Burning Seduction (8 page)

From the little bits and pieces she’d gathered about her parents’ reunion, her mom had been anything but enthusiastic about being with Dad again. Perhaps that was what made him want her even more. Playing hard to get might be Charlotte’s only option with Trent, but she didn’t want to go that route. If her dad had been more honest with her mom, they might never have divorced.

Until Trent came to his senses, she needed to focus on doing the best job she could at Mrs. Goddard’s home, hoping for more referrals. If she and Trent were meant to be, it would happen—with some help on her part, of course.

*     *     *

On Saturday, Charlotte
finished her final designs just in time to head out to the sharp shooting competition. About twenty people, some cops and some family members, stood or were seated behind the glass partition ready to watch the show.

Charlotte studied the backs of the six men readying to participate and recognized a few of them. Devon was fourth from the left, Connor stood next to him, and Cade Carter, who she recognized from her dad’s birthday party, was in the first stall.

Sharon had said she was going to be there, but at the last minute had to cancel because her cat had taken sick. Charlotte bet if her dad had been in town he’d have come, and if the competition hadn’t been limited to cops, her father might have entered. He’d have won, too—not that she was prejudiced or anything.

A voice bellowed over the intercom announcing the competition was about to begin. The men picked up their guns and readied themselves. With all the firepower, she was happy to be behind the glass partition. Despite the barrier between them, when the orange light flashed above their targets, and the guns went off, the sound reverberated, making her wish she’d worn ear protection.

Because she was so far from the target, she was unable to tell who had the better score. Everyone seemed to have hit the black circle. While she didn’t know Devon very well, she hoped he was pleased with his performance.

“Hello,” said a voice behind her.

Her heart nearly tripped over itself. What was Trent doing here? Charlotte spun around and his gaze on her face was like sunshine on a dreary day.

“Hi, I didn’t expect this to see you here.” He’d said he wasn’t coming. Every time Trent was near, he threw her off balance, and Charlotte needed a moment to calm down.

“I came to see
you
.”

She couldn’t believe it, especially after how they’d left things a few days ago. Her pulse raced, and her mouth seemed unable to respond. His beautiful green eyes shimmered, and all she wanted to do was to sink into those pools of desire. No wait. Had something bad happened? Probably not or he wouldn’t look so lustful.

“About what?”

He lifted one shoulder. “Felt bad about how I keep running out on you.”

For real?
Joy streaked through her. This was too good to be true. She was about to ask him to elaborate when another round of gunfire exploded, preventing anyone from carrying on a conversation. Trent smiled and turned her around. It was almost as if he could tell she was going to ask something personal. Dang. At least with him behind her, she was able to inhale and compose herself. This must be round two as only three men remained.

“I see Devon survived the first cut,” he said, his lips too close to her ear. His breath tickled the hairs on her neck and sent shivers of delight right between her legs.

He must have thought she’d come just to see Devon. “So it seems.”

“Who are you cheering for?”

So that was the reason for the visit. Charlotte debated what to say then decided to go with the truth. “No one in particular.”

She’d come to study their expert form and execution to help improve her shooting. Since Devon had asked her, she thought it only polite to show up because she’d said she would.

When Trent stepped next to her, her shoulder touched his arm. He smiled, and sparks of need raced through her. She really needed to gain some control of herself, especially if this relationship wasn’t going anywhere—or was it?

For the next few minutes they watched the pool go from three men down to two. Finally, the targets were pulled down for the judges to check the scores.

With his weapon down and his ear protection off, Devon turned around, spotted her in the crowd, and waved. She glanced up at Trent and his posture stiffened. Stupid man. Trent had to know she only had eyes for him.

Charlotte had no idea how long it would take the judges to choose a winner, but she wanted to stay long enough to learn the outcome. While they waited, she turned toward Trent. “Any news on the case?”

A small smile spread across his face, and he slowly shook his head. “You know better than to ask, Ms. Hart. There was one thing I forgot to mention, however.”

“What’s that?”

“Did you know that Mr. Goddard was Harmon’s boss at Ardton Investments?”

She searched her brain but came up empty. “No, I had no idea. When your brother and I were talking, he mentioned who he worked with and who he thought might have framed him, but I honestly didn’t pay attention to the names. Do you think this will affect his ability to prove his innocence?”

Trent stared at her for a long minute. “What makes you so sure he wasn’t involved in insider trading?”

“I can’t be sure, but I’m pretty good at reading people.” She failed to keep the challenge from her voice. If Trent didn’t believe his own brother, the proof must have been damning. Her heart sank for both of them. At least, Harmon had done his time.

Trent’s face softened. “I hope you’re right. It’s the cop in me that wants to question everything.”

Her father was the same way.

Trent placed his palm on her back and twisted her toward the glass enclosure. “Dan Hartwick is about to make the announcement of the winner.”

As much as she had been interested in who won, she wanted to learn about Trent more.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming out. It is very important that the fine men of Rock Hard Police Department do their best for its citizens, so I am pleased to announce that the winner of this year’s indoor sharpshooting competition is Connor Douglas.”

Devon and Connor shook hands as the audience applauded and cheered.

Trent’s hand returned to her back. “Care to join me for dinner?”

She hadn’t expected the invitation—now or ever. “I’d love to, thank you.” Today had turned out better than she’d ever thought possible.

“Do you mind walking?” he asked.

“Not at all.”

As Trent escorted her outside, she thought Devon had called her name, but right now, all she wanted to do was be with Trent. Charlotte tried to tamp down her expectations about their date and prayed she wouldn’t blow it. The last two times she’d been the one to kiss him, and that had ended badly. She hoped that if he came back to her place tonight, she’d be able to control herself.

