“Walker left Portland and came down to help search. He was out of his mind with worry. Two weeks later, they found her body. They never caught the guy who did it.” Tears filled Jensen’s eyes. “It’s why Walker’s a cop. He blamed himself for a long time, for not being here to protect her. He decided he would be there to protect others, make sure there weren’t other crimes that went unsolved like this one did.”
I reached out and squeezed Jensen’s hand. “I’m so sorry, J.” She’d lost Julie, too. My heart ached for her, but it cracked for Walker. He’d lost the love of his life.
Jensen shook her head. “He’s drawn to you, Taylor, but he’s never gotten serious with anyone since Julie. He thinks he had his one shot at love and now has to settle for companionship at best. It’s so dumb.”
My chest tightened. “I don’t know about him being drawn to me. I’m not going to lie, there’s an attraction there, but I think it was more a case of mixed signals than anything else.” She looked doubtful. “Honestly, I’m just embarrassed. I was drunk, and I made a fool of myself.” That much was true.
“Whatever you want to believe.” She paused for a moment, studying my face. “I think you two would be good for each other. Even if it isn’t a forever thing.”
The idea of letting Walker into my life in that way, only to watch him go, had panic licking through my veins with such ferocity that I had to grip the counter to steady myself. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
Jensen held up both hands. “Okay. I won’t meddle. Promise.”
I forced a small smile. “Thank you.”
She went back to the donuts. “Let’s get to work on curing that hangover. What’s your poison?”
I studied the box. “Got any Boston Cream in there?”
“Girl after my own heart. I’ve got two.”
She handed me the vanilla custard-filled concoction, and I took a large bite. It tasted like ambrosia. But as the donut settled in my stomach, a shudder swept through me. It could have been the remnants of the tequila, but something told me it had more to do with Walker Cole.
17
Walker
She had been swimming for at least two hours. Her strokes were vicious as if she were attacking the water. I’d been watching her since I arrived at my parents’ house, just sitting in one of the worn leather reading chairs that sat in front of the large window that looked out over the backyard and the surrounding fields.
While her swim was aggressive tonight, Taylor’s body still seemed sleek and smooth. Her long legs propelled her forward with surprising speed. I traced her body with my gaze the way I wanted to with my tongue. A flash of her taste filled my mouth, and I bit back a groan.
I had slept like shit last night, tossing and turning. When I finally fell asleep, my dreams were filled with blonde hair and blue-gray eyes.
I stood, the chair legs scraping against the wooden floor. I wasn’t going to let her swim until she passed out. I grabbed a bottle of water and headed out the back door.
I stepped to the edge of the pool so she’d catch sight of me. My lumbering frame did the trick, and her head popped up as she reached the wall. She lifted the goggles from her red face. “Hey.”
“You’re done,” I barked.
Her hands went to her hips as she stood in the shallow water. Liquid ran down her face to her neck, kissing her collarbone and then dipping between her breasts. My pants got tighter. Shit.
“Excuse me?” she asked.
“You’ve been swimming for over two hours, it’s time for you to call it quits.”
Taylor’s face hardened. “Have you been watching me?”
I fisted my hands. “I’ve been enjoying a beer atmyparents’ house and couldn’t help but notice that you’ve been racing up and down the length of the pool like you’re running from Satan himself.”
She scowled. “It takes you two hours to drink a beer?”
“Not all of us are lushes.” I regretted the words as soon as they left my mouth. Taylor’s face reddened even further. “Sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I’ve just had a shitty day.” And I had. Between thoughts of Taylor distracting me, relentless texts from Caitlin, and still being unable to find the missing hiker or the woman from Willow Creek, I was about ready to snap.
Taylor ran her tongue across her bottom lip. My teeth clenched. “Can we just forget that last night happened? I was wasted, I had no idea what I was doing.”
Those molars of mine ground even harder together. It was for the best to play along. To let Taylor believe I bought the I-was-just-drunk act. “Of course. Come on, hop out of the pool, and I’ll feed you dinner.” She blinked up at me. “I know you didn’t eat before a swim like that one.”
When I went for a run to clear my head that morning, I’d had a little come-to-Jesus talk with myself. I wasn’t going to hold myself back from Taylor. That sultry mix of fire and ice that flowed through her just called to me. Ignoring it was stupid. I wanted to be her friend. I wanted to soothe some of those hurts and show her that a full life had plenty of risks, but those gambles were what made the journey worth taking.
