Harlequin Nocturne March 2016 Box Set Read online

  It was the woman from the Cottage Cafe. The woman from the other night. Her dark hair had pressed down over her forehead, coffee running in rivulets over her cheeks. It had stained her white T-shirt and made the fabric cling to her in ways his libido definitely sat up and noticed.

  “Sorry,” Jase called down to her. “Hey, c’mon up here—let me at least get you a towel.”

  The woman hesitated, looking wary. “I’m okay.”

  “If you’re sure? Damn, I feel bad. Some paper towels, something. A napkin?” He paused, considering the situation. “You can stay out here on the deck if you’re...worried.”

  That she’d even have to take one second to fear for her safety pissed him off, but he understood it. You didn’t need to believe in things that went bump in the night to understand the world was full of monsters. He watched her doubt cross her face, but then she nodded.

  “Sure, okay. I could use something to dry off.” In half a minute, she’d made it up the wooden stairs to the deck.

  Jase had grabbed one of the beach towels he’d hung over the railing to dry. Too late realizing it was still damp and cold from the late-spring air, he first handed it to her, then pulled it back before she could get a grip on it. He looked like an asshole.

  The woman laughed. “Um?”

  “Sorry, this one, it’s... I used it earlier. Let me get you a dry one. You want to stay out here or...?” Now he sounded even more like an asshole.

  At that moment, Reg took the opportunity to slide open the glass door and shake his naked ass all over the place.

  “Looks like I’m not the only one who needs a towel,” the woman said.

  * * *

  The cute blond guy with the amazing green eyes was Jason. Jase, the other guy called him. Reg, he of the bare-booty shaking and wicked sense of humor. Also Jase’s partner, which just figured, didn’t it? Chelle thought with an internal sigh. Two superhot guys, of course they’d be together.

  “Here, drink this.” Reg passed her a mug of blessedly hot coffee. “You sure you’re all right?”

  “It was cold, I told you that.” Jase sounded annoyed. “I already told her I was sorry.”

  Chelle sipped the coffee with a sigh. “I’m fine. Really. I was more surprised than anything.”

  Her shirt still clung to her, and the run she’d been looking forward to now seemed more of a chore. The coffee would help with the creeping exhaustion she’d known was going to hit her, but it wasn’t going to be enough to get her motivated for a run any longer than it took to get her back home. She wrapped her hands around the mug, warming them.

  She watched the two men move around the kitchen with an easy compatibility that made her envious. “I should get going. Thanks for the towel, and the coffee.”

  Standing, she realized her mistake in sitting. She’d gone stiff and sore again. At the sight of her wincing, Jase moved forward.

  “You’re hurt?”

  “Not from the coffee shower,” she assured him as she rotated her shoulder. “Just sore muscles. I’ll be okay.”

  “Let me give you a ride, at least. Shit, I feel like the biggest ass.” He shook his head. “At least let me drive you.”

  She didn’t want to say yes. It felt like too much of an imposition, especially after she’d needed to bum a ride from Eddie the other night. But Reg looked her over with a practiced eye and nodded.

  “Yeah, let Jase give you a ride. You look like you feel like shit.”

  She had to laugh at that, then again at Jase’s expression. “Wow. Thank you.”

  “Reg!”

  “No, it’s fine.” She waved a hand. “But I will take you up on the ride. Sure.”

  “So...you’re local?” Jase asked as she gave him directions to her house. The twenty-minute run was going to be a five-minute car ride.

  Chelle nodded. “Yep. Grew up in Millville, then moved away for a while. Moved back down here from Wilmington about four years ago, after... Well, I quit my job to focus on some other things, and I figured the beach would be a great place to do that.”

  “Other things?” He shot her a curious glance as he made the turn at the square.

  “Yeah. I’m... Well, I’m trying to be a writer. I mean, I am a writer. I just am trying to be a different kind of writer.” It felt awkward to say it out loud, like admitting something shameful.

  Jase looked impressed. “Yeah? What kind of writing?”

  “I used to be a journalist. Now I’m focusing on fiction.” She pointed. “Turn here. Then the next left.”

  “Wow. I don’t think I’ve ever met a writer before. Have you had anything published?”

  She smiled. “You know, that’s the first thing anyone ever asks.”

  “Yeah. I bet. Sorry.”

  “No, it’s a legit question. The answer is yes, tons of stuff in my old career. I wrote a lot of articles for different newspapers, a bunch of web content, stuff like that. My fiction has been taking a while to get off the ground, but...actually...” She paused. She hadn’t told anyone else this, not her parents or sister, not Angie. The closest she’d come was that moment this morning in bed when she’d turned to a man who was no longer there. Taking in a breath, she blurted, “I just sold a story.”

  Jase twisted a bit to look at her. “No kidding? Really?”

  “Just a short story, nothing big. The money’s not that great, but it’s for a good small press, they’re respected and...” She stopped herself from babbling more. “It feels good. Like maybe I’m going to make something of it.”

  “Doing what you love—that’s a real blessing,” he told her.

  She smiled. “What do you do, Jase?”

  “I’m a private investigator. Mostly insurance-fraud stuff,” he said casually. “Down here working on a couple different cases. I’ve never been to Bethany Beach before. It’s a great little town.”

  “Very quiet,” she said with a laugh. “If you want any kind of excitement, you really need to go to Ocean City or Rehoboth. Even Dewey.”

  “Oh, I don’t know about that.” He pulled smoothly into her driveway. “This the place?”

  “Yep. Home, sweet home. Thanks for the ride.” Chelle put her hand on the door handle, then glanced at him over her shoulder. He was the guy from a few nights ago at the Cottage Cafe, she was sure of it. Which meant she’d written something sexy about him. And he’d dumped cold coffee on her over a balcony. “Do you believe in coincidence?”

  “No,” Jase said firmly.

  Fair enough. She did. There was proof of it, right there in the driver’s seat. She didn’t argue, though, just smiled and thanked him again. Right before she got out of the car, he stopped her with a question.

  “Do you run up my way often? I mean, I like to get in a run in the mornings, do a few miles. Reg doesn’t run. Sometimes it’s good to have someone pushing you, though.”

  She paused, then nodded. “Yeah. I run up that way, along the beach. I know some great trails through the parkland, too, and you can get to them really easily from your neighborhood. If you want to grab my number, you can text me if you—”

  “I’d like that,” Jase said immediately.

  They exchanged numbers. She got out of the car and watched him drive away with a small wave. It didn’t mean...anything, she told herself. Just a running partner. Right? It wasn’t more than that?

  She didn’t have much time to contemplate it further, though, because at that moment, her neighbors’ pack of obnoxious dogs began their furious cacophony of barking. There were at least five of the tiny terrors, though sometimes in the summer, when the neighbors had guests, there’d been seven or more rowdy dogs creating havoc. They were supposed to stay in their fenced yard but often escaped to leave presents for her in her...

  “Damn it,” Chelle muttered. She’d stepped in a pile