“Uh,” I began as I shoved my hands in my pockets. “Do you want to watch some TV or something?”
She shook her head. “I’m actually exhausted. I think I’d just like to go to bed if that’s okay.”
I chuckled as I placed a hand on the small of her back. “I’ve got to be up at the ass crack of dawn so sleep sounds great to me too,” I said as I ushered her into my bedroom. “The sheets were just changed yesterday. I hope that’s okay.”
She smiled as she sat on the edge of my bed. “That’s fine. I really appreciate this.”
I rummaged through my drawers and found her my smallest pair of sweatpants. “Here. You can wear these if you want.” I backed slowly toward the door. “The bathroom’s through there,” I said, pointing to a door along the wall. “Do you need a glass of water or something?”
She shook her head again as she crawled to the top of my bed and curled into a ball. “This is perfect, actually. Night, Ashton. Thanks again for this.”
I stared at her for a moment, wishing things were different. That I could lose myself in her for a couple hours. That I didn’t look at her and wish she was someone else.
“Night, Jenni,” I said softly as I closed the door.
Chapter 9
Ashton
“Aw fuck,” I groaned as I rolled myself off the couch and onto the floor. Honestly, this was already more comfortable than that piece of shit had been all night.
“I’m buying a new couch,” I mumbled into my rug.
With another groan, I climbed to my feet and looked around my apartment. It was still pitch-black, but I was up and ready to start my day. I glanced at my bedroom door and cursed again. I hadn’t thought to get my clothes and things out of there last night, and now I was worried I’d wake Jenni up.
But she’d have to get up anyway, right? I couldn’t just leave this woman I’d known for a few hours in my apartment all day. But normal people weren’t used to waking up before the sun, and I felt bad.
I crept to the door and listened carefully but couldn’t hear anything. I tapped on the wood before cracking it open. “Jenni?” I whispered.
“Yeah?” she croaked.
I pushed the door open wider and stepped inside. “I’m sorry. I’ve got to get ready for work.”
She groaned softly as she rolled over and sat up. “It’s okay. You mentioned you had to be up early last night. I was prepared for this.”
I laughed as she sat there with her eyes closed, swaying like she might fall onto the bed again at any moment. “Yeah, you look prepared.”
She lifted her middle finger in the air, and I chuckled again. “Take your time waking up. I’m gonna grab a shower.”
She fell backward onto the pillows. “Sounds marvelous.”
I laughed again as I hurried into my shower and let the hot water run, hoping it could wash some of yesterday off me. I realized my mistake the moment I finished.
“Son of a bitch,” I whispered as I wrapped the towel around my waist and looked at the door.
I’d forgotten to bring clothes in with me.
With a sigh, I inched the door open to find Jenni still laying on the bed, hopefully asleep again. I crept out of the bathroom and over to my dresser, but that was as far as I got.
“Maybe I made a hasty decision last night,” Jenni said.
I turned to frown at her. “Huh?”
She looked me up and down slowly, an appreciative light in her eyes. “If I’d known all that was beneath the suit, I might have done things a little differently.”
I chuckled and turned back around, my cheeks burning with a blush. It felt pretty good to be appreciated, even if she wasn’t the one I wanted to hear that stuff from. “Don’t let the physique fool you. I’m shit in bed.”
She laughed. “That I do not believe for a fucking second.”
I shrugged, knowing full well she was right. I’d never received anything but compliments. But she didn’t need to know that.
I gathered the rest of my clothes and headed for the bathroom again.
“You don’t have to hide on my account,” she called after me.
I laughed again. “Just get ready, pervert. I’ve gotta leave for work soon.”
She groaned as I closed the door and got dressed. When I stepped back into my room, she was sitting on the edge of the bed, waiting for me. “What kind of a job do you have that starts at this ungodly hour?”
“I’m a bodyguard.”
She looked me up and down again. “Figures.”
I smiled and shook my head. “You ready to go?”
She shrugged as she stood. “Yeah. I’ll catch a cab home.”
I shook my head and led her through my apartment with another hand on her back. “We can share a cab. Do you live near the bar? I left my car there last night.”
“Yeah. I’m a few blocks away from there.”
“Perfect,” I said as I locked my door and hurried into the elevator. I really wasn’t late yet, but I didn’t know how long it would take to get her home and to get back to my car, and I didn’t want to chance it.
I hailed a cab, and she rattled off her address before slumping against the seat and closing her eyes. I watched her for a moment, wishing I could feel for her even a fraction of the attraction I felt for Millie.
Jenni was nice, and funny, and sweet. She was also pretty and easy to be around. Why couldn’t I be interested in someone like her? Someone who wasn’t my job to protect. Someone who wanted me as bad as I wanted them.
I sighed and looked away, knowing there was no explaining shit like this. It just was what it was.
The cab slowed and Jenni opened her eyes and looked around. “This is me,” she said.
She opened the door and stood up out of the vehicle before poking her head back in. “Thanks again for last night. It was exactly what I needed.”
