Page 42 of Ruthless Cross

"Yes. But you don't have to. I'm just a little spooked. I keep thinking about someone going through Arthur's house. It feels like something more is coming. Or maybe that's just my imagination. It can get the better of me. You know what? You should go. I'm fine on my own. And I'm sure you're tired, too. You haven't had much of a weekend."

"I'm not in a hurry to leave."

Relief flooded through her. "We could go out on the deck. I have a heat lamp. The waves are always calming."

"Sold."

She felt a rush of warmth as his smile washed over her. She had a feeling she probably wouldn't need a heat lamp with Flynn around. She also had the feeling she was probably making a big mistake by inviting him to stay. But it was too late now.

Chapter Ten

Hangingout with Callie might not be the best decision Flynn had ever made, but he was enjoying her company too much to care. "I'm extremely jealous of your deck," he said, as Callie switched on the heat lamp, and they settled on a loveseat overlooking the water.

It was cold, but he didn't give a damn. The crashing waves, the starry sky, and the beautiful woman next to him were an irresistible combination.

Callie pulled a blanket off the back of the couch. "Do you want to share?"

"I'm okay." He needed to use a little restraint when it came to Callie and snuggling under a blanket with her might be a bridge too far. There was a small, cynical voice in his head that kept popping up with reminders that while he didn't believe Callie had anything to do with Arthur's death, she could be trying to get close to him to protect her mother.

Frowning at that thought, he sipped his coffee and looked out at the water. There was a full moon tonight, illuminating the crashing white water.

"You're quiet," Callie commented.

He gazed back at her. "Just enjoying the endless and relentless pounding of the waves on the beach. It's like a heartbeat. It keeps going no matter what else is happening."

"It can be a comforting beat," she agreed. "I often sleep with the windows open. But I have to admit that I like watching the water more than I like being in it."

"You're missing out. Being farther away from the shore gives you a new perspective."

"But it's deep and there could be sharks. Have you ever run into one?"

"No."

"And you're not scared that you will?"

"Terrible things have happened in my life that I never expected, that I never worried about. Those events taught me not to try to predict the future. I just deal with what's in front of me."

"That's a good philosophy. Is it really that easy?"

He smiled. "No. But it's a goal I keep going after."

She nodded, falling silent for a moment. Then she said, "It's not that cold out, even for January."

"The benefit of living in Southern California."

"I bet London was a lot colder."

"It was also grayer and wetter."

"Does your mom still live in England?"

"Yes. She lives in Bath now, a cottage very near to where Jane Austen lived as a teenager. She's written a couple of novels that she managed to get published by a small press. They aren't bestsellers, but they found their way onto some bookstore shelves, including the place where she works part-time. She met a new man last year and they've been dating for a few months. I haven't met him yet, but she told me he's a good man. I hope that's true."

"She sounds happy."

"She is now. It took a while for her to get there. My dad's betrayal was very painful. She had no idea she'd fallen in love with a criminal. It wasn't even that he was a thief; it was that he left us to save himself. She couldn't forgive that."

"How did she feel about you going into the FBI to look for your father?"

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