Chapter
Eight
It was early in the morning, a month after Brex had first met Clara and three days after he’d watched Rachel storm away in Vegas.
He’d felt so empty that night, and he knew he needed to be close to Clara. She was the one who had decimated his shallow existence and changed his life goals. He was stalled in his investigation, and he had to do something.
So Brex hatched a plan. He would use himself as bait. He would figure out why Clara was so irresistible and, if possible, get her simple life out of his system and get things back on track with a million bucks.
He was shadowing Clara through a red canyon that was getting narrower by the foot. She knew he was there, had probably known it every morning. Was she doing this hike to ditch him? He didn’t think he was claustrophobic, but as the slot canyon narrowed and he was brushing his shoulders on each side, he decided maybe he’d wait right here for her. She’d have to turn around and come back down. Google Maps showed there was no other outlet, she had no climbing gear, and he’d never seen her scale hundred-foot walls.
Would it rip at his heart to talk to her? What would he say? He had to ingratiate himself into her life again. He was doing a miserable job of getting close to her like the Hendrys had asked him to. Could he get close to her and not kiss her or fall for her? Maybe he wasn’t cut out to be undercover. If he got through this assignment without losing his job, he’d ask Nick for an easy one like infiltrating a trafficking ring or tracking down the Taliban.
He heard her footsteps coming back down the slot canyon. This was it. He had to find a way to pretend to be her boyfriend and get the murderer to attack. Taking action would be a huge relief. Being close to Clara sounded even better, a soothing balm he needed in his life.
What if he fell in love and ruined the job? What if there was no murderer or Clara was the murderer?
No matter what, he had to change his mode of operation. Not being close to Clara was killing him, and he’d told the Hendrys he would get close to her. It was a win-win to get back into her good graces.
He waited as she rounded a bend and almost plowed into him. Her eyes widened, and she stopped and glowered at him. As much as a sweetheart like her could glower.
Her jade eyes sparkled like green jewels in the morning light. He knew how genuine her beauty was, but he’d missed seeing it up close this past month.
They were at an impasse in this narrow canyon. It was like their relationship, or lack thereof. He was jolted by being near her again. His memory didn’t do justice to her authentic beauty and the allure of those jade-colored eyes. He needed to be with her, and he needed to be close for the case. It was the only way to move things forward and somehow figure out what she was doing to his mind and heart.
He reached out for her but retracted quickly, shaking out his arm and glancing at his wristwatch.
“So you’re finally going to face me, not just stalk me every morning.”
And every evening. He’d let her see him in the morning, but she didn’t expect the evening shadow. She thought she was free because she knew he stalked her in the morning.
“I wanted to hike and explore your valley. I figured following you was the best way to do that. Since you are the expert at hiking Jade Valley and all.”
“Don’t try to act like it’s not creepy that you’re following me.” She stepped closer and poked her finger into his chest. She was so adorable it was hard not to smile. “Stop it.”
He wrapped his hand around hers. It was instinctive but not a smart move. His thoughts scattered and he only wanted to hold her hand, draw her closer, let her cuss him out, and then seize her lips with his. The tight canyon walls framed them in. They were in their own world, and he didn’t want to leave it.
“You don’t want me around?” he asked, not releasing her hand.
“I didn’t say that.” Her jade-colored eyes captivated him. “I don’t want you skulking behind me.”
Brex studied her. “But we both agreed a relationship between us is not a good thing.”
He wanted a relationship with her, and not for the sake of pretending to be her boyfriend or solving this case. That scared him, but he didn’t back away. It was laughable that a month ago he’d claimed Clara Gem was ‘not his type’. If he still trusted in his Father above, he’d believe Clara Gem had been created for him and all the shallow relationships in the past were not his type.
She studied him for a few beats, and he had the unnerving feeling she could see clear through to his soul. Finally she nodded, muttered, “You’re right,” and pulled her hand free. They stood there for a beat, and he didn’t know if he should beg her to give him a chance or turn on his heel and get out of here. He couldn’t decide which was making him an uncertain headcase—the undercover work, this particular job, or Clara Gem herself. Maybe a combination of the three.
“How are you tracking me?” she asked.
“Device inside the bumper of your car.” He shrugged. “What can I say? I work for Aiden Porter. I’ve got a lot of devices.”
She didn’t appear upset. She’d obviously known he was tracking her. “Why are you really here, Brex?”
“Here?” He gestured around the tight canyon, his heart thumping quick against his rib cage. What had she guessed? What could he tell her? He didn’t believe Clara could kill anyone. If only he could confide in her without committing a breach of trust. The Hendrys were the clients, not Clara.
“Why are you in Jade Valley? From what I know of Aiden Porter’s operatives, they don’t waste time training small-town police forces.” She planted her hands on her hips and gave him a challenging look. “Are you stalking me because I’m in danger? Are you here tracking down a drug or a trafficking ring?”
His breath shortened at how close to the truth she was. But the angel in front of him was supposedly the dangerous criminal. It didn’t fit, and he had no idea how to respond. They were in this tight canyon, face to face, at an impasse. He was stuck.
“I can’t tell you why I’m really here,” he finally settled for. At least it was the truth.
“Am I in danger?”
He looked her over. If she was the murderer, she was the best actress he’d ever met, and he’d met many. If someone else had killed those men, Clara might be in danger. Yet the murderer could’ve hurt her any of the times he or she had killed, and they hadn’t. “I don’t believe you’re in danger, but I want to watch over you anyway.”