Warmth heated my chest at her words, and I reached for my wallet. “Here,” I said, handing her a business card. “Call me if you need a place to crash again.”
“Will clothes be optional next time?” she asked with a wiggle of her eyebrows.
I laughed and shook my head. “Bye, Jenni. Good luck.”
She smiled wide for a moment before she got serious again. “I hope whoever you’re hung up on deserves it. You’re a good guy, Ashton.”
She closed the door, but her words still rang through the car.
Did Millie deserve my affections?
I thought about her sweet smile, and the way her eyes lit up when she laughed. I thought about the way she’d responded to my touch during those stolen moments in Hausle’s apartment. I thought about the way her face fell when she’d asked me out and I’d had to turn her down.
What did that all add up to mean?
I wasn’t sure, and I was honestly pretty sick of the back and forth. I liked knowing where I stood and having my feet on solid ground. But that hadn’t been the case since I met Millie, and I didn’t think that would change anytime soon.
I got to her building with plenty of time and took a deep breath before knocking on her door. Millie answered moments later, and the second I caught sight of her, my heart clenched in my chest.
She was wearing more than she had been earlier, which should have eased the attraction, but it didn’t. For some reason, the baggy sweats and oversized t-shirt were even sexier than the leather had been.
Or maybe it was the way her green eyes were only half-mast and the sleepiest smile pulled at her lips.
“Hey, Ashton,” she said as she waved me inside.
I held my breath as I passed her, wanting to keep my head clear for as long as possible. “Hey, Millie. How was your night?”
She shut the door behind me and turned to shrug. “Work was busy, but that’s okay.”
“What do you do again?”
“I work at the hospital.”
“Are you a doctor? Nurse?”
She shook her head, another smile on her face. “Nah, nothing like that. I mean, I hav
e a degree in medicine, but I don’t practice.”
My eyes widened as she walked past me like she hadn’t just dropped a bomb at my feet. “You’re a doctor?”
She turned around to face me as she leaned against the arm of the couch. “I mean, technically, I guess. But like I said, I don’t practice. I got my degree a long time ago and then decided it wasn’t for me.”
“How long ago could that have been? You barely look old enough to be a med student.”
She smiled. “I’m a vampire, remember? I’m older than you think.”
That brought me up short. I hadn’t even considered the possibility. Weren’t vampires supposed to live forever or something? Could she be like thousands of years old?
But I wasn’t stupid enough to ask.
“I guess I just can’t imagine going to school for all those years and then not becoming a doctor.”
She shrugged as she looked away. “When you’ve got all the time in the world, it means something different.”
I eyed her carefully, searching for where that trace of melancholy came from. When she looked back at me, her eyes were even more slitted, and I knew she was almost done for the night.
“You should get to bed.”
She nodded slowly as she stood up straight again. “I was just waiting for you to get here.”
Why did that simple sentence fill my chest with so much warmth? I cleared my throat. “I’m here, and I’ve got you.”
I didn’t know why I said it that way, but I meant every word. I had her. I wasn’t going to let anything happen while I was around.
She smiled and trailed her soft fingers down my arm as she passed by. “Thanks, Ashton. I’ll see you tonight.”
My skin was still tingling as I watched her walk away. “Night,” I called.
The moment her bedroom door closed, I blew out a deep breath and shook my head. I really needed to get myself under control around her. I just had no idea how to accomplish that.
***
I’d just finished searing the steak I was going to eat for lunch when I heard the knock on the front door. Despite how quiet things had been, the suspicion built in my system, and I unholstered my gun as I approached.
I looked through the peephole, but all I saw was black, and I immediately ducked out of the way. When no bullets came flying through the door, I let out a quiet breath of relief. But someone was blocking my view for a reason, and that sent off all kinds of alarms in my head.
“Who’s there?” I called.
“Maintenance.”
I didn’t believe that shit for a second. “You’ll have to come back.”
“Can’t. There’s a leak coming from your apartment, and I need to get in there to fix it.”
“Not now you don’t.”
“Sir, are you the legal occupant of this apartment?”
I turned to frown at the door. Did this guy really want to go there with me?
“No. I’m not the legal occupant, but the legal occupant is busy and I’m in charge while she’s gone.”
Silence.
“So, the tenant isn’t home right now?”
I frowned harder as I wondered where the fuck this was going. I decided to keep up the lie. “No. She’s not. That’s why I said you’ll have to come back.”
I heard whispering outside and the words not home floated through the door as I waited to see what came next. Seconds later, there was a noise behind me, and I spun to face the wall of windows.
My heart leapt in my chest as I started running.
There was a fucking guy on her fire escape. He’d been crouched down, trying to get into the window that I knew I’d locked. I raced across the room as he ducked out of view.
I slowed my steps as I got closer, my gun steady in one hand while I unlocked the window with the other. It slid up noiselessly as my eyes darted around the space, looking for the son of a bitch who’d been trying to break in.
I cautiously stuck my head out the window and found the asshole already three floors down. He looked up at me, but I couldn’t make out his features from that high up. I swung my leg through the window and climbed out onto the metal landing. The guy was still standing there, almost like he was waiting for me to catch up.
