Page 19 of Trapped (Sheppard & Sons Investigations #6)

Ashley

I f not for Gran, the day would’ve been the perfect distraction I needed. But the instant she laid eyes on Nathan, she fell for him.

Him and his gravelly ‘yes, ma’am’. The fact that his voice sent tingles straight to my core pissed me off almost as much as him sitting in his big black truck staring at my house.

The only thing I wasn’t mad at him for was accepting Gran’s invitation. He never stood a chance; Gran always got what she wanted.

He sat with us but didn’t talk except to answer questions.

He accepted a beer but barely drank it.

He stared at me as if he were trying to read my mind or see into my soul.

“So, Nathan,” I said after catching him staring again. “What’d you do before joining SSI? Let me guess.” I tapped my finger on my chin as if I were thinking. “Oh, I know, I bet you were an accountant.”

Irritation flashed across Nathan’s eyes, his lips pressing into a thin line, as I finished.

“I was a Navy SEAL.” His answer was a convenient half-truth, because of course it was. Something I knew, because Maxwell told me that both the new guys starting at SSI this summer were former Navy SEALs.

“Is there a Navy base in Vegas?” I asked, all innocence. Everyone except Gran, who was enthralled with Nathan, looked uncomfortable.

“No.”

It was my turn to squint my eyes at him. “How long have you been out of the Navy?”

“Ashley.” There was a warning in Jamie’s tone.

“What?” I batted my eyelashes, laying my innocence on thick. Not that it fooled anyone. Everyone except Gran knew he was the guy who ghosted me in Vegas. “I’m just curious about your new guy.”

AJ turned to Nathan. “So you’re Casper,” he said, like he’d just put two and two together.

Blake smacked AJ on the arm. Gran tilted her head in confusion.

Nathan’s eyes rounded and his mouth opened before he snapped his lips closed and clenched his teeth.

The rest of my friends hid their laughs behind their hands.

AJ looked at me, saw my shut-the-fuck-up look and said, “My bad, I must have confused you with someone else.”

“Hard to confuse this ugly mug with anyone else.” Defeat, or maybe sadness, crossed Nathan’s eyes. He looked at me and answered, “I’ve been out two years.”

He held my gaze, challenging me to keep playing the game. So far, he’d answered my questions, but how far could I go? How far did I want to go?

Gran watched the back and forth with a wicked grin on her face. Not very far . I didn’t want Gran finding out about Vegas.

“Dear, you’re not ugly.” Gran leaned over and patted his thigh.

A thigh she could have bounced a quarter off. A thigh I’d dreamt about more than once. NOPE . Not going there.

“You’re just a little rough around the edges,” Gran added, with a loving smile.

Nathan’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed. He blinked a few times before saying, “Thank you.”

Did he really think he was ugly? Sure, he had a gnarly scar on the left side of his face, but it didn’t detract from his good looks. It did, however, add to his mystery and bad-boy sex appeal.

His scar wasn’t the only new thing since Vegas. The version of Nathan I met, when he called himself Scott, oozed confidence. The man sitting here tonight didn’t.

Nathan met my eyes, turning his head just enough so the scar I’d been staring at was no longer visible. I tried to imagine how I’d feel if my face were scarred. Awful. Hideous. Unlovable. But I could hide it with makeup.

“Any more questions, Ms. York?” He asked, his tone formal, flat, cold. Like he didn’t give two fucks about me or the pain he’d caused.

Way to kill my sympathy, asshole .

“No, Scott, none.” His eyes rounded again at the use of his fake name.

I cursed myself when Gran asked, “I thought your name was Nathan?”

“Scott is my middle name.”

And the only name he’d given me in Vegas. Nathan told me he was undercover, but he shouldn’t have lied to me. If lying was his only option, he should’ve left me alone.

“Oh. What’s your last name, dear?” Gran asked.

His eyes never left mine, as if he thought maybe I’d forgotten it. “Blaszek, Nathan Scott Blaszek.”

