could stare at her beautiful face for hours, and her throaty laughter sent shivers down his spine. When she smiled, he imagined pressing his lips to hers, and the way she licked at her fork made him ache to grab her and sink into her heat.

Forcing himself to focus back on their conversation, he ignored his growing attraction to her. For now. He would have time for that later. But at the moment, dealing with the clusterfuck of a construction project took precedence. He was furious that someone was messing with his hotel, and he was determined to figure out exactly who to blame.

And then he would make them pay.

“Another perspective? What exactly does that mean?”

“It means that I called the marina today and arranged for a boat rental tomorrow. Damn, this is really good pie. Actually, everything was good.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it.” Unwilling to let her distract him, he asked, “Why do you need a boat?”

“I want to see how people react after I show up and stir up some shit, but I want to see it when they don’t know I’m watching.”

“Smart.” He paused, then added, “I hope you know that I’ll be going with you.”

Sighing, she said, “I thought you were going to say that.”

Chapter Nine

Trinity woke the moment she heard the alarm beeping on her phone signaling that someone was at the front door to the suite. Again. Turning her head, she saw that the readout on the clock said it was barely four in the morning.

If it was Maxwell, she was going to kill him.

But no, it couldn’t be him.

She’d shown him the alarm she had placed on the front entrance after they’d finished their meal and warned him about it again before she’d gone to bed. They had both retreated to their separate bedrooms not that long ago, but neither of them had wanted to go to bed alone.

The magnetism between them was almost unbearable.

Maxwell had brushed his lips lightly over hers as he’d wished her goodnight. The move had surprised her. She could have avoided the contact but had decided to let it play out instead. He’d kept the kiss light so it was barely a whisper of a touch. It hadn’t been enough. She’d wanted to grab hold of him and deepen the kiss, letting the lust take over, but she had restrained herself.

Maxwell wasn’t the type to creep around in the middle of the night, especially since he had a sense of what she was capable of. Trying to surprise her was a really bad idea and would definitely be hazardous to his health.

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