“May I come in?” he asked in a honeyed voice as he motioned toward my living room.
I shifted my head to the right to look around the house, my eyes darted from corner to corner as I started to drown in the crippling fear of allowing someone to walk inside of my proverbial prison. My stomach screamed danger and churned violently, as I had only prepared myself to invite one man in today. All I wanted to do was slam the door shut, run back upstairs, and hide under my plush down comforter. Even though I felt like I already knew Ty from watching him almost on a nightly basis, I certainly did not feel comfortable enough to let him into my home, no matter how stunningly handsome and well-dressed he was.
“Perhaps another time. With a little more notice, maybe?” I replied in a brittle voice, wishing I had thrown on something more presentable.
“Yes, well—I know it’s been a long time since your parents passed, but I wanted to come by and give you my condolences. I’m such a cad for not coming by sooner, but I honestly didn’t know what to say. I know how it feels to hear the empty words from strangers,” he said earnestly, holding his hand to his chest.
“Thank you, I appreciate it. I remember reading about the loss of your parents.” I smiled, leaning into the door.
He winked. “Oh, so you’ve read about me.”
I blushed, not knowing what to say in return.
“I didn’t mean to embarrass you. I also came over because I wanted to know if you’d like to have dinner with me. I noticed you don’t get out very much—”
“That’s an understatement,” I interrupted.
He chuckled and continued. “Yes, well, I feel obligated to get you out of this house. I know your father wouldn’t have wanted you to stay in.”
“And how do you know that?” I asked curiously.
“Your father was a huge fan of mine, and when we weren’t chatting about football, he always found a way to bring you and your mother up. He was very proud,” he replied.
“Well, that’s very kind of you, but I’m perfectly fine right here,” I said timidly.
“Okay, well, there is nothing like being shot down at 7:30 in the morning.” He chuckled.
“Oh no, don’t think of it like that at all. Honestly, I can’t leave the house, so unless we have dinner here one day—”
“It’s a deal then. Thursday—inside your house,” he interrupted.
“Um, Thursday, well—I—” I stuttered.
“I’ll bring everything.”
“I suppose that would be all right,” I said, awkwardly accepting his invitation for dinner.
“If there is anything that you need before Thur—” he was interrupted mid-sentence by a pair of footsteps approaching from behind him.
We both turned our gaze toward the walkway behind Ty. “Clay. Zander,” I greeted them with a relieved wave.
Clay was dressed as though he was going to church, not wearing his usual hooded sweatshirt and jeans, and Zander was wearing a fresh white V-neck tee and a well-fitting pair of dark jeans, looking like he had just walked out of a hot cowboy magazine.
Zander was a tall, strapping man—quite handsome. His dark black hair was in stark contrast with his endearing blue eyes, all of which sat above a smile that calmed my knotted stomach.
Ty and Zander standing next to each other was definitely a sight to see, as both men were amazingly handsome, and both standing at my door looking at me in my silk pajamas.
“Good morning?” Clay said, holding out his hand to shake Ty’s.
“Hello, I’m Ty, Kenzi’s neighbor,” he said, shaking Clay and Zander’s hands.
“Hello, I’m Zander Smith, and this is my boss, Clay Carter,” Zander said, introducing the both of them.
“Clay. Zander,” Ty echoed. “Zander, you look really familiar. Do I know you from somewhere?”
“Well, my dad owns the grocery store on Appleton Street,” Zander replied.
“Yes, yes. That’s where I shop. Okay, well it’s nice meeting you formally, then.” Ty nodded.
There was awkward silence as the men stood in a loose circle, sizing each other up.
“Thank you for coming by, Ty, I’ll see you,” I chimed in to break up the silence.
Ty looked back at me, smiling. “I’ll get out of your hair; I can see you’re busy. And remember if you need anything, I’m right next door. Here’s my card.”
I smiled as I held out my hand to accept the card, and as our fingers touched, I felt a slight jolt of electricity which ran up my arm and straight into my stomach.
“Thank you again, it was kind of you to stop by,” I said as I looked at the card and then back up to Zander and Clay.
