“Here, you need to put on pants before the police get here. They’re going to want to ask you questions.” He starts rifling through my drawers and I see him taking out several pairs of pants, tops, and panties.

“Umm, do I need to put on layers?” I wipe underneath my eyes and finally stop my tears. Now that Reese is here, I’m no longer scared and the only emotion running through me right now is elated joy from the sheer sight of him.

“No, but you’re not staying here tonight so you need to pack some clothes. I’m taking you home with me.” He glances over at me as he closes my drawers.

“Okay,” I reply, picking up a pair of jeans and sliding them up my legs.

“Really? You’re not going to try and tell me that you could just stay at Juls’ house, or that you’re not breaking the no sleepover rule again? You’re just going to say okay?” He looks utterly shocked and I almost laugh. Jesus, am I that defiant?

“Yes, I’m not always so argumentative.” The sound of police sirens flow up the stairs and I quickly grab a bra and put it on, keeping his T-shirt on in the process.

He notices it and smiles a bit as he places my things in a nearby duffle bag. “Do you need anything else?”

I take a quick look around the room. “Umm, I guess just my bathroom stuff.” I scurry in there and grab my toothbrush, hairbrush, face wash, moisturizer, phone off the shower floor, and conditioner because I’m more than happy to use his shampoo and body wash, spinning to see him standing in the doorway. He’s studying me, eyes narrowed in on the collection in my hands. “What? I’m a girl and I can’t take another shower at your place without conditioner. We can’t all have gorgeous no product necessary hair like you.” His lips curl up as I drop the goodies into my duffle and follow him down the stairs.

After talking to the police and giving them my very vague description of the hooded figure standing outside my shop, they ask me if I know of anyone who might have possibly wanted to hurt my business or me personally. My eyes quickly flicked to Reese who clenched his jaw before giving them his ex-receptionist name and information. He told them about the package I received and claimed that she became unstable after he stopped seeing her. I had assumed the figure I saw standing outside was a man because of the dark hoodie covering their face, but I guess it could have just as easily been a woman. I’m assured that my insurance will cover the damage, which luckily was only to one of my windows. No damage was done to the inside of the shop which I was extremely grateful for. The police found a brick that was used to break the glass that had slid underneath my consultation table and were going to dust it for prints. I would only have to remain closed for one day for the window to get repaired so that wasn’t too bad. It could have been a lot worse. Way worse.

As we drive in silence to his building, the night I just endured is the last thing on my mind. Right now, with my duffle bag packed full of clothes sitting behind me in the back seat, the only thing on my mind is that I’ll be having another sleepover with Reese. And I can’t help but tense in my seat at the anticipation of it.

Eighteen

He’s quiet, too quiet as he walks into his condo and places my bag on the floor next to the couch. He hasn’t said two words to me since we left the bakery and it’s making my skin crawl. I plop down onto the couch and kick my shoes off, bringing them underneath my body as I hear him banging around in the kitchen.

“Here.” He hands me a bottled water and I take it, seeing him walk around the couch and sit on the far end, way the hell away from me. He begins flipping through the channels and stops on some basketball game that I couldn’t care less about. What the f**k is this? He comes to my rescue and I know damn well I heard him call me love which means he can’t hate me, asks me, no, tells me that I’m coming to spend the night with him, and now he’s barely acknowledging that I’m even here. I turn my head and stare at him and his perfect profile as it remains impassive but interested in the game he’s watching. He’s in running shorts and a navy blue T-shirt that has some emblem on the front that I can’t make out. Several long minutes go by as his eyes remain on the television, not once flicking towards me. Jesus, is this how it’s going to be all night? Fine then. If I’m sleeping over, I’m at least going to get comfortable. I stand up and quickly shimmy out of my jeans, tossing them on top of my duffle and reach up and slip my T-shirt off. Turning around so I know he can see me, I drop it on the couch and remove my bra. I make quick eye contact with him as I slip my bra down my arms, his eyes lingering briefly, really f**king briefly on my chest before flicking back towards the game. I grunt and grab his t-shirt and slip it back on before I snatch the remote out of his hands and turn the television off.

“What the f**k?”

“What the f**k is right. What’s wrong with you? You’re acting weird.”

He reaches forward and plucks the remote out of my hand, turning the game back on. “How am I supposed to be acting?” His eyes go back to the game and I no longer want to be here. Picking up my duffle, I quickly but my pants back on and throw my bra inside as I slip on my shoes and turn towards the door. “Where the hell are you going?”

“Like you give a shit. Thanks for making sure I didn’t get murdered.” I’m almost out the door when his arms grab my waist and pull me back inside, locking the door behind us.

“You’re not going anywhere.” I’m picked up, carried in his usual caveman style manner and taken back over towards the couch, my duffle dropped by the edge and me dropped on the cushion.