Playing for Keeps (Heartbreaker Bay #7)(65)

He felt his mouth fall open. “Wait.” He caught her just as she whirled to go. “Wait a damn minute. What the hell are you talking about?”

“Remember when your sister mentioned how the people you date have to be vetted and go through a process to get cleared?”

“Yes,” he said. “And she was exaggerating. I’d never do such a thing to you.”

“Right, you wouldn’t need to because you’re having your sister do your dirty work.” She shook her head. “I didn’t want this, Caleb. Any of it.”

She didn’t say his name often, but when she did—as she had last night when he’d been buried deep inside her—it never failed to give him pleasure. Except this time. This time she said his name like it was a bad word. “I’m not having you followed. I swear it,” he said at her look of disbelief. “I wouldn’t do that to you.” And even just saying it, he knew it was true. He wouldn’t do that to her, and that’s how he knew he was in deep.

Way deep.

Too deep.

Somehow when his brain hadn’t been paying attention, his heart had engaged. It’d been a slow unfurling, but there was no sense in denying it. He was doing things he’d never done before, like using his awake hours for things other than working. Such as opening his home—and heart—to the woman standing in front of him, eyes flashing hot with temper and mistrust.

Which meant he’d have to have enough trust for the both of them until she understood that he wouldn’t hurt her, that he was real and not going anywhere. “I’m not tracking you,” he said quietly. “And . . . I talked you into this ? I’d call bullshit on that, but I’m going to give you a pass because you’re clearly upset and—”

“Let me tell you where you can put your damn pass,” she said. “Sideways.” She pulled out her phone.

There were two shots, both of Sadie presumably going about her day in the Pacific Pier Building, and both featuring a woman in the background.

Kayla, in all her pregnant glory, playing the part of the sneaky photographer. He stared at it. “What the actual fuck.”

“My question exactly.”

He lifted his head and met Sadie’s furious—and hurt—gaze. “I don’t know what’s happening here,” he said, “but I will find out.”

“You once told me that the Parkers act as a team,” she said, “even when it’s just one of you. You stand by each other, you watch each other’s backs. Maybe you didn’t say the words that set this in motion, but you knew it could happen and you certainly could’ve stopped it.”

This was all true enough to make him wince. “Sadie—”

“Are you going to tell me you’ve never had your sexual partners vetted?”

“Sexual partners, no,” he said. “Lovers, yes.” He met her gaze, letting her know that he considered the two of them lovers and not just sexual partners, but she looked away. Whether that was because she didn’t want to acknowledge it or she didn’t believe it, he wasn’t sure. “In the past,” he said, “before I’ve gotten too deep into a relationship, there’s been a vetting process, but always with permission. I admit, I’m in deep with you, but I haven’t informed anyone of that yet.”

She stared at him. “Including me.”

“Then you’ve not been paying attention.” He risked his life by closing the gap between them. “I was hoping my actions would fill you in.”

“Yeah, well, I’m learning a lot by the actions of you and yours,” she said, still stiff, still full of mistrust. “I just hope whatever you all found out about me was worth it.” She scooped up Lollipop. “Goodbye, Caleb.”

“Hold on,” he said and took her hand in his when she tried to walk past him to the door.

She tugged free and this time when she lifted her gaze to his, pain eclipsed her temper. Haunted, hollow, gut-wrenching pain, and it stopped him in his tracks. “Sadie,” he said quietly, softly, wanting only to soothe, to ease what she was feeling. Because something more was going on here, he was definitely missing something.

“No,” she murmured, her voice hitching. “Don’t.” She took Lollipop and walked out the door, Lollipop’s head bouncing as she looked over her mama’s shoulder to watch him.

“Arf!”

She wanted her human. “I could—” he started, but Sadie’s response was to flash him her middle finger as she left.

Right.

He could have stopped her or called down and have the front desk detain her. But he’d never do either. She was angry and upset, and she had a right to be.

He needed to fix this. First, he needed to find out what the hell had happened and why. He’d told Sienne to stay out of her personal life. When he had the 411 he needed, he’d find Sadie and lay his heart out on the line.

Sienne’s office was empty.

He hit up Hannah’s next and hit the jackpot. Three of them in the same spot, in fact. Hannah was sitting cross-legged on her desk eating out of a small Chinese food container with chopsticks. Kayla was in Hannah’s desk chair, her plate balanced on her big belly, eating with a fork because she had no chopsticks skills and never had. Sienne was eating standing up, leaning against the desk, laughing at Kayla, who’d just dropped a pot sticker on her chest.