by Lori Foster
But then he added, “And, Cinder? After you’re done showering, I think I’ll show you a few other ways to relax.”
Leaving his door unlocked, Evan rushed through his own warm shower. Driven by heated anticipation, he shaved and brushed his teeth in record time. While thinking of Cinder, of having her with him all night, he dressed in boxers and jeans, with a plain white T-shirt.
Then he paced.
And tormented himself with images of her in the shower, her curvaceous body soapy and wet….
In the middle of a groan, he heard a noise in the hallway near his front door. Thinking it’d be Cinder, wondering why she didn’t just come in, he smiled and strode to open the door.
With a high-pitched, startling screech, Cate shot in, her fur fluffed out, her tail so full she resembled a raccoon. Doug jumped up against his body, uncharacteristically anxious, whining and barking at almost the same time.
“What’s wrong, Doug?”
Now that he had Evan’s attention, Doug ran to Cinder’s door and back again.
“What the…?” Evan looked up and down the hall, but didn’t see her. No way would she have let Doug out alone.
The dog jumped at her door, snarling, and somehow, Evan just knew.
The fine hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Heart racing, he tried her front door and found it locked. Of course, with her in the shower, it would be. He could get the key, but with Doug turning panicked circles, Evan wasted no more time. Doug had gotten out somehow—and that’s how Evan would get in.
He snapped his door shut to keep Cate confined, and while calling Brick, he jogged out and around to Cinder’s patio door.
Still snarling, Doug ran with him.
Brick answered with, “I thought you’d be busy, brother. You disappoint me.”
The patio slider wasn’t locked. In fact, it wasn’t even closed all the way. Evan said simply, “Send the cops to Cinder’s apartment. Now.”
“Shit.” No longer teasing, Brick said, “On the way.”
Disconnecting the call, Evan slid the door open farther and crept in. With the bathroom door standing open, he could hear the shower, a radio turned up, and Cinder singing. Loudly. She didn’t sound troubled.
Hackles raised, Doug shot forward, past the bathroom and into…Cinder’s bedroom. A raucous barking started.
Someone let out a shout.
Evan strode forward. When he reached the open bathroom door, he leaned in to say, “You have an intruder.”
From behind the shower curtain, she shrieked. “Evan! What in the world?”
No time to pander to her delicate sensibilities. He spoke up to be heard over the blaring radio. “I’m locking your door. Leave it that way until the cops get here.”
He hit the lock, pulled the door shut and turned in time to nearly collide with a big bruiser wearing a black ski mask and black leather gloves. The guy was wet, his jeans soaked to his knees, the ski mask smelling of wet wool.
Enraged, the guy stumbled back, swatting wildly at the dog as he snapped and roared and tried to find a way to get hold of the masked man.
He had a gun in his right hand. Evan’s blood ran cold when the bastard aimed that weapon at Doug.
Hell, no.
Reacting on pure protective instinct, Evan launched himself at the thug. He managed to grab his gun hand and hold on as they crashed hard to the floor in a tangle of limbs and rage. A table overturned. A lamp shattered.
Evan cracked his head on something and felt warm blood run down his temple.
Doug went berserk, lunging in and out of the fray, teeth bared, growl feral. The guy pulled his head back to avoid sharp teeth, and it displaced the mask enough for Evan to see…a snake tattoo on his neck!
Son of a bitch.
Trying to keep that gun hand suppressed and dodging fists and kicks, Evan had his hands full. The big man wasn’t a wimp, and he wasn’t about to give up. A fist the size of a lunch box clipped Evan in the chin, and he saw stars.
But no way would he release his hold.
Furious, he twisted the wrist hard and, with a bellow, the man’s fingers loosened until the gun fell free. Taking advantage of that, Evan landed a few blows of his own, two to the face, one to the gut. Managing to daze the guy, Evan felt him go limp, and then suddenly…
No fucking way.