I motioned as I widened the gap in the door to accommodate both men. “Clay, Zander, please come in.”
Slowly, I shut the door, peering out from behind to steal another glimpse of Ty making his way to the sidewalk toward his house. He looked at me and flashed a cool smile, and I nervously shut the door quickly, turning to my guests.
“Clay, I’m so sorry about that. Please have a seat,” I said as I motioned toward the living room.
“Was that man giving you a hard time, Kenzi?” Clay asked with concern in his voice.
“No, he wasn’t. He asked me to dinner and well, it’s not important,” I replied, shaking my head as I walked past them. “Would either of you like some coffee?”
“No, thank you.” He waved me off. “Down to business. This is Zander. Zander. Kenzi,” Clay said, motioning to me.
Zander stretched out his hand, and I followed suit, our hands meeting midway. The electricity from that first touch was enough to make any girl swoon.
He smiled, and with his deep, masculine voice said, “Ma’am.”
Ma’am?
Surely I’m not so much older than he was to receive ma’am as a moniker. It was probably a remnant nicety from the military.
Clay cut in. “But I do have a huge favor to ask, and I’m so sorry I have to spring this on you.”
I pulled my gaze away from Zander. “Yes, anything for you.”
“I have to go out of town today. There has been a family emergency, so I’m not going to be able to stay for our usual meet and greet. I want to know if you’re okay with me taking off and leaving Zander here right now? I promise he is good people.”
“Well, I suppose I don’t have a choice in the matter,” I said, smiling, trying to put on a brave face, but inside I was falling apart.
What else could go wrong today?
“Oh, thank you, Kenzi. I really have to go, there’s a cab on its way to pick me up and take me to the airport,” he said as he gave Zander a quick hand shake then walked to the door.
“Wait—there’s a cab already on its way? What would you have done if I had said no?” I asked.
Clay stopped in his tracks and turned toward me. “I’m sorry, Kenzi. I would’ve still had to leave.”
“Oh. Well, good thing we didn’t have to deal with that awkward situation, right?” I sort of half chuckled.
“Right,” he agreed, half chuckling himself as he turned and rushed out the door.
Call Me Kenzi
Zander turned toward me and asked, “Where can I get started, ma’am?”
“First things first, don’t call me ma’am,” I said as I sauntered into the kitchen. “I don’t think I’m that much older than you.”
He trailed behind me, and asked, “What should I call you then, ma―”
I turned quickly to stop him from saying ma’am again, but miscalculated how far ahead of him I had been and ended up slamming my chest up against his hard body. Having lost my balance, he wrapped his muscular arms around me to keep me from falling.
“Whoa. Are you okay?” he asked as our eyes locked, and for a brief moment, I forgot about how nervous I was to be alone with him.
“Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry,” I said as I slowly pushed myself away, grabbing the edges of my robe to cover up my skimpy pajamas.
“I’m not,” he said confident
ly as he unclasped his hands from around me.
The comment made me giggle like a schoolgirl. What was it about this guy that made me feel so calm, and more importantly—so safe? Being with him made me feel normal again.
“Umm, would you like something to drink?” I asked, backing away toward the fridge.
“Yes, ma’am. I―” he said as I interrupted.
“I could have sworn I asked you to stop calling me ma’am, soldier,” I said flirtatiously.
“Wait, so you can call me soldier, but I can’t call you ma’am?” he asked with a smile as he inched closer.
“Right. I am the boss, after all,” I said, pouring him a glass of lemonade.
“The boss. I do like how that sounds coming from you,” he said, toasting with the glass before he took a sip.
“Please, call me Kenzi,” I replied as I returned the jar to the fridge.
Zander smiled. “Okay.”
“The guys usually sit around, or sit in their cars.”
“I’d rather make myself useful. Is there anything around here that needs fixing? I’m pretty good with my hands.”
“That’s a pretty big claim,” I flirted.
Mother would kill me if she saw me flirting this way, but I couldn’t help it.
“It’s not one I make lightly.” He winked.
