He hadn’t even sat beside her at the table. There were six places at the table, and Claire had left one end and the chair to its right unset. Daniel had chosen to sit on the other side of Claire, leaving the chair to Josie’s left for Hotwire.
He’d allowed the conversation to flow around him without making much contribution, leaving it to Claire and Josie to tell Hotwire about the break-in and their belief it had been the work of her father’s would-be killers. Every time she tried to draw Daniel into the discussion, he answered monosyllabically, which was not out of the ordinary for him, but frustrated her nonetheless. She could just feel him smoldering, even if nothing showed on his face.
“You have no idea where your father is?” Hotwire asked her as he pushed his plate aside.
She directed her thoughts away from her lover and back to the discussion at hand.
“No.” She stood up and started clearing the table so she could serve dessert. “I’m going to finish reading the journals just in case I’m missing something, though.”
“We can start going through the computer files tonight.”
She smiled at him, relieved they had a direction to go for their investigation. “That would be great.”
She hated feeling helpless, and knowing her dad was somewhere out there, maybe even not remembering why he’d left the hospital, filled her with fear.
Daniel had risen when she did and silently began stacking plates. He put them in the dishwasher while she dished up four bowls of French vanilla ice cream and poured a berry compote she’d made earlier over them. Despite the smallness of her kitchen, she and Daniel did not bump once.
“Can I help with your investigation in any way?” Claire asked as Josie and Daniel each brought two bowls to the table and sat down.
“I’d love your help, but I don’t want you missing classes on my account.” Josie sighed, remorse eating at her insides. “I feel guilty enough that you lost so much just by having the bad luck to be my roommate.”
“Don’t say that,” Claire replied, her eyes and voice filled with distress. “None of this is your fault.”
“If I’d kept a better eye on Dad, he could help us identify his attackers a lot more easily and might even have known they’d want the computer files, too. We could have been here waiting for the thieves.”
Hotwire reached out and squeezed her hand. “Not even you could keep your dad from bolting if that was what he wanted to do. He’s too good a soldier, and if you’d been here, the perps wouldn’t have tried last night, and you wouldn’t be sure today that the bombing was linked to the school’s files.”
“Thanks.” But she still felt badly.
She couldn’t help it. Her dad was at risk, and she felt as though she’d let him down in some way.
“After what happened last night, I’d prefer to bunk on your floor out here rather than hit a hotel.” Hotwire had already brought in his duffel bag.
Daniel could have told Josie she’d lost the argument before it began, but he let her go through the spiel about how Hotwire would be more comfortable in a bed and there was no need for him to stay at the house.
He gave Daniel a meaningful glance. “If Nitro can survive sleeping on the floor, so can I.”
After the way Josie had acted earlier, Daniel figured that was exactly where he was going to end up sleeping. He didn’t know if she was regretting giving herself to him, but she sure as hell didn’t want Hotwire to know about it. As much as her denial of him irked Daniel, a woman had a right to choose who she took into her bed.
If she didn’t want him there after last night, he didn’t figure any male posturing on his part was going to accomplish anything more than embarrassing her and increasing his own temper. He had no intention of risking either outcome, so he remained silent.
“Daniel isn’t sleeping on the floor.” Josie bit her lip and then looked up at him. “At least I don’t think he is.”
Stunned by her volte-face from earlier, he tried to figure out if she was saying what he thought she was saying before he responded.
“Where’s he sleeping?” Hotwire asked, his Georgia drawl pronounced. “He’s not kicking you out of your bed, is he, Josie?”
She swallowed and shook her head, her gaze not leaving Daniel. “No. He’s sleeping with me.”
Looking vulnerable and uncertain, her eyes asked him if she’d spoken the truth.
He reached out and cupped her nape, pulling her into him like he’d done earlier, but this time she relaxed against his side. She smiled up at him, her expression filled with relief, and he wondered if he would ever understand how the female mind worked.
He caressed her neck with his thumb. “Hotwire’s not sharing our bed. It isn’t big enough.”
“I wasn’t suggesting he should, but there’s no reason for him to stay here when it means sleeping on the floor.”
“I’m a lot shorter than you,” Claire said from the hallway, looking at Hotwire. “I’ll sleep on the couch, and you can have my bed. It’s only a single, but it’s longer than the sofa.”
“My mama would string me up by my toes if I booted a lady out of her bed for my own comfort.”
“But—”
“He’s slept in much worse places, Claire. Don’t worry about him.” He looked down at Josie. “And don’t try convincing him to leave. He’s about as stubborn as a Missouri mule.”
“So have I,” Claire said earnestly. “I mean, slept in worse places. Really, sleeping out here would be no problem.”
But just like Daniel had known he would, his friend refused to be budged, and after they did an external reconnaissance of the property and surrounding area, Hotwire got comfortable in a sleeping bag on the floor.
Josie’s bedroom door opened, and a tattoo of anticipation started playing in her chest. She hadn’t been entirely certain he would come, even after what he’d said. She’d hurt him when she hadn’t openly acknowledged the closeness in their relationship, and she’d realized it too late to change anything.
She wasn’t used to this kind of thing, and Daniel’s blatant possessiveness in front of their friend had thrown her thoughts and reactions into a confusing morass before she’d finally gotten herself straightened out sometime during dinner. She wanted to be his lover for as long as possible, and if that meant other people knowing about them, then she’d take out an ad in the Oregonian.
He came into the room, shutting the door behind him, and leaned back against it, looking dark and dangerous. “Do you want Hotwire?”
If he’d thought about it for an hour, he couldn’t have found a more shocking question to ask her. Stunned into silence, she opened her lips, but couldn’t make her mouth form an answer.
Finally, she asked, “What?” wondering if she’d misheard him. Hoping she had.
He stalked over to the bed, his expression giving no clue as to what was going on inside his head. “Do you want him?”
“No. How can you of all people ask me that?”
“You hugged him.”
What was he talking about? “When?”
“When he got here.”
“He’s my friend. I was saying hi.”
“You smiled like you were really glad to see him.”
“I was.”
Daniel’s glare could have melted metal.
“Why is that a problem? You invited him here.”
“I did not. He said he wanted to help, and I told him he could.”
“What difference does it make?” This conversation was not how she’d anticipated spending their time alone together. “He’s our friend. He’s got skills neither of us has, and he wants to help. That’s a good thing.”
“You weren’t glad to see me. When I told you I was going to help you, you argued with me, but as soon as you found out Hotwire wanted to take part in the mission, you got all happy.”
And that really bothered Daniel, she realized belatedly. “You’ve been weird all day, ever since you told us Hotwire was coming. Are you jealous?”
As unlikely as she found the prospect, she couldn’t think of another reason for Daniel’s attitude.
“Do I have a reason to be?” he asked rather than denying it.