“Why?”
“You’re important to me,” he said before he could stop himself. Truth again. If only everything could be the truth. Could he be her ‘pretend’ boyfriend like he’d come up with? There was nothing pretend or false about Clara. Only about him.
“You don’t even know me.”
“I like what I know.” He liked everything he’d learned about her, most importantly that she was real. Clara had no idea that she’d changed how he saw the world.
She raised a challenging eyebrow. “But you can’t date me.”
He pushed out a breath. “There is that.” His fake dating idea was all he had left. The investigation was at a standstill. Could he date her to solve the case? It had been an okay plan to earn the million dollars. Now he didn’t want to trick her or hurt her, but he desperately wanted to be close to her. What a muddle.
“Why toy with me?”
He looked her over. “You’re mesmerizing to me, Clara. I’ve never met a woman like you. I’ve never felt a kiss like yours.”
Again, it was all true, but he should’ve stopped before he began.
“I had Melody do social media research on you.”
“And …” He didn’t like where this was going.
“You don’t date women like me, Brex. You date polished, gorgeous, successful actresses and influencers. Melody couldn’t give it to me straight, but Tess did. I’m not your type.”
“Clara …” His voice was too husky, too telling. If only he could tell her the revelations he’d had at dinner with Rachel only a few nights before. “I didn’t know a woman like you existed. I would never have dated actresses or influencers if I’d known there was a Clara Gem in the world.”
“Are you telling me the truth?”
That slammed into him like a brick wall. He wasn’t telling her the truth about why he was here, but he was telling her the truth about how incredible she was.
“Yes, Clara,” he said softly, but he had to clarify which truth. “There isn’t a woman in the world as grounding and magnetic to me as you are.”
The pulse point in her neck raced, and he would’ve given up anything to kiss it. A million dollars? Maybe.
“But for some reason we can’t date?” she asked.
“I want to date you.” Desperately , he wanted to add. “But my job would make it near impossible for us to have a long-term relationship.”
She swallowed and studied him. “Are you a hundred percent convinced you and I could never have a long-term relationship?”
“Eighty percent,” he said with what he hoped was a charming grin.
They couldn’t have a relationship if she was the murderer. If he could prove she wasn’t, he’d be free to pursue her. Every lady he’d dated had been a pretty distraction, a dinner partner, someone to help him climb the social ladder.
He truly had never known a woman like Clara existed. She didn’t fit in his world, and he didn’t know that he could fit in hers. He had a vision of him working at the Jade Valley police department, coming home to Clara every night in a little home like the one he was renting. He’d walk through that door, she’d be waiting, and the kisses they’d share would make the ones in the waterfall slot canyon look tame.
He shook out his wrist, checked his watch without seeing the time, and hoped she couldn’t read his rampant thoughts.
“But I find myself needing to be near you Clara.” He swallowed. “You’re all I can think about.”
She gave him a soft smile. “Could we get to know each other better and see if there’s more to us than mind-blowing kisses?”
He desperately wanted to get to know her better, and it was in line with what he should do with this job. Even if it made him feel slimy, he ached to be close to her. The past month hadn’t yielded much. He’d never get answers unless he drew her—or the murderer—out. Or he had to prove that the deaths were accidents and get Aiden or Nick to drop the case. The million-dollar reward from the Hendrys still ate at him though. He wanted that money, but he cared about this genuine woman in front of him and clearing her name. If he did, would she forgive him for lying to her? He cringed, imagining the hurt in those jade-colored eyes when she learned the truth.
“I’m desperate to be near you,” he admitted. He’d like to kiss her and earn the million dollars, but both might be out of his reach now.
“Me too.” A slow smile started on her lips and spread across her face. She put her hands on her hips. “So we start with hikes every morning. Where you stay by my side, not shadow me like a wraith.”
“It’s a good start,” he said.
“All right then.”
They’d figured out the impasse. Together. For now.
They both turned sideways, and she tried to brush past him. There wasn’t enough room.
The instant her body connected with his, he was swept away. Could he even keep his head on straight while being close to her?
She drew in a breath and stared up at him, so inviting, so beautiful. It was all he could do not to pull her into his arms again.
They were wedged in together, this time by choice. The morning was lit with joyful possibilities. He was trapped by her eyes and her authenticity. She smelled of springtime.
After a deliciously long moment, she brushed past him, and he followed her down the trail. It was for the best. He had to keep his head on straight. And he had to not kiss her. He might have no choice but to call Nick for advice. What if Nick realized he was emotionally invested and assigned someone else to this case?
Watching Clara’s dark hair swish along her back and admiring her firm legs, he knew no one but him should be close to her.
And he didn’t even know if he should be close to her.
This job was a mess. He’d never had such an emotionally challenging job with the police force, and this was his first solo and real job with Aiden. Were all undercover ops in the real world like this? He doubted it. There was no woman out there like Clara, and how many times did a seemingly innocent woman get accused by her former boyfriends’ parents of killing their son?
No, this job was unique. Clara was unique and angelic. Brex had no idea how to navigate his feelings for her, and he had to figure it out quick. He didn’t want to hurt her or mess up the job.
Clara glanced over her shoulder at him and gave him a cautious smile.
His heart clutched.
He had to prove her innocent or find the real murderer.
Then maybe he could turn this fake relationship into a real one.
‘Maybe’ bothered him.
A lot.