“That’s a good strong name, don’t you think, Ashley?” she asked, all smiles.

“I don’t know; it sounds fishy to me,” I answered.

“Pay her no mind, Nathan; judging from the way she’s looking at you, she thinks it’s a fine name.”

Laughter erupted as I yelled, “GRAN!”

Gran had diffused the situation, but Nathan wasn’t laughing. Neither was I.

“Thank you for an interesting evening, but I should go.” Nathan stood and reached down to shake Gran’s hand.

She stood, with his help, and hugged him. The shock on his face was priceless. Almost worth the humiliation I’d just suffered. Almost .

“I hope to see you again soon,” Gran said. “Ashley, be a good hostess and walk our guest out.”

She was bound and determined to put Nathan and me together. I didn’t want to, but I couldn’t say no. “Okay.” I stood and went out of my way to avoid looking at my friends, knowing I couldn’t handle seeing their amused expressions.

They’d never seen this side of me. The good girl who followed orders and doted on her grandmother.

I’ll hear about this sixfold as soon as Gran goes to bed.

I escorted our guest to his truck. As soon as we exited the gate, he scanned left and right, like he were searching for someone. No, I recognized the act. He wasn’t searching for someone; he was checking for threats.

“What are you doing?” I hid my fear by feigning annoyance. His overbearing reaction seemed a bit much for a vase full of flowers.

“What?” he asked, looking down at me.

“Never mind.” I sighed. “Just go.”

He stopped on the sidewalk, turned to me, and said, “Ashley, I’ve already apologized for lying. I didn’t like doing it, but I had to.”

“No one has to lie. And you certainly didn’t need to play games with me.” I crossed my arms over my chest and tilted my head back to glare at him.

Emotions swirled behind his eyes; the predominant one was sadness.

“Why’d you tell me you were an accountant?”

“I didn’t.” I didn’t need to call him out; my expression did it for me. “Ashley, I never told you I was an accountant. You assumed, and I didn’t correct you.”

I stepped closer and poked his solid chest. “Not correcting me is the same as lying.”

“Fine. I lied.” His voice was low but forceful.

“But what was I supposed to say? I know I told you my name is Scott, but it’s only an alias while I work with the FBI to take down weapon-smuggling terrorists?

” He slammed his mouth shut. He glanced around again, this time seeming more nervous than watchful.

FBI? Weapon smuggling terrorists?

A million and one thoughts rapid-fired through my mind, the intensity causing me to sway on my feet.

When I didn’t answer, because I couldn’t get my mind to stop spinning, Nathan reached out to steady me.

“I planned on coming clean, as much as I safely could, at dinner, but,” his eyes lost focus for a second. He swallowed hard before finishing, “Things happened, and I couldn’t make it.”

When I’d hit on the sexy, mysterious guy at the bar, all I wanted was a one-night stand.

But the instant our gazes connected, I’d felt a connection.

When we talked, there was no awkwardness; it felt like old friends reconnecting.

When the bar music interfered with our conversation, we went back to my room.

Surprisingly, we didn’t sleep together, though we made out like horny teenagers before he got a call and had to leave.

I was more than a little disappointed my one-night stand ended without the orgasms I’d anticipated. I won’t admit to wearing out the batteries in my adult toys that night thinking about Scott.

“What happened, Nathan?” I asked, my voice soft and calm as my eyes drifted to his scar.

He didn’t miss the movement. “Cliff note version, my cover was blown, and this happened.” He pointed at his face before running his hand through his hair.

Was I the reason his cover was blown?

Wanting to see him again, I’d gone back to the bar hoping he’d be there, but not expecting it.

I remember stopping and staring at his back when I saw him on the same bar stool.

It felt like fate. When he admitted he was glad I’d come back, I thought I was staring in a fucking romance novel.

When he asked me out to dinner, I half expected our story to end with a happily ever after.

Only my Prince Charming ghosted me.

