His grin is fast and hot. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
“You also need to take it as an I’m not sure, because I can’t process what’s happening right now.”
His eyes close. His jaw ticks. But he eases me to my feet. “Then I guess you ought to think on it, because what’s between us is more than any description of friendship I’ve ever heard.” He cups my face in his hands and places a lingering kiss on my forehead. “It’s also not going away.”
8
Xavier
I’m coiled tight as I head to my car, curling and releasing double fists as an outlet for the tension in my body.
Walking away from her tonight is the hardest thing I’ve done in a long time. It physically hurts. It also kills me to know Bodhi hurt her so badly that she can’t seem to take a chance on anyone. Especially when that someone is me, a good friend and someone she cares about. Someone she also wants. There’s no disguising that fact.
All the fucking pieces are here, but she can’t seem to allow herself to put them together.
Voices drift to me from the main road, people making their way to the marina to load up in pleasure boats and return to their houseboats for the night.
I stop walking, not sure why at first. I glance back at Chloe’s boat. There’s one dim light on in the bedroom. I know she secured the doors, because I stood there and listened as she turned the locks. But my intuition is shooting off electrical currents in my brain, so I turn and head back to the boat.
On the deck, I ease into a chair in the shadows and wait. I easily spot Bodhi in the parking lot because he’s wearing a white shirt that screams “cult leader.” Muslin fabric, rounded collar, half sleeve, buttons halfway down the front.
I watch as he chats with several women. But instead of heading toward the dock where all the pleasure boats are waiting, he does exactly what I expect—he heads straight toward Chloe.
He either didn’t see my police unit still here or he’s here to talk to Chloe legitimately. I’m betting on the former. He showed no interest in getting within ten feet of me all night.
I pull my phone from my pocket, tap the camera, and start the video.
He’s not acting sneaky, just approaches the door, then stops. I remain motionless, just another shadow. Bodhi stares at the door, one hand rubbing his jaw, like he’s trying to decide whether or not to knock.
Instead of opening the screen to knock, he cranes his neck to peer through the front window. Anger surges through me, rushing my body with heat. I sure as hell hope Chloe’s changing for bed out of sight of this fucker.
I end the video. “Hey, Shannon.”
Bodhi startles and whips around to face me.
I stand and shove my phone into my pocket. “This looks like a peeping offense to me.”
“No, no, no,” he says, half laughing. “I know this doesn’t look quite right, but—”
The front door opens, and Chloe fills the doorway wearing a look of confusion and a T-shirt that hits her midthigh. “What’s going on?”
“I just stopped by to talk,” Bodhi says.
“Lie,” I say, deadpan. I look at Chloe. “He was looking in your window.”
Her eyes grow wide, and her gaze turns on Bodhi. “What’s wrong with you?”
“I didn’t want to knock if all the lights were out, that’s all.”
She pushes open the screen, steps onto the deck, and meets Bodhi’s gaze directly—or would have if his attention hadn’t dropped to the mouthwatering way this woman wears an oversized T-shirt. A shirt I can now see is mine because of the Wildfire Police Department logo on the upper left chest. I have no idea where she got it, but the sight makes my insides warm up again.
“Let me make myself clear,” Chloe says. “I will absolutely not put up with any bullshit. The next time you do anything the least bit off-color, I’m throwing you out and taking over the retreat. And that includes spending the night where you don’t belong. I won’t have these women victimized by someone they’re supposed to trust. Get back to your boat and stay there. If you want to talk to me, do it during regular event hours.”
“Of course.” He’s surprisingly contrite. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bother you, and I can see now how this could be taken the wrong way. It won’t happen again. We’ll talk tomorrow. Good night.”
When Bodhi steps off the far end of the dock and heads toward the last pleasure boat still here, Chloe says, “That was…odd.”
“It only seems odd to you because you don’t talk to liars every day.”