Eli didn’t try to convince her that she was wrong or just imagining things. Mara wasn’t sure if she found that comforting or not.
“How far do you want me to go with this? There’s a chance that he’s not actually doing anything shady while on these trips. But if I start digging, I might find other stuff you didn’t know about. Should I just look into his travel over the last few weeks or should I dig into his entire life?”
Mara looked over her shoulder. The girls were all gathered around Ridley. Penny had a hand on her friend’s extended belly. Suddenly they all burst into laughter. Raina adjusted her daughter on her shoulder, holding her tight to her chest like the precious gift that she was.
That’s what I want, Mara thought. I want to raise my babies surrounded by friends and family. But only with a man I trust completely.
“Mara?”
She turned back to Eli who watched her with narrowed eyes. “Go all the way.”
He nodded once. “I’ll have a report for you in a few days.”
“So quickly?” It was stupid but the thought that she’d know one way or the other so soon was terrifying. Maybe it made her a coward but she’d like a little longer to wallow in the bliss of her ignorance.
Eli stood and patted her shoulder. “If he’s clean, it’ll be even quicker. The dirty ones always take a little longer.”
* * * * *
TRENT HAD IT on good authority that he was one lucky bastard. Of course, this wasn’t news to him but it was never more apparent than when coming home after a trip. He’d stayed an extra day to make sure Travis was doing better and then caught the first available flight home. The experience had only reminded him of why he shouldn’t have used his father’s private jet in the first place. After flying private again for the first time in years, it was extremely difficult to go back to flying commercial. He was exhausted and needed a drink. Something stronger than the cheap spirits he’d been served on board.
“How was your flight?”
Mara stood in the hallway leaning against the wall, her hand on a curvy hip in a seductive pose. “Did you make a lot of deals?”
His brain ground to an immediate halt, all thoughts of his father and the hassles of flying obliterated by the sight of his sexy-as-hell future wife wearing a sheer nightgown the color of peaches. In fact, it took him more than a few minutes for the appropriate area of his brain to translate the meaning of what she said at all. Then the words brought him back to reality with a crashing halt. Deals. The fake business trip she thought he’d been on.
Right.
“Everything went smoothly. I’ll probably get a promotion soon. Do you remember I told you about that?”
She tilted her head slightly and twirled a finger around one of the thick, shiny brown curls tumbling over her shoulder. “I think I vaguely remember something like that.” Her shoulder dipped and the strap of her gown slid down her arm until her entire shoulder was bare.
Trent gulped.
“I might have to be taking more trips to New York. Does that sound familiar?”
She sashayed forward, her gown slipping down even more until one of her plump breasts was in danger of popping out of the satin material. Her index finger wedged underneath his tie, tugging at the knot. After she loosened it enough to slip it over his head, her hands dropped to his belt buckle.
“I remember. At least then maybe you wouldn’t have to travel so much. Especially not during storm season. I was so worried you’d get stuck in Detroit.”
Her hands made quick work of his belt and she was stroking him in such a way that he could barely remember his own name. “Storms. What storms?”
Her hands stilled. “There have been crazy storms throughout most of Michigan for the past few days. There was even a period of time when the airport grounded all planes. Which you would know if you’d actually been there.”
Most of his blood still wasn’t in his brain but Trent had enough of his wits left to recognize the signs. And these signs were neon orange with DANGER AHEAD printed all over them.
“Mara, wait. Let me explain.”
All he got before she turned on her heels and stomped down the hallway was a brief glimpse of the stricken look on her face. The bedroom door slammed.
“Fuck!” He kicked his duffel bag. He connected with something hard inside and the pain lanced up his leg, so sharp he lost his breath.
Chapter Four
TRENT THREW HIS duffel bag down on the fluffy comforter of the hotel bed. He’d spent the past hour trying to convince Mara to talk to him and had finally given up when he heard the water start in her bathroom. She loved a good long soak in the tub. It could be hours before she came out. So he’d grabbed his things and left.
He’d contemplated going to Jackson or Nick’s house but they’d want to talk and he wasn’t in the mood. He’d eventually ended up at a hotel. His thoughts raced back over the events of the night trying to figure out where everything had gone so wrong.