Tinsley sputtered. He could see her struggling between being shy and not backing down from him. Paxton eagerly waited to see which side won out.
“I’m sure you wouldn’t want me to be on top of you like that. Personal space-wise, I mean.” Tinsley blinked her eyes innocently and Paxton wanted to simultaneously groan in sexual frustration and applaud her for not backing down from him. It was seriously the biggest turn-on of his life when a woman got him. Most didn’t. Tinsley did. The fact that she was so nice only turned him on more. He wondered if anyone else knew she had this naughty, playful side. Then he realized he hoped they didn’t. He wanted to be the only one to see this side of her.
“I don’t mind. I’m flexible. I can be on top, too.” Paxton loved the way her eyes dropped down and then flew back up. What she was thinking was written all across her face and he’d be happy to fulfill every single thought she had.
Finally, Tinsley shook her head. “You’re teasing me again.”
“More like feeling you out.”
Her mouth dropped open and then she snapped it closed. “And they say women are confusing,” she muttered before walking away.
Tinsley closed the office door and looked at her phone. She bit her lip and finally reached for it. “Hey, Tins. What’s up?”
“Hi, Ridge. I have a question for you,” she said to her brother.
“What’s up?”
“Do you have a spare room for someone to stay?”
“Well, I have a spare room, but it’s filled with a whole bunch of things Savannah bought for a house she’s decorating. There’s about a two-foot-wide path through it. Why?”
“No reason. Just a friend needing a place to stay.”
“You have a guest room,” Ridge pointed out.
“I do. I guess he can stay there.”
“He?”
Tinsley rolled her eyes. “Yes, he.”
“Wait! Is this the same guy seen going into the gallery late last night?” Ridge asked.
“What?”
“The knitting club was letting out and Dare said some of them cornered a guy with takeout. He ran into the gallery and locked them out.”
“He did what?” Tinsley screamed loud enough for Paxton to come bursting into the room. “You ran from the knitting club and then locked them out of the gallery last night?”
“The granny gang? Hell yeah, I did. There is nothing scarier than a granny gang. They rip confidential information from you faster than waterboarding,” Paxton told her.
“Is that him? Tinsley? Who is this guy you’re with?” Ridge yelled over the phone.
“Um, bye, Ridge. Love you.” Tinsley hung up the phone and grimaced. “So, my brother might be a problem. He still thinks I’m ten and the idea of a guy staying with me as gotten him a little . . . miffed.”
Paxton didn’t look worried. “It’ll be fine. He’ll like me. I’m a guy’s guy.”
“You’re scared of a knitting club,” Tinsley reminded him.
“And you aren’t?”
Okay, he might have her there, but he didn’t need to know that. Tinsley was about to deny it when the front door flew open so hard it slammed shut on its own.
“Tinsley! Ridge called me and told me to get over here.”
“I’m back here, Harper. I’m fine.”
Her cousin charged in with her long hair in a ponytail, jeans, and boots that could kick a door down. She looked at Tinsley standing behind her desk and then over at Paxton standing next to her. A slow smile spread across her face. “Gotcha. Dinner tonight at the bar. Both of you.”
Then she spun around and left. It was then Tinsley noticed the knife in her hand.
“What was that about?” Paxton asked.
Tinsley shrugged and batted her eyes innocently. Her brother had now brought in the whole family to save Tinsley from the big, bad man sleeping in her house. Good thing she didn’t tell Ridge about the whole “being on top of each other” thing. “No idea. Now, what else needs to be done before dinner?”
Paxton and Tinsley worked for the next two hours getting everything set up for this undercover operation. Hidden cameras were aimed at each door. Alarms were installed on all of the doors and windows. More hidden cameras covered the entire interior of the gallery from multiple angles. Tinsley would be safe. The second Maurice and Murray returned, they’d be on camera from enough angles to make a 3-D rendering of them.
However, the closer to dinnertime, the more and more nervous Tinsley acted.
“Hey, Tinsley,” Paxton called as he stepped down from the ladder.
“Yeah?” she said as she turned off the lights in the back of the gallery.
