Her gaze traveled down the length of his body. The blue buttoned-down shirt skimmed his lean, muscular chest and strong arms. He had incredible strength but he could still gently embrace her. Her gaze lowered and she noticed his faded jeans that emphasized his powerful legs. She always admired how he moved with lethal grace, yet she could outrun him.
She had always been attracted to his mix of force and restraint. He liked to dress casually but had a commanding presence. He spoke with authority in his low, husky voice. Her heart would do a slow flip whenever she saw a twinkle in his dark blue eyes or a curve of a smile on his stern mouth.
As she got closer, she saw his serious expression. The lines on his tired face were deep. It looked as if he hadn’t slept.
No, she wasn’t going to feel sorry. It wasn’t her job to worry or look after him. She wasn’t his girlfriend anymore. She didn’t want to see him. Feel anything for him. She felt too raw, too unprepared.
But she couldn’t avoid him. She had a few more laps to go, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to concentrate with him watching her. If she ignored him here, he would keep at it until she listened. She used to like his persistence. Now, it was just annoying. She knew it was better to get this over and done with.
Angie slowed down and walked to the gate. Her legs were burning and shaking. Sweat glistened on her skin and dampened her gray tank top. Her hair was coming out of the ponytail and she brushed off a few tendrils from her flushed face.
She felt his gaze on her. Her top and shorts felt too small. Her skin tingled and she suddenly didn’t know what to do with her hands. She wanted to cross her arms and hide her small breasts. She felt exposed.
She wasn’t sure why she felt this way. Cole no longer cared. Heck, at one time she thought he found her sexy. That only showed how delusional she truly was.
Resisting the urge to pull on a jacket or sweatpants, Angie grabbed onto the chain-link fence and started her cooling-down routine. “You’re up early.”
“I haven’t gone to bed,” he said quietly as he watched her stretch her legs. “I’ve been at the hospital.”
“I see.” She bent down and hesitated when she felt Cole’s gaze linger on her legs. “How is Heidi?”
“I’m told she’s awake,” he said gruffly. “I can’t get much information because I’m not a friend or next of kin.”
Angie grabbed her foot with one hand and slowly raised her leg behind her. She immediately realized her mistake. She wanted to stretch her quadriceps, but it required her to thrust her chest out. Her nipples tightened and her breasts felt full and heavy. She glanced at Cole just as he dragged his gaze from her breasts to her face. She abruptly looked away.
“Why are you here?” she asked as she dropped her leg. She could skip her cooling-down routine for today. “You’re not dressed for a run.”
“I need your help.” He reached out and offered her the water bottle she had placed next to the gate. “Heidi’s family in California hired me to track her down. I’ve done that and I informed my clients about what happened.”
“What does that have to do with me?” she asked. She grabbed the water bottle, careful not to graze her fingers against his.
“I have to find out what caused the accident. She had a wild lifestyle a while back. Her family wants to know if she’s still into that. If they need to get her some help.”
“I don’t know anything about Heidi,” she reminded him as she took a sip. Her throat didn’t seem to want to cooperate as Cole watched her drink. She wiped the water away from her mouth with the back of her hand. “I don’t think I can help.”
“You have access,” he pointed out.
She glared at him. “Is this about you going to the wedding? I already said no.” She didn’t even have to think about it. The word had fallen from her lips. She had been stunned by his request. How could he ask her on a date—even a fake one—when he had broken her heart? Didn’t he have any feelings?
“I need more than a wedding invite,” he explained. “I need total access. The rehearsal dinner. Behind the scenes.”
“It’s not necessary.” Angie shook her head and started for her car. “Heidi may be out of the wedding, period. She has a head injury.”
“But the people at the bachelorette party would be there,” he said softly.
She stopped and turned. “You don’t think it was an accident.”
“It could be an accident. The police think so, and I haven’t seen any information about her blood alcohol level,” he admitted. “I think someone may have tried to hurt Heidi. It probably had something to do with her private life. I just don’t know how they did it.”
“Private life?” She thought that was an odd choice of words and she thought about the other comments he’d made about Heidi. She lifted her chin when she realized what he was trying not to say. “You mean drugs. That’s why you asked if she was on something.”
His eyes widened with admiration. “Good catch. I don’t know if she’s still using.”
She pursed her lips as she tried to remember how Heidi had acted over the past few days. “I haven’t seen any signs of it.”
“You weren’t looking for signs, but maybe if I hung around while you were preparing for the wedding...” he said hopefully as he let his words trail off.
Angie sighed and crossed her arms. “Why do you have to drag me into this?”
“Why won’t you let me be your date?” he countered.
“I think it’s obvious.” It didn’t matter if it was a pretend date. Spending a day with Cole would remind her of what she once had with him. What she had lost.
Cole’s jaw tightened. “Are you taking someone else?”
She went still. Angie would love to lie and avoid any discussion on her nonexistent love life. But it wouldn’t take much for him to find out the truth. “No.”
His blue eyes darkened. “Will someone get jealous if you take me?” he asked stiffly.
She wanted to scoff at the suggestion. “No.”
He spread his arms out. “Then what’s the problem?”
He didn’t get it. How was that possible? For a private detective, Cole Foster was oblivious. “I don’t have to give you a reason.” She turned and marched to her car.
“Come on, Angie,” he said right behind her.
“After all,” she said, “you didn’t give me a reason why you broke up with me.”
“Is that what this is all about?” His voice rose with incredulity. “I told you why I needed to break up with you.”
“You weren’t ready for a relationship.” She yanked her car door open. “It’s you, not me.” She threw the water bottle into the backseat with more force than necessary. “Something about how I deserved better.”
“You do,” he said quietly.
She wasn’t going to fall for the sincerity in his voice. No, what Cole really meant was that he deserved better. “Are you dating anyone?” she asked huskily as the emotions clawed her throat. “Wouldn’t she be upset if you started hanging around your ex? Or would she understand that it was just for an assignment?”
“There hasn’t been anyone since you.”
Angie didn’t realize how much she needed to hear those words until he had spoken them. If he’d been in a relationship with someone else, it would have destroyed her. “I find that hard to believe,” she said hoarsely.
“It’s