"It was your choice," she said. "The right choice, according to you. I guess we'll find out if that's true."
What a stupid choice he'd made…
Matt regretted everything about his decision to keep Haley at a distance as he spent an unsuccessful few hours trying to decrypt Landon's files and then another five hours trying to sleep without her image floating through his head every few seconds. When he finally got out of bed around eight on Sunday morning, he was in a bad mood, annoyed with himself and also at Haley for being so damned attractive and interesting.
He hadn't connected with any woman the way he'd connected to her. They'd known each other for two days, and it felt like they'd known each other for twenty years. Every moment of being together had been heightened by danger, by the mystery around Landon's death, by sharing their personal histories. He'd told very few people about his life as a kid torn between divorced parents, but after she'd confided in him, he'd found himself revealing more than he normally would.
And now…he didn't know what the hell to do about her. Their conversation, their acknowledgment of the chemistry between them, had changed their boundaries, whether they'd acted on anything or not. He knew he needed to get things back on a more professional level; he just wasn't quite sure how to do that.
As he finished dressing, he could hear her moving around in the kitchen, and he knew he couldn't stall much longer. He'd no sooner stepped into the hallway when he got a text from Jason that he'd be there in ten minutes to pick up Landon's computer drive. He hadn't wanted to take Haley to the office or leave her in his apartment alone, so he was happy to have Jason pick it up.
When he finally made his way into the kitchen, he found Haley standing at the stove in jeans and a soft-blue T-shirt, her hair pulled back in a ponytail. She looked even prettier in the morning light, quickly weakening his resolve to keep things impersonal and professional.
"Good morning," she said, glancing over her shoulder with a smile. "I hope you don't mind. I found pancake mix in your pantry." She flipped a golden pancake with practiced ease. "Also, syrup. In fact, I'm impressed at how much you have in your cupboards."
"Don't be impressed. I have a cleaning lady who stocks my fridge and cupboards every couple of weeks with the basics. I guess she thought that included pancake mix."
"That's nice. I wish I had someone to do that for me."
Matt poured himself a coffee and leaned against the counter, watching her cook. She was delightfully messy, with pancake mix on the counter and a touch of it on her cheek. He wanted to wipe it off of her face and then kiss her until everything was burning, including themselves.
As his body tightened, he cleared his throat.
She gave him a speculative look. "Are you okay?"
"Fine. How did you sleep?" he asked, trying to distract himself from thinking about what additional lines he wanted to cross.
"Better than I expected." She slid three pancakes onto a plate and handed it to him. "It seemed odd after everything that's happened the past two days. I guess it just all caught up to me."
"You needed the rest. Aren't you eating?" he asked as she turned off the stove.
"I already ate." She refilled her coffee mug, then followed him over to the dining room table. "I was thinking we should talk to Brooke again and show her the video we have. She can tell us who was with her and what she was doing in Landon's room. She has all the information we need."
"Do you think Brooke will tell us everything because you ask nicely?" he asked dryly. "She has had six years to come forward and has not done that. In fact, she's only gotten in deeper with all the people in Landon's fraternity, their families, and their friends."
"How about we don't ask nicely? Can't you bring her in for questioning, interrogate her?"
"We don't have enough evidence to do that. Maybe once the files get decrypted, we will, but right now we don't need to tip Brooke off about what we have uncovered."
She frowned. "We can't just do nothing, Matt."
The doorbell rang, and she jumped. "Who's that?"
"Relax. It's Jason, a fellow agent. He's here to pick up the drive." He got to his feet and went to answer the door while Haley stood up, hovering by the table. After checking to make sure it was Jason, he opened the door.
Jason walked in, wearing gray slacks and a navy-blue polo shirt, looking more like a golf pro than an FBI agent.
"Morning," Jason said, his gaze immediately moving to Haley. "Ms. Kenton. I'm Jason Colter."
"It's nice to meet you," Haley said. "Would you like some coffee? Or pancakes? There's plenty."
"I'm good, thanks. How are you holding up?"
"I'm doing all right. Just eager to get some answers."
"We all are."
"I have the drive in my office," he said, leading the way down the hall. Both Haley and Jason followed. Clearly, Haley did not want to be left out of any conversation.