“Does everyone call you Tins?”
“My close friends and family do. Do you have a nickname?”
“I’ve had several undercover identities so if I happen to run across anyone from a past investigation, I have to be ready to answer to anything. Most of my coworkers call me Kendry.”
“Harper, my cousin who told us to come to dinner, is married to Dare who was undercover with the ATF when they met. I’m sure you’ll meet him tonight. However, you might be afraid of him.”
Paxton scoffed. He wasn’t afraid of much. “I’m not too worried about an ATF agent.”
“He’s in the knitting club.”
Yikes.
Paxton followed Tinsley into Harper’s bar. When he opened the door for her, his eyes widened at the bullets still lodged in the thick wood. What the heck happened here? Shadows Landing wasn’t a hotbed of crime, was it?
“Hey, Tins!”
Tinsley waved at the young bartender, but the welcoming committee at the Faulkner table wasn’t so friendly. Everyone just stared at Paxton. Even when they hugged Tinsley, they were staring at him with narrowed eyes. What the heck had she told them about him?
“So, you must be the guy scared of a couple of old ladies,” a large man with dark hair asked as he smirked at Paxton.
Paxton didn’t say anything. Instead he looked for a friendly face. The friendliest was Harper, who sat next to the man who had just spoken. That must be Dare.
“Harper, it’s nice seeing you again.”
She smiled at him, but it wasn’t welcoming. It was like a cat toying with a mouse. “And here I sit not knowing your name.”
“Oh, sorry,” Tinsley said, jumping in. “Y’all, this is Paxton Kendry. He’s the art crime agent who works with Peter. Paxton, you’ve met Harper. That’s her husband, Dare Reigns, next to her. Then that’s my cousin Gavin. He’s the only doctor in town. His wife, Ellery, is holding their sweet boy, Chase. Then there’s my cousin Trent and his wife, Skye.”
Paxton nodded his hello. Peter had told him all about Trent and America’s Sweetheart, Skye Jessamine. She was best friends with Peter’s girlfriend, Karri.
“Then this is my cousin Wade. He’s with the Coast Guard and his wife, Darcy, is a treasure hunter. Then this is my other cousin, Ryker Faulkner,” Tinsley continued.
Paxton noticed she didn’t mention what Ryker did. She didn’t need to. Ryker’s name was quietly whispered as one of the most powerful businessmen in the world.
“Then this is my brother, Ridge. He’s a builder of amazing designs. And this is my sister-in-law, Savannah. She has the interior decorating business above my gallery.”
“It’s nice to meet you all. I feel as if I already have from what Peter’s told me,” Paxton said as Tinsley took a seat next to Dare, leaving Paxton to sit next to Ridge. Great. The glare he was receiving from Ridge didn’t take a detective to figure out. Ridge was not happy that his sister had a man in her life, even if he wasn’t technically with her like that yet. Wait, yet? Paxton paused and thought about. Yeah, yet. Atlanta was suddenly not looking like the ultimate goal. The agitated woman sitting next to him was looking a lot more interesting.
“What are you doing with Tinsley, and why are you staying at her house?” Ridge asked bluntly.
“Ridge,” Tinsley hissed, but her brother ignored her censure.
“I’m here on a case. That’s all I can say.”
“What does my sister have to do with it?” Ridge asked. It was clear he wasn’t going to let anything go.
“She’s helping me with the case. I assume you know how smart your sister is and how knowledgeable she is about art. She’s a big asset to the case.”
It was the truth and the look on Tinsley’s face—as if he’d just hung the moon—was worth expressing more feelings than he was used to doing. It also helped that Savannah smiled at him and Darcy sent Ellery a not-so-subtle grin. He was winning over some of her family—a family he knew meant everything to her.
“I know all about how wonderful my sister is. Any man would be lucky to be with her, but a man who is just using her for a case—” Ridge didn’t get a chance to finish. Tinsley slammed her hand on the table and Paxton found it interesting that everyone seemed surprised by her reaction. She’d slammed things, yelled at him, and then looked at him as if she wanted to devour him. Tinsley was full of passion, so why did her family look so surprised?
