Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 43118 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 216(@200wpm)___ 172(@250wpm)___ 144(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 43118 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 216(@200wpm)___ 172(@250wpm)___ 144(@300wpm)
I nod. “I’d like that very much.”
But even as I agree, and my heart feels lighter knowing Hunter will look after me – I can’t help wondering if it’s going to be enough to heal the pain I feel at seeing my father.
He’s the man who I should be able to trust above all others, doing something he swore to me he’d never do again.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Hunter
I turn and glance at Jenna one last time as I hesitate on the threshold. Going back to the warmth of that bed and the softness of her body is mighty tempting right now, especially given what we did again last night before we fell asleep.
She was in need of comfort, and I was more than happy to give it to her after we followed her dad all the way home and watched him get out of the car with no sign of new injuries.
But now, after my alarm woke me up this morning but left her still sleeping soundly, I need to take advantage of the time and make sure I start connecting all of these dots I’ve been putting together.
I think I have just about all of the pieces. I just need to complete the puzzle so that we actually have something to present – something to confront Jenna’s dad with. Something that will help us to deal with the whole situation and whatever the fallout might be.
I walk down the stairs into my office, closing the door quietly so I don’t wake Jenna – although if she was tired enough to sleep through my alarm, I doubt this would have any effect. She must be exhausted.
All the excitement of what we’ve been doing the last few nights, the physical exertion of it, which is totally new to her, and the shock of these discoveries about her dad….
And she doesn’t even know the half of it yet. I know I’m going to have to tell her eventually. I just don’t want to, not yet. I want her to be unaware and happy for as long as possible. Once she knows, it’s not like there’s any way to go back.
I sigh and go through the file I’ve already started putting together. Hooking up my camera to the computer I quickly scroll through the shots I took last night, enhancing them so they’re easier to see and then printing a couple of them out. I add these to the file, still warm from the printer, and look over everything again.
It all makes sense. The dots all connect in ways I wished they wouldn’t. I have the full picture now, and it’s a picture I wouldn’t want to present even to someone I didn’t like. Knowing that I have to show all of this to Jenna is devastating.
I hear a noise from upstairs and raise my eyes to the ceiling, listening. When it comes again, I realize Jenna must be awake, probably wondering where I am.
I put the printed pictures, emails, witness statements, and bank account details to one side for now and close the file, getting up from my chair.
I’m not quite quick enough. Just as I’m getting to my office door, rushing to go outside and back upstairs to put Jenna at ease, she opens the door and comes in.
“There you are,” she says, seeming to relax immediately on seeing me. She’s wearing nothing but my shirt, discarded last night, and it looks incredible on her.
I close the distance between us and kiss her good morning, slipping my hands under the shirt to grab her bare ass for good measure. She squeals and breaks the kiss, looking at me with wide but amused eyes. “I missed you when I woke up.”
“I was just checking my emails,” I say. It’s not quite a lie. I intended to look at my emails and see if I have anything back from some of the inquiries I’ve put out. I just didn’t even get a chance yet.
“Today is another stakeout day, I think.”
“We should get dressed, then,” Jenna suggests.
“And shower,” I add. I pause, thinking about it. “Separately.”
Jenna pouts. “Why separately?”
“Because if we do it at the same time, we aren’t going to leave the bathroom before noon,” I tease her. “Go on. You go first. I’ll finish up here and then jump in after you’re done.”
My reasoning was the truth, but this also gave me a chance to investigate more. I needed to be sure about all of the details.
If I’m going to break Jenna’s heart with the truth, then I need to be absolutely sure.
“Alright,” she says, leaning in to kiss me again before she goes. I lean out of the doorway to watch her walk up the stairs in that shirt, whistling and making her giggle.
Then when she’s gone, really gone, I sit down behind my desk again and pull the final touches that I need to put together my case.