Page 12 of Shades of You (Calypso Key #4)

Chapter Twelve

Hunter

Rushing down the stairs, my heart thundered against my ribs in a relentless echo of Brenna’s name. I lifted a hand to my lips, tracing the sting of a cut—a badge from our kiss that had been too passionate to be considered anything less than dangerous. The memory of her mouth sent a shockwave through my body, leaving me with a deep-rooted sense of forbidden desire.

I craved her.

I wanted her.

I wanted to climb back up those steps, shove open the door, and lose myself in her warmth. The image of Brenna beneath me, with her hair tousled across my pillow, was almost impossible to resist. I pictured mapping every curve of her body, the soft dips and valleys that promised endless pleasure. Her taste lingered in my mouth, a torment that only fueled my hunger for more.

But more wasn’t an option.

More was a line I couldn’t afford to cross.

Garrett was already at work, his focus on the computer screen on his desk. He glanced up and immediately saw something was off. Damn him for always noticing.

“Morning,” he said, the word tinged with suspicion. “You look like you’re ready to either run ten miles or pull on some boxing gloves.”

“Well, neither is in the cards.” I dropped into the chair opposite him. There was comfort in the familiar order of his desk—papers stacked neatly, a half-empty coffee cup on a coaster.

“Spill it. Is this about our new charge?” Garrett stared right into me. “ Your new charge?”

I hesitated, feeling the internal tug-of-war between wanting to confide in my friend and the instinct to keep everything locked down tight. But secrets had a way of coming out, and Garrett had always been stubborn as a pit bull when he smelled trouble.

“Brenna and I just kissed.” My voice was rough, as if dragged over gravel. It was a confession and a condemnation all in one.

“Kissed or kissed kissed?” he asked, air quotes heavy with implication.

“Isn’t it obvious?” I shot back, rubbing one shoulder where tension knotted. “I never should have let it happen, but I couldn’t stop myself. I’m supposed to be protecting her, not exploring her tonsils.”

“Getting involved with someone you’re guarding is always dicey. Which begs the question. Does she really need to be guarded? Is Knox a threat, or are you looking for excuses to play white knight?”

“Does it matter?” I replied, avoiding the question I wasn’t ready to answer. Protecting Brenna felt as natural as breathing, but whether it was from Knox or from me remained to be seen.

Garrett eyed me, assessing and silent, always the strategist planning his next move. I could practically hear the cogs turning in his head.

“Look, I’m not in the mood for twenty questions,” I said, standing abruptly. “I’ve got things to do. Like trying to find the asshole. Keep watching Brenna today, okay?”

“Sure thing, boss,” he replied blandly but let me escape without further interrogation.

I slid into the driver’s seat of my SUV. The cool leather against my skin was a stark contrast to the heat Brenna’s proximity ignited within me. “Dammit.”

I knew what I needed to do—check on Knox. Locate the son of a bitch or confirm that he was out of the picture. And find an excuse to pull back from Brenna before I entangled us in something neither of us could escape. If Knox was truly gone, then so was my reason for staying close to her. And maybe that would be better for both of us.

Except that every cell in my body screamed in protest, wanting to claim what my heart had always thought of as mine. Yet the echo of my past reverberated loudly in my head, reminding me I wasn’t the man for her. I pressed the ignition button and the engine roared to life.

After several more hours of useless searching, a thirty-minute drive brought me to isolated Middle Torch Key, where I staked out an old address I’d found for Knox. I settled into my seat, and my frustration only mounted that I’d still found no sign of him. Earlier, I’d returned to the boatyard, and his boss said he’d just filled out Knox’s termination paperwork. Knox’s roommate was clueless, offering nothing but shrugged shoulders and empty beer cans as answers. Knox’s meager, tattered belongings were still there, untouched and gathering dust—an abandoned life with no forwarding address. The roommate had been more pissed off about needing to find someone else to split the rent.

“Chasing ghosts,” I said aloud, my voice echoing off the metal confines of the air-conditioned SUV. The sun outside was relentless, its glare like an accusation. This stakeout at Knox’s old place was a last-ditch effort, and I knew it. The ramshackle building stood desolate, a front yard full of nothing but weeds and rusting car parts. All of it a monument to futility.

My phone buzzed, Gabe’s text lighting up the screen.

Gabe: You up for a beer?

A beer this early? I drew my brows down, but they flew up after I checked the time. It was mid-afternoon. I’d been sitting here, staring at this empty piece-of-shit house for hours. I quickly texted back.

Hunter: Sure. Conch Republic? I can be there in thirty minutes.

Gabe: See you there.