“Stop it! Nothing is going on between us. This is for work. I’m trying to catch an art thief here. So knock it off,” Tinsley ground out between clenched teeth as she tried to keep her voice low so people didn’t overhear her.
“Yet,” Paxton added, knowing he had a death wish. Ryker’s cold gaze slid over him. Paxton was pretty sure the devil himself couldn’t produce such a stare. Ridge, on the other hand, looked like he was ready to explode.
Tinsley turned slowly to stare at him with heat in her eyes. He loved it. She was a mixture of disbelief and a little bit of hope.
“What did you say?” Tinsley asked slowly.
“I said yet. Nothing is going on between us . . . yet.”
“You do not touch my sister!” Ridge grabbed Paxton’s arm and then suddenly a sharp whistle silenced the entire bar. Paxton looked over at Ellery as she stood with the baby in her arms and smiled sweetly.
“Ridge, let go of Paxton. Ryker, call off the assassin you probably just ordered. The last time I checked, Tinsley is an adult. She can do whatever, or whomever, she wants. She’ll ask for our help if she needs it. Now, Paxton, Chase is a little fussy. Can you take him for a little walk around the bar to calm him down?”
Ellery made it sound like she was asking, but she wasn’t. She shoved the baby into his arms and then made a shooing motion with her hands. What the hell would he do with a baby? Maybe carry it like a rifle? Paxton shifted the baby in his arms and secured him before standing up. He looked down and saw a look on Tinsley’s face that knocked him over. Pure desire.
“Chase, I think you and I are going to be great friends,” he murmured before strolling off with the baby.
Sweet magnolia, Tinsley had never seen a sexier sight than Paxton at that moment.
“Now that the distraction is gone,” Ellery said, taking the seat Paxton had vacated, “Tinsley, what’s up and what do you need us to do?”
Tinsley sent an appreciative smile to Ellery before telling them about the case. Everyone listened with frowns on their faces until the end. No one looked happy, and it made Tinsley fidget with her fingers.
“You’re telling me those criminals have been in your gallery twice now?” Ridge asked with anger lacing his voice. “And you didn’t call me?”
“I called the FBI, Ridge,” Tinsley reminded him, as patiently as she could manage.
“And you’re sure they’re the same two who were in my shop when I went into labor?” Ellery asked.
“Yes.”
“So, Paxton is going undercover in your gallery so that he can keep you safe and catch these guys?” Savannah asked.
“Exactly. There are hidden cameras all over the place. And now that Paxton is staying with me, I’ll be protected at all times.”
Ryker looked up from his phone and glanced over to Paxton bouncing a happily gurgling Chase in his arms. “He was undercover with the FBI’s Violent Gangs Task Force, Tinsley. He’s not a nice man. Nice men can’t slip into gang life. Hell, he was shot three times when his cover was blown. His file is riddled with complaints against him for not listening to his superiors.”
“Did you just run a background check on him? How did you get into his work file?” Tinsley was upset on Paxton’s behalf. “No one in the family questioned when Dare started dating Harper, and Dare is in the same line of work. Why are you doing this when I’m not even dating Paxton?”
“Because he wants to date you,” Ridge said angrily as he leaned around his wife to look at her. “And because he’s not good enough for you. Dare and Harper fit. They have the same no-nonsense personality. You’re too sweet for Paxton. It’s like he’s the big bad wolf eyeing Little Red Riding Hood to gobble her up. You’re the nice one, Tins. You deserve a nice guy who won’t bring criminals to your doorstep.”
“You do know that Little Red Riding Hood was a story to scare women into what men decided was good moral behavior, right?” Tinsley told her brother. “That the only way you’ll stay pure is to stay on the path, otherwise you die? However, before the modern take on it, there were some stories where Little Red Riding Hood outsmarted the wolf. So, do you think I’m the dumb one who can’t tell a wolf in a hat or the other one who can use her intelligence to escape the bad guy?”
“You know what I mean, Tinsley,” Ridge said with a roll of his eyes.
