Chapter 10

If Maggie had beenwiped out a moment ago, that was no longer the case. Her heart thumped loud in her ears at Noah's words. She was positive he could hear it reverberating in her chest.

"S-s-spend the night together?"

Noah gave her a smoldering look. Then he winked and broke into a huge grin. "Maggie Milena, where is your mind going?" Then he put his hands over his heart. "I only have the most honorable intentions. I mean, I have my virtue to protect, after all."

Maggie couldn't resist smiling back at him. Despite the stress of their day, including this latest debacle, Noah had a way of lightening the mood and easing her worries. He made everything less scary.

"Okay, Mr. Honorable Intentions. How is this going to work?"

Noah looked around and then moved in close, bending to whisper in her ear. "This may be overly dramatic, but I have no idea if those guys have returned and could be nearby listening." His soft breath tickled her skin, making gooseflesh rise all over her body. "My brother Wade and his wife Cassie have a house in town with a state-of-the-art alarm system. They're gone right now on their honeymoon. So, I figured we could just sleep there tonight?"

"I guess that sounds like a good idea," Maggie said slowly, feeling a little strange but unable to argue against the logic of Noah's solution.

"Okay." Noah stepped back with a satisfied smile on his face. "Let's go."

Wade and Cassie's home was only ten minutes from the marina, but Noah drove a circuitous route to get there, making certain they weren't being followed.

As they pulled into the driveway, Maggie could see by the streetlights that the house was a charming little Cape Cod with a steeply pitched roof and dark clapboard siding. Two windows framed in white bordered each side of the entryway, and warm lights glowed from inside them, as well as from within the matching dormer windows above.

"Are you sure Wade and Cassie are still gone?" Maggie asked as Noah parked the Porsche behind the house in a space next to the detached garage.

"Yeah, they have their lights on a timer so it looks like someone is there at night," Noah explained.

Noah led her through the gate of the low, white picket fence surrounding the property and then up the steps to the front door. The small porch was flanked on either side by showy purple hydrangeas and blooming red rosebushes. Although their colors were muted in the darkness, their intoxicating perfume mingled with the fragrance of fresh basil and mint growing in pots beside the front door.

Maggie inhaled deeply, admiring the entire setup. "Wow, talk about a traditional American dream home!"

Noah focused on punching in a code on the front door keypad. "Yeah, having that classic homey feel was important to them, especially for my sister-in-law, Cassie. She grew up in the foster system and never really had a place to call home as a kid.

"I love the little porch herb garden here," Maggie said, bending over to rub her fingers on a mint leaf, releasing even more of the plant's scent.

"That's all Wade," Noah said as Maggie heard the sound of the lock release. "He uses them in his cooking. He's quite the chef."

He opened the front door and ushered Maggie inside.

The interior was just as cozy as Maggie imagined it would be. Polished wood flooring ran from the tiny living room into an equally tiny sitting room, separated by a couple of pony walls. And she could see the open French doors of the kitchen beyond. A painted white brick fireplace filled one wall of the living room, and to its left, a doorway stood open, revealing the start of a wooden staircase leading up to the loft area.

A thick, patterned area rug in a patchwork of greens and blues lay beneath a well-worn loveseat, coffee table, and two wing-backed chairs in the living room.

The sitting area beyond held a matching rug that sat under two chunky recliners facing a bookshelf-filled wall on the opposite side. Strategically placed lamps spilled pools of warm light around the space.

"What a sweet, little place," Maggie said, feeling instantly at home.

"Yeah, they've done a really good job," Noah said. He was now punching in another code on the interior wall unit of an elaborate alarm system. "This place was built in the 1920s. When Cassie and Wade bought it, it needed a lot of work. They did most of the renovating themselves, trying to keep as much original as possible. But they added some modern conveniences too, like this." He aimed his thumb at the alarm unit that had finally stopped blinking.

Maggie walked over to look at it more closely. "Whoa, they sure aren't messing around when it comes to home security systems."

"Nope, that's cops for ya," Noah said with a laugh. "Oh, and for extra security..." He pulled out his phone and, in a few taps, showed her views of the home exterior.

"Cameras!"

"Yup, I told you it was state of the art," he said with a look of satisfaction.

"You're right, I definitely feel safer here than I would at home," she said and stifled another yawn. But Noah noticed.

"I think we're both exhausted and need a good night's sleep. Let me get you something to wear."

"No, no!" Maggie protested. "I'll be fine. I can sleep in...this." She looked down at her dress and heels. She knew that she hadn't sounded convincing when Noah shook his head.

"I know neither Cassie nor Wade will mind sharing some of their clothes with us. I'll be right back."

He moved off to the right past the bathroom toward an open doorway to the left of it. He returned several moments later, holding a folded stack of clothes. He pulled some items off the top and handed the rest to her, including a T-shirt, sweatshirt, and a pair of soft, cotton boxer shorts.

