Page 36 of Colton's Last Resort

Wanting to dig deeper, she asked, “What do you do for exercise?”

One corner of his mouth tipped into a grim smile. “I’m a morning guy.”

She fought the urge to strangle him with her terry-cloth belt. “You wanted to do this, too. If you won’t make something of an effort, what’s the point of being here with me?”

The smirk fell away. A breath left him in a tumultuous wash. Shifting on the sofa, he leaned over, planting his elbows on his knees.

“I’m sorry,” he said after a while. “I’m not used to this.”

“Answering personal questions?” she asked. “That makes sense. You’re the investigator. You ask the questions. Don’t you?”

“No. I mean I don’t really get close...to people,” he told her.

“Weren’t you close to Allison?” she asked.

“We met when we were kids,” he muttered. “She was my sister in all but blood. That may not make sense to you—”

“It does,” she explained. “I have a half sister. Dani. She lives in London. We don’t see each other much anymore. But it doesn’t change the fact that she’s my sister.”

“Your father had an affair.”

So he’d found that corner of the family history. She tried not to bristle. “He had many affairs. He paid off his main mistress. As a result, she gave up custody of Dani. She was mourning the loss of her mother as Adam, Josh and I were, too. The four of us... We were a mess.” The house in LA had felt like a cavern of lost hopes. They had been four sad children, desperate for someone who wasn’t there.

“I’ll try harder,” he said. “For Allison.”

“Me, too,” she promised. She nearly reached for his hand, then stopped, uncertain.

No, if they were going to do this, one of them had to break the intimacy barrier. Her heart flipped as she eyed the denim covering his thigh. She touched it in a gesture of support.

When his eyes swung to hers in surprise, she felt her face warm. A chain wrapped around her navel flashed to life, glowing orange, as if it had been living in hot coals.

He didn’t move, didn’t look away. His tungsten eyes brought to mind electrical storms. The severe line of his mouth didn’t ease as his gaze swept over her. She saw it land on her mouth.

She wasn’t just playing with fire. This was a California brush fire with the wind at its back. Out of control. Destructive.

It would devastate her if she let it.

Her hand shied from his thigh. She gripped the edge of the cushion, wishing she knew what to say next. Wishing she knew what she was doing.

Would helping Allison’s brother burn her to the ground?

He was still watching her. She felt his stare drilling into her profile. His voice was rough when he spoke again. “Do you want to keep going?”

Could she? Closing her eyes, she gathered herself, wishing the flush in her torso would cool. The robe felt stifling suddenly. She flicked the blanket off her legs, planting her feet on the cool tiles of the floor. “Where do you live?” she asked quietly.

“Sedona. I have a house there. And I row.”

“What?”

“It’s how I stay in shape,” he revealed. “Rowing. There’s a park near my house with a small lake. During the winter, I use a rowing machine at home.”

Rowing. It made sense, she thought, judging by the muscles packed underneath his jacket. She tried not to think about muscles bunching along his back and stomach as he worked the oars. The flame inside her kicked up regardless. “Do you like to dine out or in?”

“Eating out is expensive.”

“So you drink your boilermakers at home,” she discerned.

“I’m more of a social drinker, I guess.”

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