“Tinsley,” Harper said, leaning toward her. “You don’t need anyone’s permission to be with Paxton if that’s what you want. I just want to make sure you’re safe from these criminals. What do we need to do to make sure you are safe?”
Tinsley shot an appreciative look at her cousin. “Paxton is going undercover at the gallery. I need you all to act as if he’s been working there all this time so the guys don’t get spooked before we can get our hands on the entire stolen collection.”
“I’m happy to help in any way,” Darcy told her with a wink.
“Me too. I can be sure to stop by as much as I can. If you need me, I’ll be right upstairs.”
“I don’t know if you’d need it, but I’m good with makeup or getting you any kind of movie prop,” Skye offered.
“Thank you all.” Tinsley smiled at the women in her family. At least they had her back.
“I don’t like this,” Ridge muttered.
“Me neither,” Ryker said, crossing his arms over his chest. “However, you’re always the first to offer help, so it’s time we all paid you back for that. I’m here for you, Tins. Anything you need at any time. Well, except for my house. I have business associates coming in tomorrow.”
“Thanks, Ryker.” Now Tinsley had her family on her side, she just needed to get everyone else on it. Tomorrow was the Summer Shadows Street Fair. That would be the perfect time to introduce Paxton to the town.
8
Paxton was quiet as Tinsley showed him around her place. It suited her. It was warm and cozy with a bold side, just like Tinsley herself. She hadn’t said anything about her family except they were all willing to help if Paxton needed it. However, she’d been contemplative since they settled down for the night.
Paxton stepped into the living room and on to the couch next to her. Tinsley might be quiet, but there was a stubborn set to her face that let him know that the wheels in her mind were turning. Her family was overprotective of her. He knew that, but surely they knew Paxton would never allow anyone to hurt Tinsley. If they’d known the things he’d had to do while undercover with the gang in Atlanta, they’d realize he’d do anything to keep her safe.
Or maybe that was it. He was too rough, too demanding, too everything for Tinsley. He knew what it was. “I take it your family isn’t thrilled about me being here with you?”
Paxton slid his arm along the back of the couch and cupped her shoulder with his hand. He gave her a little nudge, and it surprised him when Tinsley instantly reacted and scooted closer to him. She leaned against his side and rested her head on his shoulder as she stared out the living room w
indows.
“You could say that. They think there’s more going on than there is,” Tinsley admitted. “They’re also worried about my safety.”
“I’d never let anyone hurt you, Tinsley.”
“I know,” Tinsley said instantly, and Paxton felt a calming warmth settle over him. She trusted him. It made him feel like a superhero.
“It’s strange,” Paxton said.
“What is?” Tinsley asked.
“Your family made the same mistake I made, but I figured it out in less than a minute and yet they still haven’t figured it out after twenty-eight years.”
Tinsley turned toward him so that her hand rested on his chest as she looked up at him. “Figured what out?”
“That you aren’t some fragile little flower. Underneath the sweet smile, the kindness, and the caring, you have a backbone of solid steel. You didn’t wilt when I challenged you at our first meeting. Instead, you challenged me back. You didn’t crumble when Maurice came into your gallery. No, you used your intelligence to get more information about the case than I’ve been able to gather for the past three months. I’m just surprised your family doesn’t see it.”
“You see that when you look at me?” Tinsley asked.
Paxton nodded as he used his finger to push back a lock of hair from her face. “I see that and more, Tinsley.”
“You know what I see when I look at you?”
Paxton shook his head. He didn’t know if he wanted to hear this. He’d taken years to craft the hard exterior he showed the world. He knew he could come off arrogant and demanding. It was necessary for his survival.
“I see someone who will do anything to solve a case. Not just any case, but the most dangerous cases to keep the most dangerous criminals off the streets. However, underneath that is just a man afraid of the knitting club. And any man afraid of the knitting club has to have a kind heart. Otherwise, you’d just tell all those little old ladies to get lost. You’re also a man who, when he says he’ll do something, he does. You said you’d protect me. I know you will. You’re smart, capable, and dare I say, sweet.”
Framed Shadows: Shadows Landing #6 Page 6