I moved to the ladder and started climbing down, my eyes never leaving him. When I made it to the floor below and he still hadn’t moved, the alarms in my head blared even louder.
I’d made a fucking mistake.
I took the rungs three at a time as I raced back up to Millie’s floor and dove through her window. I rolled to my feet and hurried to close and lock the window again. Just as I did that, I heard metal scraping against metal as a key was fit inside the front door’s lock.
I gripped my gun tighter and twisted on the silencer as I ducked behind her couch to wait.
The handle turned slowly before the door was pushed open. I waited long enough to make out the bastard’s features before I started shooting. The shots weren’t loud thanks to my silencer, but they were enough to scare whoever had just broken into her apartment.
The door slammed shut, and I darted toward it. With a quick glance through the peephole, I saw the hallway was deserted again and chanced a look outside. I cracked the heavy wood open and peeked around the frame quickly. Once in one direction, once in the other direction. When I was confident I wasn’t going to get shot in the face, I stuck my whole head through the doorway.
The hall was empty, but my nerves were still on edge. I stepped back into her apartment and shut the door, locking every lock, bolting every bolt, and securing the chain before I was satisfied. Next, I picked up my phone.
It only rang twice before he answered.
“Jerry.”
“I need a lock changed this afternoon.”
“McGraw?”
“Yeah, it’s me.”
“You owe me a beer.”
I chuckled. “I’ll buy you one tonight if you can get these locks changed within the next couple of hours.”
“Sure, sure. You know I’ll make it work for you.”
“Can you also do something with a fire escape window?”
“Yeah, I can hook something up. Text me the address and I’ll be there in an hour.”
I closed my eyes and took my first real breath in what felt like hours. “Thanks, Jerry. I’ll see you when you get here.”
I hung up the phone and pulled up my text app to send him the address. When I was done with him, I sent another one to Alexander explaining what had happened. I kept it brief because I was sure he’d want me to retell the story anyway.
When I was done, I stood there in the middle of her apartment, the anxiety still gnawing at my insides. I wasn’t going to be satisfied she was safe until I saw her.
I walked into the kitchen and opened the drawer she’d left her spare key in. I was only supposed to use it in case of an emergency, but I was positive this counted. And if it didn’t, I’d happily pay for my mistake.
Next, I stopped at the wall panel that controlled the apartment and shut all the blinds. When they were secured, I hurried to her room and slid the key into the lock before turning the handle slowly. Her room was pitch black, and I had to use the lit screen of my phone just to see where to put my feet.
I searched the entire space first. Every closet, every nook, every cranny. Even under her bed, just to be sure. When I was confident there was no one else in her room, I allowed myself the privilege of checking on her.
Millie looked so small in her giant bed and all I wanted to do was scoop her into my arms. Her face was so peaceful in sleep, it felt like I could stand there and watch her all day, but I couldn’t.
I shouldn’t have even come in here, but I’d had to make sure she was okay. After the scare I’d just had, seeing her chest slowly rise and fall was the only thing that was going to settle my mind.
I backed out of her room and locked it up before I took a seat in the living room to wait for the locksmith. He was thankfully on time, and in less than
thirty minutes, she had a brand-new door handle, an extra deadbolt, and even new locks on her windows.
It still didn’t seem like enough, though.
There was still an hour before sunset when there was another knock on the door.
My heart jolted into the back of my throat as I pulled my gun out again and cautiously approached. I chanced a look out the peephole and, in an instant, all the anxiety mutated into rage.
I unlocked her door and whipped it open. “What the fuck do you want?”
The man Millie invited into her place yesterday stood in the hall, his eyes wide. “Um. I’m here to see Millie?”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “She’s unavailable.”
“Oh. She told me to come a little earlier tonight.”
I reeled back at that information before storing it for later. “Well, that’s too bad.”
He took a cautious step toward the door. “Can I come in and wait?”
“No, you can’t,” I said as I slammed the door in his face and locked all the locks again.
My hands were in tight fists as I stormed back down the hallway. I glanced at my watch as I gritted my teeth. Only another fifty-five minutes until the sun set and Millie got to explain what the fuck was going on.
Chapter 10
Millie
I smelled him before I even opened my eyes.
“Ashton,” I whispered.
I jolted upright in my bed and scanned the dark room, but it was empty. I checked the sheets next to me just to be sure, but he wasn’t there either.
So, why did my room smell like him?
I pondered that as I got out of bed and made up the sheets. His clean masculine smell was making it hard to think, so it took me a minute to remember what I’d done.
When I did, I giggled. “Oh, he’s going to be so pissed.”
I picked up my phone and scrolled through my music until I found a hip-hop playlist and turned up the volume. The hypnotic beat swirled through me as I jumped in the shower.
I took my time, knowing it would just make Ashton more uncomfortable.
I’d been inviting this Jason guy to my place every day in the hopes it would make Ashton jealous, and so far, it was working. I was sure he thought we were hooking up, but that wasn’t even remotely the case.
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