Page 26 of No Way Forward

“I’m not your dad’s bodyguard. That means I’m not around him twenty-four hours a day. My duties often take me out of the house and away from his office. If they were trying to hide an affair, both of them are clever enough to keep everyone out of the loop. Especially your dad.”

“You’ve got a point. Wait, oh God…”

“What is it? Are you going to be sick? I’ll look for a trash can.” He started to rise, but she laid a hand on his arm. The memory of holding her and kissing her stirred inside him. He pushed the thoughts away.

“I’m not going to be sick. You said you’re not Beau’s dad, right?”

“I’m not.” A sudden urge came over him to impress upon her that there wasn’t any chance he could be Beau’s father. “I’ve never slept with her. Ever.”

She chuckled. “Wow, you sound serious.”

“I’m very serious.”

“That makes me feel good.”

They were back to the question of a relationship between the two of them. He rushed to ask, “So what upset you just now?”

“Oh yeah. I was thinking my dad could be Beau’s father. Can you imagine that sweet girl being my little sister? I can’t wrap my head around it.”

“If Beau was your dad’s daughter, Azalie would live here with her. She would have a trust fund already in place for the little girl, and she would have a monthly allowance.”

“You’re right.” Novette laughed. “Nobody loves the finer things in life more than Azalie. Well, that’s one relief, but it doesn’t answer the question of whether they’re lovers. Will you help me find out?”

“I…” He hesitated. Other matters he needed to investigate took precedence. He didn’t really care whether Mr. Kagen took a woman young enough to be his daughter to bed. On the other hand, he figured it would hurt Novette if they were having an affair.

He could learn the truth fairly quickly, but then he would be faced with whether or not to tell Novette if it was true. As he wrestled with the decision, she brought up another subject. The woman’s mind operated at the speed of light.

“Have you found out who was behind that kidnapping attempt?”

“Don’t worry about it. Your dad and I will take care of everything.”

“Don’t give me that!” She jumped to her feet and faced him. “Zaid, you’ve never treated me like I shouldn’t worry my head about the complicated stuff. I don’t appreciate you brushing me off now. My dad does that, and I can’t stand it.”

He stood. Temptation washed over him to run his hands along her arms. Every nerve in his body strained to pull her closer, but he resisted. “I apologize, but I just don’t want you to be afraid.”

“I am afraid.”

She stepped into his arms, and he wrapped his around her. God, why did she feel like she belonged there? He knew better. She was the daughter of his boss, and he could imagine how it would go over if he talked to Richard about marrying her.

Wait, marrying her?

He shook his head, trying to come to his senses. If he focused on the subject at hand, he could let go of the temptation she presented. Never mind that she stood with her head against his chest, giving him notions of keeping her there forever. Now he was being ridiculous.

She looked up at him. “I missed you so much, Zaid.”

His sense of reason abandoned him. He forgot how to breathe, and words stuck in his throat. She overwhelmed every sense, from the fear and sadness in those big brown eyes to the scent of coconut in her hair to the sweet longing in the tone of her voice.

“Novette, we shouldn’t…” He tried to tell her she should back off, that he wasn’t interested. The lie died on his tongue. And it was a bald faced lie, one he could never utter. Not want her? Preposterous. They had been on the verge of an affair before she left. Neither had admitted it, but he saw it coming.

“Don’t tell me that, Zaid.” She pressed tighter to him, awakening every inch of his body. “My dad bullied me before I left, trying so hard to decide what I do and who I see. I caved when I was twenty-one, but I’m not the woman I was back then. I won’t give in to him.”

“And what if it’s not what I want?”

She froze, obviously shocked. “My mistake. I shouldn’t have assumed.”

It took all of his will not to reach for her as she moved out of his hold. She walked along the path, her heels clicking on the cement. When she was just about to turn the corner out of sight, he called after her.

“I’ll look into what you asked me, the possibility of an affair.”

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