She looked up at Trent. “Do you think you could’ve beaten Connor?”

“Doubtful. I have every intention of spending some time at the range each week, but I seem to be too busy.”

Trent didn’t look happy about working all the time. “Have you considered slowing down? Or maybe even working as a private investigator?”

His brows rose. “Do you think I’d be happy doing what your dad does?”

She honestly hadn’t given it a lot of thought. “I know my father is a lot happier not working for the FBI because now he can pick and choose the cases he works. I think having my mother in his life again has changed him. Dad wants to spend more time with her. I wouldn’t be surprised if he hires someone to lighten his load.”

“I’ll keep that employment opportunity in mind, but I like to think that as a cop, I’m doing some good for society.”

His attitude was admirable. They arrived at the Steerhouse and as soon as they stepped inside, she could see this was a really nice place. “Do you come here often?”

“You mean do I take my dates here?”

She wasn’t sure what she was asking. “Maybe.”

“No. I don’t date all that often.”

The hostess seated them quickly since it was still early for dinner, and the waiter rushed over and took their drink order.

“I’ll have a glass of the house red wine,” she said.

“Beer for me.” Trent leaned back in the seat. “I don’t know what to do about you, Charlotte Hart.”

Oh, shit. “Do?”

“I like you. In fact I like you a lot.”

I knew it!
She almost jumped out of her seat. Keeping calm was almost impossible, though she didn’t know why he seemed so concerned about the situation. “You have a funny way of showing it sometimes.” Damn. She just couldn’t seem to keep her mouth shut. Her mom always accused her of speaking her mind too often, and she was right.

He unrolled the white linen napkin, removed the utensils, and placed the cloth on his lap. “Here’s the thing: you deserve better.”

Her jaw dropped. “How can you say that?”

“I’m good at my job and am able to protect people, but I’m not really good with emotions. You’d only get hurt in the end.”

She wished he’d stop saying that. “How about letting me decide?”

He blew out a breath and glanced to the side. “I know Harmon mentioned our dad was a cop.”

“He did, and he also said your father had high standards for himself, which you inherited.”

His eyes slightly widened. “Harmon said that?”

“Yes. Your dad was a workaholic and that in the end it cost him his health and his wife. Is that what you’re aspiring to?”

“Fuck,” he said under his breath. “I’m not trying to be like my dad. I know I have my faults, but helping people makes me feel good.”

“Helping people makes me feel good, too, but it doesn’t mean you have to give your life for the job. There are more important things than work.”
Like someone to love.

The waiter delivered their drinks, and Trent tipped back his beer. “I’m not sure if I can change. Being ambitious is built into who I am as a person.”

His answer seemed too simple. “What about your mother?”

His green eyes darkened. “I guess Harmon didn’t tell you the whole story. My mother was killed a year after she divorced my father. I was only twelve.”

Pain stabbed her gut. She wished she hadn’t asked. “I’m very sorry.”

He dragged his thumb down the label tearing the paper into shreds. “I was at her house complaining about having no cookies to eat. I whined so much that she gave in and went to the store. On her way, some criminal avoiding capture slammed into the driver’s side of her car, and she died immediately.”

“How terrible. Were you with her?”

“No. I stayed back at her house.”

A strong ache coursed through her. “I can’t imagine what you went through. What did you do when she didn’t show up?”

“It was all a blur. I called Dad, and eventually, he came and picked me up. I can’t imagine what he went through though, having to tell me my mother was dead.” He looked up to the ceiling and pressed his lips together. It looked as if the guilt was still eating at him. “All because I wanted a bag of cookies.”

“It wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known she’d be in a accident.”

He returned his gaze to her and tapped his skull. “I know that up here, but in my heart, I regret it every day.”

Trent needed to give himself a break. “How did Harmon take the news?”

“He was at school at the time. He came home for a week after she died, but then threw himself into his studies. It was his way of coping.” Trent leaned forward on his elbows. “Cops put their life on the line every single day. We chose our profession knowing full well we could be snuffed out at any moment, but my mother didn’t deserve to die that way.”

Charlotte reached out and cupped his hand. “No one deserves to die that way, but bad stuff happens.” His pain seemed to radiate from deep within. “You were just a kid, but even as an adult, you couldn’t have prevented it.”

“I guess.” He huffed out a breath. “I never understood what really happened between her and my father to make her leave in the first place. Dad never would talk about it. When I asked my mom, she just said she couldn’t take the long hours and never knowing if dad would come home at night. At the time, I didn’t really believe her. I always thought that if I had been a better kid, she might have stayed.”

The agony streaming across his face tore at her heart. Charlotte shook her head. “I felt the same way. Only it was with my dad.”

He looked hard at her. “How? You told me a few things about the situation in the cabin, but I thought Vic left your mom because his job was too dangerous.”

“That’s what he told us, but after he left, I wondered if I hadn’t complained to my dad so much about missing my birthday parties and him not spending Christmas with us, he might have stayed. Like you, I thought if I’d been better, he wouldn’t have walked out of our lives. I was older than you, but I still thought the world revolved around me. At the time, I had no idea that my father was willing to give his life for this country, and that his leaving had nothing to do with me.

Since the incident with the stalker, Dad and I have talked a lot. His biggest regret was not seeing me grow up. I’m just thrilled we were given a second chance.”

She sipped her wine to clear the clogging in her throat. When she looked up, Trent had a small smile on his face that she could best describe as passion.

“Harmon was right,” he said. “We do have a lot in common.”

Chapter Eight