I could use a drink, but even more, I needed some semblance of normalcy. With a sigh, I pulled out onto the road and away from the ghost house. But as much as I tried to leave my feelings behind, they clung to me, stubborn as the salt air on the breeze. My tongue found the cut where my mouth had torn on my teeth from that amazing kiss. A wave of desire rolled through me. I couldn’t abandon Brenna so easily, but now I had no reason to keep her close.

Knox was gone.

The Conch Republic Brewpub was housed in what used to be a cannery. I pushed open the heavy wooden door, and the familiar scent of fried conch and beer welcomed me. The place had a rustic charm, with exposed ductwork overhead and worn wooden tables that held the stories of countless patrons. The brewpub was already humming with a mixture of locals unwinding and tourists seeking authenticity.

“Over here,” Gabe called out from a booth by the window where the light caught the lingering dust in the air, turning it into gold. He’d already ordered a pitcher of the house IPA, and frosty condensation beaded down the sides.

“Thanks,” I muttered, sliding in opposite him. I poured myself a glass, the frothy head spilling slightly over the rim.

“I ran into Myles this morning as he was coming off his final overnight shift,” Gabe said. “You hired two pretty good guys.”

I barely heard him as I stared at the bubbles rising through the golden fluid in front of me.

“Hello? What’s up with you?”

I snapped my head up at that. Then I rubbed my face with both hands, expelling a sigh that was almost a growl. “I’ve been working on a new case. And it’s eating me alive.”

Reluctantly, I told him the whole story. Almost the whole story. I couldn’t bring myself to admit I’d been in love with Brenna for years. “I can’t let it go any further, but it’s looking like her ex is out of the picture. So I guess the whole thing is just going to end.” My gut clenched at that.

Gabe cocked his head. “You just said you couldn’t see her due to a conflict of interest. Sounds like that won’t be an issue anymore. So what’s the problem?”

I took a long pull from my glass, hoping the cool liquid would soothe the heat pulsing through me at the thought of that kiss. “It’s complicated.”

Gabe leaned back and studied my expression. “Because she’s a Coleridge?”

“Please.” I scoffed, pushing away thoughts of old arguments and historic bitterness. “That’s got nothing to do with it.”

“The enmity between our families isn’t nothing, Hunter. It’s a pretty major complication.”

I raised my eyes to meet his. “If one of her brothers wants to pick a fight with me, I’m all for it.”

Gabe grinned. “It didn’t work out so well for me. Then again, I’m not you, am I? They’d have to be idiots to want to mess with you. Which brings us back to the fact that they are Coleridges. Are you hoping to be some modern-day version of Romeo and Juliet or something?”

I gave a reluctant bark of laughter. “Hardly. That didn’t end too well for them, did it?”

“Well, if it’s not the old family feud, then what is it?”

“It’s just…” My words trailed off as I considered how much to reveal. How much of my turmoil could I lay bare before it became too real?

“Come on, man. You can talk to me.”

“Let’s just say… I’m attracted to her. A lot. But acting on it isn’t smart.” I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the table and letting my fingers trace along the grooves in the wood.

“Because…?”

“Because I’m not the right guy for her, Gabe.” The admission came out gruff, almost a growl. “And I need to keep my distance before we both get hurt.”

Gabe didn’t say anything for a moment, just watched me with that all-seeing gaze of his. “Hunter, what happened with Evan was an accident. Even he is starting to acknowledge that. Stop blaming yourself for that and the other things. Stop blaming yourself for people you couldn’t save.”

I slumped back in my seat. “It’s not that easy.”

Gabe’s expression softened. “I know it’s not, but moving back here was a big step. Keep chipping away, Hunter. You’ve been shouldering the weight of the world for too long.”

“Look…” My throat tightened as the words clawed their way out. “I’m just… I’m too screwed up. Brenna, she’s?—”

“Too good for you? Is that what you’re trying to say?” Gabe’s tone was gentle, but it prodded the raw edges of my conscience.

“Something like that,” I murmured. Memories coursed through me… the last time I’d promised to protect someone and failed. And Evan. I had shattered us both in one single blow of fate. How could I even consider holding Brenna close?

“Remember that summer you and Evan built that treehouse in the yard?” Gabe asked, seemingly out of nowhere. “You two always thought you were invincible.”

I smiled despite myself. “Yeah, until I fell out and broke my arm.”

“Exactly,” he said pointedly. “You fell, you got hurt, and you healed. You’re not broken beyond repair, Hunter. Plenty of people care about you.”

My chest constricted with a mix of gratitude and pain. Gabe always knew how to cut through the bullshit. He saw the mess inside me and still had this irritating belief I could be more. I stared into the amber depths of my beer, grappling with the conflicting emotions swirling inside me. Would I ever be able to look back without regret and self-hatred? I didn’t know, but I was trying.