Wearing only a skimpy, damp towel, her body still glistening wet, her blond hair piled up atop her head, Cinder darted close to grab for the gun.
For a single instant, seeing her like that, Evan went stupid—and got slugged for it. He fell back, Doug leaped in, and the intruder tried to get to the gun before Cinder could.
In the struggle, she lost her towel.
Even the intruder went stupid that time.
Doug, the only one not affected by her nudity, got hold of the leering bastard’s calf and sank his teeth in.
The man howled in searing pain, wrestled his way to his feet and tried to kick free of the dog. Doug shook his head, mangling the guy’s leg, hanging on with tenacity.
Taking advantage of that, Evan dove forward and snatched up the gun. He didn’t dare take aim, not with Cinder standing there and Doug so close at hand. If a bullet ricocheted or the gun misfired…
Anxious to escape, the intruder dragged toward the door. Doug did his best to hold him back, teeth clamped tight, paws digging in, haunches quivering.
Evan stepped in front of Cinder, the guy got outside the patio door, closed it on Doug, and just as he disappeared from sight, limping badly, lights from a police cruiser lit up the night.
Holy shit.
Evan couldn’t get enough air into his lungs. His heart popped so hard in his chest, it racked him with each sucking breath. Still frenzied, denied his ultimate victory, Doug whined at the door, scratching, trying to find a way to give chase.
And the police would come in any second.
Very slowly, his head pounding and his vision narrowed, Evan turned and looked at Cinder. He used a forearm to swipe the blood from his gaze. Her eyes were wide, her lips pale, her body…luscious enough to distract him from the danger they’d just encountered.
He didn’t want to be a jackass, but he couldn’t stop himself from soaking up the sight of her. All of her. Top to toes and everywhere in between.
Especially the places in between.
She stood frozen, trembling, one arm crossed over her abundant breasts, a hand tucked over the notch of her thighs. If she hoped to conceal herself, she did an inadequate job of it.
A boner, right now, at this particular moment, would be impossible.
Knowing he had to get it together, Evan dragged the back of one finger over the top of her left breast. So silky soft. “You don’t have enough hands for that. And under any other circumstance, I wouldn’t say this. But right here, right now…don’t you think you ought to go get some clothes on?”
Her jaw loosened, closed again when she gasped, then she turned and literally ran.
Wow.
The bathroom door slammed. And locked.
The blaring radio finally shut off.
Even with the blood from his head wound in his eyes, he’d seen plenty. Enough to tighten his muscles and spike his temperature and make him determined—more than determined—to win her over. Tonight.
To hell with the drama unfolding—he needed her, sooner rather than later.
Placing the gun on the chair behind him, Evan went to the patio doors. He took hold of Doug’s collar to ensure he wouldn’t run off and opened the door to flag in the cops.
The second they reached him, he backed into the apartment and started explaining. “I live next door. The guy who broke in just took off. That’s his gun, not mine. Those are his muddy footprints everywhere. He was wearing a ski mask and black leather gloves, but I saw a snake tattoo on his neck, and he’ll have a bad bite on his left calf. He was limping when he got away.” He drew a breath. “My neighbor…my female neighbor…is in the bathroom. Naked.”
From the bath
room, he heard Cinder shriek again.
She was unharmed—this time—he had to remind himself.
Adrenaline continued to pump through his veins, and now, with the danger over, it surged into a riot of conflicting reactions—the uppermost being rage. “He’s the same bastard who attacked her at the hospital today. He must have followed her home.” Realizing that sickened Evan. He shouldn’t have let the guy get away. “She was in the shower when he broke in here. Her dog came to tell me.”
After that rambling explanation, the smaller of the two officers lifted a brow, saying only, “Her dog?”
As if he understood, Doug sat down and stared at the cops with sincerity. He swallowed some slobber, let his tongue drop back out and panted from the excitement.
Evan scratched the dog’s neck to let him know he’d done well.
The disbelieving officer watched Doug while giving some orders through a radio.