"What about you?" Maggie asked, already dying to get into the comfy clothes.

"I already pulled out this stuff of Wade's." He indicated the rest of the clothes in his arms. "You can change in there." He indicated the bedroom he had just exited. "I'll change in the guest room across the hall. I also put a fresh towel and washcloth on the bed for you, in case you'd like to wash up."

"Thank you," Maggie said, feeling incredibly grateful.

She changed her clothes and then moved into the tiny bathroom to wash her face in the pedestal sink. She studied herself in the mirror. There were dark circles under her eyes and her curls were out of control. She pulled a hair clip from her purse and did damage control, clipping it up in back to create a more manageable cloud of curls on top of her head.

She wished she had a toothbrush, but rummaged in her purse again and pulled out a piece of gum to chew instead. She remembered how she'd offered a piece to Noah after he'd been sick. Had it really only been that morning?

She pinched her cheeks to give them some color and daubed on some lightly tinted lip balm, determined not to look like a total slouch despite the circumstances.

She exited the bathroom and found Noah in a gray Whispering Pines Police Department T-shirt and shorts. He was holding two steaming mugs.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I made us each a mug of chamomile tea," he said. "My Nana always used to drink it in the evenings, so it must be good for relaxing."

He handed her one of the mugs and she curled her fingers around it to take a small sip, feeling the warmth of it seep into her.

"Do you want to sit for a bit?"

"Sure," she said.

They walked over to the loveseat and sat down. Maggie attempted to sit on the far edge of one side, but it seemed that the springs at the center of it were broken, causing her and Noah to end up squished together in the middle.

She was hyper-aware of the skin-to-skin contact as their bare legs and arms bumped against each other. She thought about getting up and sitting in one of the wingback chairs instead. But she didn't want Noah to know how much this was affecting her. So, she remained where she was and attempted to play it cool, taking another sip of her tea.

"This is perfect, thank you, Noah," she said, cradling the mug in her hands.

"I thought we could use a little unwinding after the day we've had."

"I agree. That Nick and Johnny were seriously scary. I wonder who they are and how they're involved with Valentina?"

"I don't know," Noah said with a shake of his head. "Can you believe they thought we were cops?"

"Crazy, right?" Maggie agreed. "And it's clear from the way they said it that for them, being cops was not a good thing."

"Yeah. So, it's probably good that they sound no closer to finding Valentina than we are."

"I really pray nothing bad has happened to her," Maggie said.

Noah put his mug down on a coffee table coaster and ran a hand through his hair. "I just wish I could remember more from last night."

"Well, at least we know Valentina was still fine while you two were dancing the night away on the sunset cruise last night," Maggie said.

"Mhm, and according to the videos, I was clearly using some of my best dance moves." He grimaced.

Maggie giggled at the memory of the cell phone images and videos.

"You know, despite all the chaos of today, I really had a nice time with you tonight," he said. "It reminded me of how much fun we used to have when we hung out together in high school."

"Yeah, me too," she said, keeping her eyes focused on her mug and trying to keep her tone light. "Although I don't recall ever getting to dance with you before."

There was a breath of silence after she spoke. Then she heard his voice, soft beside her. "Well, I'm glad I got to remedy that tonight, Maggie."

She felt his eyes on her and lifted her gaze, her eyes snagged by his. "Me too."

There was another long pause. He was so close to her right now. Her body felt aflame everywhere their skin connected, and her insides fluttered like someone had just released a flock of butterflies. It was so late and she was feeling loopy, almost dreamlike.

Was it possible that he'd moved even closer? The two of them were now practically nose to nose, their faces inches apart. The electricity between them was tangible, sparking and igniting every nerve in her body. Her eyes drifted down to his tempting lips, and she couldn't tear her gaze away. The urge to kiss him consumed her thoughts. She wondered what it would feel like. She imagined the heat of his mouth on hers, the softness of his lips, the taste of him. Desire pulsed through her veins, urging her to lean in just a fraction more.

His voice was a heated whisper. "Maggie..."

She blinked. Then she set down her teacup with a clatter and stood up abruptly. "It's late. We'd better get some sleep."

Whatever magic spell had been holding them captive was instantly broken. She felt the absence of his warmth beside her like a splash of cold water on her overheated emotions. She needed to get away from him, now, before she said or did something stupid, like ruining everything by sharing her true feelings for him.

"I can sleep here on this little sofa or wherever," she said.

"Don't be silly," Noah said, rising. His voice held a hint of frustration. "There are two perfectly good bedrooms on this floor. I'll take the guest room across the hall and you can have the master bedroom. I already changed the sheets when I was in there earlier."

"Okay, well, great. Thanks." She was already moving toward the bedroom he'd indicated. "I guess...it's good night then."

And she was gone.