Not because he wanted to, but because he had to.

“Was it because of me?” My words were barely audible as guilt weighed me down.

He reached out and took my hand. Nathan didn’t speak until I made eye contact again. “No. It wasn’t because of you.”

My ability to speak had taken a vacation, so I nodded instead. Then I stared at my hands, still in his. He squeezed them, but I still couldn’t meet his eyes, so I lowered my head and stared at the ground between our feet.

“Ashley, look at me,” Nathan ordered.

Obeying wasn’t an option. I shifted my focus from the ground to his black boots, to his muscular legs and what I assumed were six-pack abs, and then finally to his eyes.

“It wasn’t your fault.” His voice was thick with emotion.

I freed a hand from his and reached for his face. He flinched but didn’t back away.

“This is why you stood me up?”

The scar felt rough under my fingertips. Nathan closed his eyes before saying, “Yes.”

With a sigh, he leaned into my touch.

“I’m so sorry.” My apology was inadequate. I’d been a total bitch, never giving him a chance to explain. And he took it, never once calling me out for it.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I…” He looked around, nodded towards the gate, directing my attention to Gran. “Not like this. Can we meet tomorrow?”

I nodded. “How about breakfast at Grannie’s?” I suggested, wanting to avoid any meal or restaurant that served alcohol. Nathan frowned but nodded.

“Eight?”

I’d get to bed late after cleaning up, and I wanted to have breakfast with Gran. “No need to be crazy. Let’s meet at nine.”

“Nine.”

“And Nathan.”

“Yes?”

“No more secrets.” I said. Knowing I was keeping a pretty big one myself, guilt settled in my gut. But I hadn’t confirmed the results, so I felt justified.

“No more secrets,” he agreed.

Gran was all smiles when I returned to the backyard. “You found yourself a good one. Nathan is so much better than schmuck-face Finn.”

Laughter filled the space.

“You weren’t kidding,” Jamie said to Emily.

“Nope, I told you she gets it from her grandmother.”

“Damn straight she does. I taught her everything she knows.” Gran glowed with pride. “Now you kids have fun and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” She laughed and said her goodbyes.

I laughed too; it wasn’t much of a restriction. In her heyday, there wasn’t much Gran wouldn’t do.

I settled back onto Gran’s comfortable patio couch and pretended the awkward silence wasn’t happening.

Emily and Meg stood up and rushed over to plop down next to me.

“Come on, we’re dying to know what happened,” Meg said.

“Did you talk? Did he tell you why he stood you up?” Emily asked.

I turned my head between them as they fired off more questions.

“Do you like him?” Meg asked.

“Will you give him another chance?” Emily asked.

“Give her a chance to answer,” Jack interjected.

Emily and Meg looked at him and stuck out their tongues, making everyone laugh.

“We talked. I know something bad happened.” I paused. “We’re meeting for coffee tomorrow.” My answers fell short of their expectations, but there was nothing more to tell. Hell, Jamie and Jack probably knew more than I did.

When it came time to say goodbye, AJ pulled me aside.

“You don’t seem like yourself. Are you doing okay?”

Of course he noticed. Everyone else probably had too, but AJ had zero qualms about asking bluntly.

“Yeah, just shocked by Nathan’s sudden appearance after a year.”

He squinted, staring deep into my eyes. “Is that all? You seemed off before he arrived.”

Direct, caring, and still gorgeous. AJ hadn’t changed much since we’d hooked up. Except now, he was madly, sickeningly in love with Blake.

We were great together, but weren’t meant to be more than friends with benefits. Blake was perfect for him. She soothed the demons of his past, and I loved her for it.

“I’m good, big guy, thanks for checking.” I hugged him goodbye.

Before he released me, he said, “Call if you need anything. Okay?”

I fought back the tears threatening to spill over. I blamed the hormones but couldn’t tell him that. AJ went from lover to protective big brother when he met Blake, and much to my surprise, I didn’t mind.