Luke arched a brow at Julie. “Now would be the time to have your seat moved away from mine if you want to.”

Her expression softened. “I don’t want that.”

“You sure about that?”

Pink flooded her cheeks. “Yes. I’m sure.”

“Here you go,” Sue said. “Two tickets. You’re all set.”

Luke held Julie’s stare a moment and then accepted the tickets. “Thanks, Sue.”

“We should begin boarding in about fifteen minutes,” she informed them.

“Excellent,” he said, and he and Julie stepped away from the counter, where he teasingly asked, “How about some coffee? I’m guessing you haven’t had your standard two cups of coffee this morning, since you took off from your room so early.”

“Luke, I-”

“Don’t know what to do about me,” he finished for her. “Ditto me about you, but I’m betting we don’t have a chance of figuring it out without some caffeine.”

She sighed. “I’ll buy. It’s the least I can do considering you got us on this flight and I, well, you know.”

“I know,” he said, not about to let her off the hook for running off and leaving him at the hotel. “And since I brought you coffee when I showed up at your door this morning, I’ll let you provide this round.”

“You brought me coffee?”

“That’s right.”

She glanced at a clock. “You showed up early.”

“You left earlier.”

“You knew what I was going to do.”

“Just not how early.” He lowered his voice. “I know you better than you think.”

Surprise flashed on her face before she quickly joked, “Then you know I’m dangerous without coffee.” She started walking.

Luke smiled and followed. She was still running, but he had a good feeling he was catching up.

A few minutes later, they sat down in the waiting area, cups in hand. She sipped her white mocha. “I still don’t know how you drink your coffee straight-up black.”

“It’s the only way I got it the past few years,” he said.

“I remember you saying that,” she commented, settling fully into her seat and crossing her legs. “You’re a civilian now though. We need to convert you to a real coffee drinker.”

“What can I say?” He leaned back to bring his gaze level with hers. “I know what I like.” And he liked her.

Awareness thickened between them. “I remember that about you, too,” she said softly.

“What else do you remember?”

She traced her lips with her tongue, pulling his gaze down to their glistening wetness. Hunger rose inside him, the need to kiss her, to taste her. To know her as he once had.

Her lashes fluttered, long and dark against her pale cheeks, before she surprised him by confessing, “I remember a lot of things.”

“Good,” he said. “Then we can compare memories.”

Her eyes opened and she met his gaze. The warmth and desire he saw there punched him in the gut. The sexual tension between them was going to kill him. He ached for her, burned for her.

Her cell phone rang. Neither of them moved. It rang again. She swallowed hard. “I should get that. My assistant and I were playing phone tag this morning.”

He grabbed her purse and handed it to her. She retrieved her phone. “It’s her.” She hit the answer button and he watched shock roll over her face. “Dead?” She sat straight up. “How? When?””

“Who?” Luke asked, having a bad feeling he knew the answer.

Julie cast him a worried look and she covered the phone. “Elizabeth Moore. They say she committed suicide and....I just can’t believe it. Luke, she’s...dead.”

Luke inhaled a sharp breath. Just what had Julie been dragged into?

“Consciously or not, greed and power are deadly partners.”

Chapter Five

Luke texted Blake while Julie finished her call to her assistant, telling him of Elizabeth Moore’s death. Blake’s reply was typical Blake. “Holy shit, man, you know how to find trouble. How’d you stay alive in the jungles without me?”

Normally, he’d have replied with some brotherly love like ATF does research while SEALs get their man, but now wasn’t one of those moments. Instead, he said, “Worried about Julie’s involvement.” And Blake had replied, “Enough said. I’m on it now. And no, before you say it, I won’t tell the bride and groom.”

Julie ended her call and immediately hit a button before he could stop her. ”I have to reach the judge,” she said. “The funeral is tomorrow. That’s fast. Can a funeral even happen that fast?”

“Apparently they can,” he said, assuming they were cremating the body, too. “Let me guess. She overdosed?”

“Yes. How’d you know?”

“Still on that lucky streak.”

“Voice mail,” she said, and quickly left an urgent message before saying, “Luke, she wasn’t suicidal. If anything she was fighting to survive.” The boarding announcement for their flight sounded and Julie grimaced. “I really wanted to talk to the judge before the flight.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t,” Luke said. “You’re upset and you need to handle him cautiously. You need to distance yourself from this for all kinds of reasons, namely your safety.”

“I should have done more,” she fretted. “I should have–”

“Don’t do that to yourself,” he insisted, his hand settling on her leg. “You didn’t have anything to go on but her threat.”

She turned to him. “Yes, but–”

He leaned in and kissed her, determined to give her something else to think about. Her lips were soft, delicate, perfect and what was meant to be a brush of his mouth to hers became a lingering caress. “No buts,” he whispered, brushing her hair from her face. “You aren’t to blame for her death.”

Her teeth scraped her lip. “I can’t turn a blind eye to this, Luke. It’s not who I am.”

“I’ll find out what happened. You have my word.” He leaned back to study her. “Trust me to do that. I won’t let you down.”

The boarding call sounded again, but still they didn’t move. He held his breath, waiting for her reply, knowing trust wasn’t something Julie gave easily, and not to anyone he knew of but Lauren.

“Yes,” she finally said. “Yes. Okay. Thank you, Luke.”

“Good,” he said, and while this wasn’t how he wanted to take a step forward with Julie, it was still a step. He drew her hand in his and they stood up. “Let’s go home.”

She nodded. “Yes. Home sounds good and safe.”

Luke just hoped she was right about that. He wasn’t so sure.

***

Julie could still taste Luke’s kiss on her lips as she settled into a window seat and adjusted her seat belt. He slid in beside her, his knee brushing hers, making her heart flutter in her chest. She was confused about Luke and tormented about Elizabeth. She replayed the meeting in her office, tried to think of what else she should have, or could have, done. She should have done something.

“Julie,” he said, trying to get her attention, and she realized she was staring blindly out of the window.

Her head whipped around. “I have to go to the funeral.”

He drew her hand in his. “Honey, relax.”

“I’m trying and failing,” she said, and she didn’t have it in her to pull her hand away, to fight this thing with Luke, to protect herself from heartache. “This is so not normal for me.”

He reached up and brushed his knuckles gently across her cheek. “I know that. You know the wedding rehearsal and dinner is tomorrow night.”

“Yes, but I took off of work tomorrow so I should have time for both.”

“I’ll go with you to the funeral.”

She shifted in her seat to face him. “You don’t have to do that.”

“I want to come with you.”

She wanted him to. Oh God, she so wanted him to. Warning bells went off in her head. This was headed to heartache. She was vulnerable right now, raw and open, and– “I’ll be fine by myself.”

“I’m going with you.”

“No. I need to go by myself.” She didn’t want to start depending on Luke and lose her ability to stand on her own.

“You need me there with you,” he said softly. “And if you aren’t willing to admit that, I’m fine with that. But I need to be there with you. I’m in this with you and I’m staying in.”