Bond, Stephanie - Body Movers 05 by Jill Read Free Book Online

house—a
    guest-house-slash-pool house. Allegedly, it’s where Angela
    had entertained her paying customers.
    Carlotta marveled that Peter hadn’t sold the entire
    property after the whole ordeal, but she rationalized that
    he must have his own reasons for staying put.
    “I forgave her,” he said, as if he could read her mind. He
    glanced up from the gril where he turned thick steaks and
    brightly colored vegetables with a pair of tongs. “That’s
    why I didn’t sel the house…or burn it to the ground.”
    Two glasses of red wine sat on the bar. Carlotta slowly
    climbed onto a stool and reached for one. “I wasn’t going
    to ask.”
    “Everyone else has—my friends, coworkers, my parents,
    even Angela’s parents. No one can imagine why I’d want
    to live here after everything that happened.”
    “This is your home,” she murmured. “Besides, I’m sure you
    have good memories here, too.”
    He nodded, reaching for the other glass of wine. “A few.
    But the truth is, Angie and I led separate lives, even when
    we were both here. I don’t feel bound up in memories
    because we didn’t make many.” He made a rueful noise.
    “That probably sounds cold.”
    “No, I understand what you’re saying.”
    He took a drink from his glass. “Stil , even though our
    marriage wasn’t good for her or for me, I feel obligated to
    do right by her. And part of that is keeping the house she
    loved. Plus, I couldn’t stand the thought of ghouls coming
    round to tour the place, just to see where she’d been
    murdered. They would’ve, you know. Even her so-cal ed
    friends were vultures. After she died, they brought food
    and gifts of condolence, but sooner or later, they were all
    demanding the gory details. It was sickening.”
    Carlotta’s heart squeezed for what he had endured at the
    hands of people who pretended to be his friends. “I know
    what that feels like to some degree. I’m so sorry.”
    He nodded, then smiled. “That’s all behind us now. We
    can’t change the past…only the future.” He lifted his glass
    of wine. “To the future.”
    She clinked her glass to his and drank deeply, glancing at
    him over the rim. With his shirtsleeves rol ed up, his hair
    tousled and his face flushed with heat, he looked
    incredibly handsome. Awareness curled in her stomach—
    Peter had been her first lover. At one time, they’d known
    each other’s bodies intimately, couldn’t get enough of
    each other. She could feel his body pul ing on hers now,
    calling her home.
    Sleeping across the hall from him might be harder than
    she’d anticipated.
    “Did you get unpacked?” he asked, then took a drink from
    his glass.
    She nodded. “Yes, the closet is wonderful, the room is
    wonderful and the house is…wonderful. Thank you for
    having me as your guest, Peter.”
    His eyes glowed with a banked fire. “You can stay as long
    as you want.”
    The way he looked at her fueled her own curiosity. She
    expected him to flirt with her—over dinner and as the
    evening wore on and the wine went down. But he was the
    perfect gentleman, keeping the conversation light, even
    steering clear of talking about their recent agreement to
    start looking into her father’s assertions that someone
    within his old firm had framed him.
    Instead, they laughed and teased and discussed movies
    and nonsensical things, as if he sensed that she was happy
    to avoid talking about The Charmed Kil er and the panic
    unleashed on the city. To avoid thinking Michael Lane was
    the sicko they were looking for. The only time Peter hinted
    at the danger she was in was later in the evening, when he
    showed her how to operate the alarm system.
    “I have an early breakfast meeting,” he said. “But when I
    leave, I’l reactivate the alarm. When you get up, you’l
    need to turn off the motion detector before going
    downstairs, by pushing this button.”
    He demonstrated and she nodded. Simple enough.
    “The alarm wil stil be on for the doors and