Page 7 of The Jade Stone Sleuth

What if Brex was sent here by heaven to help her figure out who had killed Harrison, Kyle, and Malik? If she could find their murderer and know she wouldn’t hurt Brex … she’d be stoked to date this handsome police detective.

But closure for her former boyfriends’ murders was too much to hope for. She hadn’t found it in twelve long years, and the police and FBI had said the cases were too ‘cold’ and there just weren’t enough clues to lead them to any suspect.

She’d finish this hike with Brex but doubted she’d see him again or grow close enough to beg him to solve her boyfriends’ murders. Not that the police believed they were murders. The only people who seemed to believe there was foul play were the Hendrys, and they were pointing their fingers right at Clara.

Would she dare ask Brex to look into her boyfriend’s deaths? What if he found evidence to point the finger at Clara also? It was smarter to let the past stay in the past and stick with her vow to stay out of relationships.

Chapter

Three

Brex keptpace with Clara Gem even as his head felt like it had detached from his body. What had just happened? The world was spinning the wrong direction and only Clara’s innocent, breathtaking, genuine smile could set it right. That was insane, but Clara was unexpected and more real than anyone he’d met since growing up in a farming community. Days and memories he’d put long behind him. She radiated with a glow that was natural, not store bought. Was it her Christian values, her positivity, or simply … her?

It didn’t matter. It couldn’t matter. He wasn’t falling for her, and he wasn’t risking that million-dollar bonus by getting duped by the prime suspect.

Clara wasn’t his type. He shouldn’t be drawn to her. There wasn’t a stitch of makeup on her beautiful face or high-quality workout wear on her fit body. She didn’t understand the meaning of posturing. Flirting with her had come naturally to him and she made the no-name brand clothes she wore look good instead of the clothes enhancing fake curves. He’d pushed the job to the back of his mind, which was concerning butcouldn’t mean anything. He was fine. He wasn’t yanked in by her genuine and unassuming appeal.

Pamela Hendry had been wise to warn him not to fall for her. There was no denying she was breathtaking. The ‘cutest legs’ was a bit of an understatement. Those legs were the variety philosophical men wrote poetry about. Brex was more of a researcher, an analyst, definitely not a head-in-the-clouds poet. He could analyze that she’d hiked many miles to have legs that smoothly muscular and that naturally tanned. Her tan wasn’t from a bottle or a tanning bed.

He forced himself to keep his gaze off her legs, watching her dark ponytail swish across her back. He wanted to run his fingers through that silky-looking hair. Did she even have product in her hair or highlights? How could the sun pick up red hues without highlights?

He suspected it was the sweetness, radiance, and humor lighting her up from the inside out that made her irresistible to him.

Notirresistible. Not to him, at least.

He shook his head to clear it. Clara was compelling and charming in her unaffected manner, but not irresistible to him. Probably irresistible to others. Of course she would be irresistible to most single men on the planet, but not Brex. He had to resist falling for the suspect. He could and he would. She would never fit in with the social circles he was aiming for, and he wouldn’t want to expose her to them. He could only imagine the jealousy and cattiness Rachel, or any of the women he’d dated, would direct at such authentic sweetheart.

Deep breath. Refocus. Study the trail or the intriguing red rock formations or that unique cactus with a flower blooming. Not her legs or silky hair.

Brex had a job to do. He couldn’t fail on his first field job for Aiden just because he couldn’t resist the suspect. He’d beentrained by the police academy and Nick to keep an emotional distance. If only real interaction was as cut and dry. He’d learned that it wasn’t through years as a detective, but he’d never gone undercover. Nobody had trained him how to react if the woman he was supposed to grow close to for information had mesmerizing jade eyes, a radiant smile, a gorgeous and fit body, an unaffected air, and a fun personality.

With nothing to do but keep pace behind Clara and think, he couldn’t stop his thoughts from wandering to the brief times they’d touched. What exactly had happened inside his body when she’d planted her hands on his chest when they initially ran into each other? He had to give himself kudos that he’d planned that first meeting perfectly. But what had happened to him when she ran her fingers along his palm until their palms aligned as they shook hands?

The connection and warmth he’d felt from her touch were new. Was that a trick she employed to get the men she killed to fall for her? It was hard to imagine a world where Clara Gem could kill a spider, but he had to think clearly and couldn’t allow himself to be pulled in by her allure and miss a vital aspect of this case. He had to solve it. If he failed, he’d never move into the field work that he craved and definitely wouldn’t be depositing that million-dollar bonus in the bank and changing his future.

He tried to analyze the unique feeling of her touch, but there was no way to catalog feelings. Feelings were a wild card and to be dismissed or avoided if possible. He’d keep up the flirtations for the job, but staying detached and not letting feelings come into play was imperative to this mission. More crucial than any previous job he’d been on.

“So you’re some kind of advisor to police forces?” she asked as they hiked through the unique red boulders.

Nick had thought of the cover story before he came and Aiden had set it up with the local police chief. Chief Randallhad been enthusiastic about the idea. Brex knew the chief was excited about one of Aiden Porter’s men coming and hoped he wouldn’t disappoint. He would train and work with whoever was available from the Jade Valley Police from one to four every afternoon. He’d also have access to all their information on the cases regarding Clara Gem’s deceased boyfriends and a chance to get to know some of the officers who had worked on the cases. The mornings and evenings he was free, to pursue … no, to investigate Clara.

“It’s a new thing,” he told her, trying for honesty as much as possible. The more true his story was, the easier it was to keep the cover in place. Besides the fact that he didn’t like lying. Especially when he was going to earn a million dollars lying to and tricking this unpretentious lady into dating him. He swallowed down the guilt. She wasn’t innocent like she felt; she was the lead suspect in the deaths of three men. He couldn’t get trapped by her.

But he’d never been around a woman who seemed less likely to be trying to trap him.

“I retired from the San Diego Police Department six months ago and have been working in the private sector since then. I haven’t trained other police forces before.” Jade Valley was small; they only had ten full-time police officers.

“Do you work as a private investigator then?”

“Not often.” That was exactly what he was doing with her. Unnerving to chat about it so casually with the target who he was supposed to get ‘close’ to. He’d trained on situations like this, but being in the moment was unsettling. “I was a detective before. Now I’m going to be more of a bodyguard or, depending on the job, I’ll work with a team to infiltrate drug lords, mafia, or traffickers in conjunction with the FBI or police.”

He hoped. If he could complete this case, collect his million dollars, and earn his spot on one of Aiden’s teams. He’d havewomen chasing him in San Diego if that all happened. Then he wouldn’t need to worry about a genuine beauty from an out-of-the-way valley.

“And you do all of that on your own?”

“No. I work for Aiden Porter.” He wondered instantly if he should have told her the truth. Was he bragging or trying to get her to trust him? But Aiden wasn’t one to hide who he was. Nick had instructed him to trust his instincts about his real name and what he did. With Clara so seemingly innocent and pure, it was hard to hide the truth. Next he’d be telling her who hired him and what they’d hired him to prove. He shook his head at himself. He’d better control his flapping tongue. She could be the furthest thing from innocent.

Clara came to an abrupt halt and whipped around to face him. Brex almost plowed into her, his right hand bracing on a boulder and his left grasping her firm arm for balance. He felt that unfamiliar zing that seemed to happen when he touched her.

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