The other cop took the gun off the chair and nodded at Evan’s head. “You’re okay?”
“Yes.”
Cinder stepped out. Shy. Still damp. Flustered. Now, thankfully. dressed in pajama pants and a dark T-shirt. But he’d already seen her, and now knew firsthand all the secrets of her amazing body.
She could have been wearing armor and it wouldn’t have mattered to his throbbing interest.
Ignoring everyone else, she carried a towel and came to Evan’s side. “Sit down.”
“Do you need an ambulance?” one officer asked.
“No.” Evan dropped into the seat. Doug leaned into his side, still twitchy. Evan continued to give him firm pats. “You did good, Doug. You’re a brave dog.”
Leaning close enough for him to breathe in her scent, Cinder tipped his head toward her, parted his hair and checked his injury. “It’s not too bad. I don’t think he needs stitches.”
Evan said to the cops, “She’s a nurse.” And he slipped his free arm around her waist.
She went stiff as a board, but only for a second. Then she lurched away. “Cate!”
“Who?” the cops asked. They looked around as if expecting more trouble.
“My cat,” Evan explained. He pulled Cinder close again. “She was with Doug when he came to tell me what was happening. I closed her into my place.”
“Oh, that poor thing!” Rushing past the officers, Cinder went out the front door and across the hall to retrieve the cat.
Just like Cinder, to think of everyone and everything other than herself. Evan smiled at the cops. “My cat. Her dog.” He shrugged. “They’re close.”
To prove that, Doug anxiously met her at the door when she returned. She set Cate down, and the two animals greeted each other as if they’d been separated for a year. Cate pranced on her tiptoes, rubbing her arched back along Doug’s muzzle. Ears forward, he lowered his head and snuffled her small body in excitement.
Bemused, the cops watched until Doug urged the cat to his favorite spot in front of a window. Cate stretched out beside him. Doug put his face on his front paws and watched them.
Just to add to the confusion, Brick and Jesse both showed up. Brick took one look at the cops and went straight to Cinder to embrace her. Jesse waited for his turn.
Despite Evan’s bloody head, they both ignored him—thank God. He felt asinine enough for getting hurt. He could usually handle himself without a screwup, but it had left Evan clumsy—the combination of Cinder in the shower and a masked, armed intruder undoubtedly bent on hurting her, Doug, or both.
Avoiding injury had been far from his mind—he’d thought only of protecting them.
For the next hour, chaos reigned.
Brick made coffee for everyone. Jesse cleaned up the mess in Cinder’s apartment, including the muddy footprints, once the cops said it was okay. After bandaging Evan’s head, she stayed at his side, answering questions about the breakin while judiciously omitting any mention of losing her towel.
Evan sure as hell wasn’t going to share that with anyone.
The cops noticed her blackening eye and the bruise on her cheek. “You get that tonight, in the scuffle?”
“No.” Because it was important, Cinder gave them the details about the incident at the hospital.
The bruise on her arm had also darkened, but Evan had seen her naked, and hadn’t noticed any other injuries.
Not that he’d been looking for injuries. Mostly he’d just stared…and absorbed.
Other officers searched the area for the intruder.
They didn’t find him.
Everyone assumed it had to be the same guy who’d attacked her at the hospital. It didn’t take an investigative genius to see that he’d broken the lock on the patio door to get in.
Cinder explained that both the dog and the cat had been lounging in the bathroom with her, so the guy must have gone straight to her bedroom. She remembered Doug barking and running off, but she’d thought nothing of it.
Whenever she showered, Doug stayed extra vigilant, barking at cars in the lot, tenants coming or going, every leaf that blew by. She’d had no reason to think anything unusual had happened.
“Why did you have the radio turned up so loud?” Evan asked.
Her face went hot pink. “Singing helps keep me from thinking too much.”
His heart softened. “You were fretting about what happened at the hospital?”
She had that deer-caught-in-the-headlights look about her before she shrugged. “Okay.”
