Seductive Suspect

“Yes, a diversion. Exactly.”

“If it’s all right with you, I’d rather not discuss the weather, either.” He tapped the edge of one puddle with the toe of his shoe, causing it to splatter. “You know, it occurred to me earlier when we were all going around the table telling our stories, you didn’t say much about yourself. You talked about your sister instead.”

“Trina’s more exciting than I am.” I rolled my eyes. “And she’d be the first one to tell you.”

“I find that hard to believe. Besides, she’s not here right now.” Adam inched closer to the window. “We’ll start off with the boring stuff. What do you do when you’re not stuck in a lavish, yet deadly, mountaintop lodge?”

I hooked my foot around one of the chairs by the door and dragged it closer to kneel on it. “I’m a graphic designer, freelance. So I mostly sit in front of a computer all day.”

“Ah, an impressive blend of art and technology. See, I knew you were remarkable.” He rubbed his chin. “Whenever we get out of here, I should get your contact information. We’re always looking for good contractors at my firm.”

“I try not to mix business with pleasure.” As soon as the words slipped out, I clapped my hand over my mouth. “Oh my god. Will you listen to me? Three people are dead, for all I know you’re the one who killed them, and I’m still trying to flirt with you.”

He burst out laughing. His genuine delight both helped me to feel better and sent a rush of heat to my cheeks. “Like I haven’t been doing the same thing. Though I’m determined to find a way to prove my innocence to you.”

“We do need the distraction.” I frowned. “And I thought we weren’t talking about…that.”

“Right, right. So, back to the more mundane topics.” His warm smile continued to put me at ease. “Do I get to ask where you’re from? Or is that too personal?”

I shrugged. “It probably doesn’t matter much at this point. Right now, I just have a small apartment in Maple Creek, one of the many suburbs outside the city. It took me about three hours to drive up here.”

“I might know where that is. I moved to Springvale almost two years ago now.” His brow furrowed. “I think it’s about thirty miles away or so, but I’m not positive. I’m not familiar with all the ins and outs of the area yet.”

“Sounds about right. I have a general idea of where it is, though I’ve never been there.”

“I guess we’re just far enough apart that our paths wouldn’t have crossed otherwise. Which reminds me…” Staring down, he kicked at the floor of the balcony again. “I was thinking about something else you said earlier.”

“Oh?”

“The comment you made about how everyone seems so normal, like you might have met them anywhere else in your life and not thought anything of it.” He peered up at me through his dark lashes. “We’re being honest with each other, and who knows what tomorrow’s going to bring, so I wanted to tell you Iwish I could have met you under different circumstances.”

I hoped the shadows camouflaged my furious blushing. “I’ll admit I was annoyed with Trina for cajoling me into coming here, and I didn’t have very high hopes for having fun this weekend. But I did feel more optimistic when I first ran into you out on the landing.” When he lifted his head to meet my gaze, I smiled. “And your company has let me calm down a little tonight. Thank you.”

Adam waved his hand nonchalantly. “The pleasure is all mine.”

Scooting forward in the chair, I rested my arms on the windowsill. “Tell me more about these ‘different circumstances.’ You’ve succeeded in charming me here, but what if weweresomewhere else?”

“Let’s see.” He closed the gap between us and slouched against the wall outside my window. “We’d start off simple, nothing like this place. Do you drink coffee?”

“As if my life depended on it some days.” I cringed. “That’s probably not very funny right now.”

He grinned. “I’d rather be laughing than the alternative.”

“Fair enough. Keep going.”

“Coffee it is, then. We’d get you away from your computer and meet up at my favorite café on a sunny day. I’m tired of all this rain,” he said, tilting his head toward the sky. “I wouldn’t order for you because I’m not stupid enough to mess with someone else’s coffee, but I would be a gentleman and insist on paying.”

“Smart and chivalrous.” I propped my chin up on my forearms. “So far, so good.”

“After getting our beverages and maybe a snack or two, we’d sit at the table in the corner.” He swiveled toward me, leaning on one shoulder. “We’d start talking, just like this, and before we knew it, hours would pass by and it would be dark outside.”

“Uh-oh.” I raised one eyebrow and pretended to beconcerned. “Then what?”

Adam rubbed the back of his head. I’d appreciated the way he looked in his well-fitting suit the previous night, yet I also enjoyed this version of him, with his tousled hair and the thin layer of stubble that had sprouted on his cheeks and chin. Jeans and a T-shirt worked well on him, too. While he contemplated the next part of his story, I tried to remind myself of all the reasons why I shouldn’t trust him, regardless of any attraction I felt.This is just for fun. He could be dangerous. Keep your distance. You have to get out of here alive…

“We’d continue our conversation because why should a minor thing like the sunset ruin our good time?” His voice snapped me out of my reverie. “Of course we’d order more coffee and food, so the staff wouldn’t get annoyed. But when our next round comes, the server tells us open mic night is starting soon, and the room might get too loud for us.”

“Ooh, a plot twist.”