Taking a deep breath, I met Gabe’s gaze. “Thanks, man. I appreciate you looking out for me.”

“That’s what big brothers are for, remember?” He smiled, but it was tight. Probably because he was thinking the same thing I was.

Evan was also my big brother.

I topped off our glasses with more beer. “Can we talk about something else now? How’s the construction at the Barn coming along?”

Gabe hesitated for a moment, then gave in to my subject change. “It’s going well. The crew is making good progress.”

“I like how you’re mixing the old with the new. That place has always been more than just walls and beams.”

“The extra two bedrooms are shaping up nicely.” Then he dropped his gaze to the tabletop, a shy smile rising. His hand absentmindedly rubbed the back of his neck before he raised his eyes to mine again. “We found out it’s a boy.”

“Really?” I smiled at the news. “How ’bout that. It looks like the Markham name is secured for another generation, huh?”

He leaned back, uncertainty flickering through his expression. “It is, though I’ve got mixed feelings about that. Hailey’s every bit as much of a Markham as the baby April’s carrying.” Gabe’s daughter was a bright, vivacious child with cascades of brown hair. Gabe shrugged, a gesture of surrender to the weight of tradition. “Maybe she’ll hyphenate her name if she gets married, like Maia did. Can’t really change over a century of family history, can we? ”

“Probably not.”

“April’s already picking out stuff for the nursery.”

“You building a crib for him?” I asked. Gabe was an expert wood artisan and had made cribs for both Hailey and Maia’s daughter, Skye.

His eyes lit up. “I’m already working on it. It’s going to be the best crib I’ve ever made.”

“To fatherhood.” I raised my beer to the center of the table, and we toasted.

Then Gabe’s proud smile faded, and I recognized another subject change coming. “Evan’s going to join us at Stingrays practice,” he dropped mildly, almost too casual.

I blinked, my heart stuttering as my glass slammed down on the table. “He’s what?”

Gabe nodded. “You heard me. He changed his mind and agreed to join us—hitting and playing first base so he doesn’t have to use his leg too much. No pitching. I think it’s good for him. You know, part of the new leaf he’s turning over.”

“Right.” My response was automatic, my mind still grappling with the image of Evan stepping onto the field. Where he’d been poised to start his career. Before I ended it for him.

“Are you okay with that?” Gabe prodded, studying me closely.

“Of course,” I lied smoothly, now understanding why Gabe had suggested this meeting. Evan finding his way back to something he loved shouldn’t be complicated, except that when it came to my relationship with my brother, nothing was simple. But hell would freeze over before I stood in his way.

“Good.” Gabe nodded, satisfied, before taking a swig of his beer. “It’ll be good for the team, too. Holy shit. The other teams are going to die when they hear Evan’s playing again. Even if he’s not pitching.” He burst into laughter.

“Definitely.” The weight of Gabe’s news anchored me in a moment of unexpected clarity. Evan joining us wasn’t just another event on the calendar. It was a sliver of hope cutting through years of animosity and silence between us.

“Thanks, man,” I said, my voice rough. “For telling me about Evan. That’s… It means more than you know.”

Gabe nodded, his eyes showing he understood the storms that churned beneath my surface. After splitting the bill, we rose and headed out. The thought of Evan at practice, of mending fences long left in disrepair, sparked something akin to hope in the hollows of my chest.

I slid behind the wheel of my Range Rover. Now that I was headed home, my mind drifted back to Brenna. Her lips—soft, insistent—had branded themselves onto mine, leaving a mark that smoldered even now.

A good man would let her go, not keep her tangled in a web weaved from my own darkness. The truth clawed at me—Brenna was my north star, but my life was a battleground of scars and shadows. How could I drag her into that?

If Brenna chose to return to her house, I wouldn’t stop her. Knox was a ghost, and without evidence of his threat, what claim did I have? My role was to protect her, even if that meant from myself.

When I arrived at my building, my hand hesitated above the alarm keypad. I clenched it closed as visons of this morning ran through my mind for the millionth time. Tapping in the code would be like a signal flare to my senses, a prelude to the reckoning that awaited me on the other side of the door.

I was in trouble.

I wanted her. God, how I wanted her. To take her to bed, to explore every willowy curve. But this wasn’t about what I wanted. This was about what was right for Brenna, and I was acutely aware that I didn’t make the cut. It was time to man up and be strong. I was more than my raging libido and somehow, someway, I needed to find the strength to get hold of myself and pull back from the edge of this cliff. Before it was too late.

I typed in the code and entered.