What the hell did that mean? If it wasn’t the incident from the hospital, then what hadn’t she wanted to think about?
One cop looked up from a notebook. “With what you’ve told us, he must have followed you, scoped out the place, and after you left the apartment, he decided to wait around until you returned.”
Alone. With that realization, Evan felt sick. She’d been a specific target for a lunatic. He shared a look with his brother and friend.
“Given the disarray of your closet,” the other officer added, “I think he planned to hide in there.”
The hot color leeched from her face. “My closet? But…why?”
“He probably figured you’d make too much of a fuss if he tried to take you from the shower. Close as these apartments are, someone might have heard you.”
“Or more likely,” Brick added, scowling at both cops for scaring her more, “he went past the bathroom when he saw Doug coming after him.”
“Good thing you had him with you,” Jesse agreed.
What if she’d left Doug behind while she’d showered? Granted, Doug wouldn’t have liked that idea. But if the dog had thought she was going to work, he wouldn’t have kicked up a lot of fuss.
Looking at her now, sensing her disquiet, Evan knew she would never again ignore the dog’s bark. The events of the day had irrevocably changed her. What would it take to make her feel safe and secure once again?
He’d damn well figure it out, one way or another.
Pulling his gaze away from Cinder, Evan addressed the cops. “Are we all done here?” He wanted to be alone with her. Now.
“Since there’s not much else we can do, I guess so. But I would recommend you get that door fixed right away. Until we catch him, there’s no guarantee he won’t be back.”
Evan wasn’t the only guy to tense over that, especially when Cinder wrapped her arms around herself.
Brick said, “I’ll take care of fixing the door. I’ll change the lock, but I’ll also make a brace that she can use, so even if someone tampers with the lock, they won’t be able to get the door open.”
Brick ran the family hardware store. Jesse was a carpenter. Together they’d no doubt make her door impenetrable.
“You have what you need?” Evan asked.
“Yeah, piece of cake. Don’t give it a thought.”
Jesse said, “It’s going to take a few hours at least. Cinder should stay with Evan tonight.”
The cop nodded. “Not a bad idea, all things considered.”
Cinder looked at each of them in turn, her
expression annoyed. Then she shook it off.
“Brick, thank you. I appreciate the help.”
“No problem, hon.”
“Jesse, you should not throw Evan under the bus like that.” Before Evan could protest, she turned those big eyes on him. “But I really wouldn’t mind camping out with you tonight, if that’s okay?”
Camping out with me. And she thought he might mind?
The two male cops, Jesse and Brick all stared at her with indulgent expressions. He knew exactly what they were thinking, something macho and sex inspired about a woman in distress and a guy being the big, protective hero.
Cinder would never play the role of damsel in distress, but he was relieved to know she trusted him enough to admit she wanted the company.
Right now, given the expression on her face, she didn’t have a clue where all the male minds had wandered.
Damn, he adored her. “I would have asked if Jesse had given me a chance.”
“I’m relieved, thanks.” Her gaze skittered away from his, and she cleared her throat. “Maybe you could put a brace in your own door as well, just to be extra cautious?”
“All right.” Whatever it took to make her feel secure. “Soon as we get over there, I’ll rig it somehow. Tomorrow, Brick can make me something more permanent.”
“Sure thing,” Brick agreed.
“So that’s settled, then.” As hospitably as possible, Cinder showed the cops to the door. They promised to call if they found out anything new, and for the rest of the night, they’d be sure to drive past the apartment complex while on duty. She thanked them with great sincerity, closed the door and then just stood there with her back to Evan, almost undecided on what to do next, when she was never undecided.
It bothered him.
He had a feeling her mood had more to do with him seeing her naked than with any ominous danger.
Gently, without approaching her, he asked, “Do you need to get anything together?”
She turned, bit her lip and shook her head. “No. I don’t think so.” Grabbing up her purse and pulling the strap over her shoulder, she made her preference for leaving the apartment clear. “I already showered and brushed my teeth.”