I smiled.
“Umm—something to do, something to do. Oh, would you mind fixing the closet door in the living room? It’s starting to creak and it scares me at night. It’s one of the drawbacks of being alone all the time.”
“Well, I would assume there are more than a few drawbacks to living alone,” he said facetiously.
“There are the obvious drawbacks, of course,” I said as I slowly moved past him, stealing quick glances of his body.
He moved to the side, allowing me to pass by.
“It’s right this way,” I said, leading him to the closet.
“Before I forget, I’m really sorry about your parents. Clay sort of explained to me why you need our help.”
“What did he say?”
“Well, you know?” he replied awkwardly. “That you never leave the house since your parents were—”
“That’s really none of your business,” I said crassly.
“I didn’t—”
“I will leave you to your work,” I said as I motioned to the closet door, and made my way upstairs.
***
Zander
“Shit, why did I have to bring up her parents right away?” I muttered to myself, tightening the loose door hinges, which were causing the creaking sound.
This house needs a good once over, and I’m betting she does too.
I finished up the door then headed over to the side table that held a slew of family portraits. Each frame different, some silver, some glass, some visibly weathered, and some that looked like they hadn’t been touched in years. It was almost of a timeline of her growing up.
Damn, she’s beautiful.
***
Kenzi
I got up the stairs when my phone alerted me to another text.
Maria: Z. I got your birthday present. THANK YOU…I LOVE IT!
Kenzi: I knew you would like that Louis Vuitton phone case. You are such a name brand whore.
Maria: UGH! I KNOW!!! I love me some LV. Anywho, I just want to tell you I’m coming to see you. I don’t care what you say! Xoxo.
Kenzi: No. Don’t come. I have a lot of stuff going on.
Maria: Too bad. I’m on my way.
Kenzi: Don’t come here thinking you’re gonna make me leave this house.
Maria: I know, I know. Been there, done that. I just wanna see my favorite cousin.
Kenzi: I just have a lot of stuff going on.
Maria: How much stuff could you have? You don’t leave your house. I’ll be there in an hour or so. Is your fine ass neighbor still around?
Kenzi: Yeah, why?
Maria: Oh no reason…
Kenzi: Don’t you dare go over there and try to seduce him.
Maria: I would never do anything like that! LOL.
Kenzi: You forget…I know you all too well.
Maria: LOL. I can’t promise anything.
Kenzi: Fine. I’ll see you in a bit.
I dropped my hands to my side and hung my head in between my shoulders.
Fuck, I don’t have time for this.
Dealing with Maria was a job on its own, but I would just have to deal with her when the time came. My mind drifted back to Zander.
How dare he bring up my parents?
He doesn’t even know me. I walked into my room, listening to my mother in the back of my mind, pointing out what a rude witch I had been to Zander, someone who was only here to help me.
“You’re right, Mom,” I said as I threw on some jeans and a tank and hurried downstairs to apologize.
“Hey, Zander!” I hollered as I made my way down the stairs.
But suddenly I was stricken down with fear as I saw a shadow move past the door’s frosted glass window. I grabbed onto the railing and stopped dead in my tracks as I watched the shadow, which was still for a moment, then seemed to bend down toward the lock.
I closed my eyes and screamed at the top of my lungs, “Zander!”
Metal hit the floor, and not two seconds later, Zander had already climbed the stairs and was standing on the step below me. “What is it? Is everything okay?” he asked, grabbing my hands to look over them.
His eyes continued up my arm and down my body. “I don’t see anything. What is it?”
“Outside the door,” I said, trembling with fear.
Still holding my hands, he turned toward the door. “I don’t see anything, Kenzi.”
I looked around him to see the shadow was gone. “But I―”
“What did you see?” he asked, concerned.
“There was a shadow moving around just outside of the door,” I replied. “Someone was out there.”
***
Zander
“I’ll go take a look. Stay here, okay?” I said, guiding her to sit on the step.
“Okay,” she said with a slight quiver in her voice.
I quickly ran downstairs and out through the door, locking it behind me to make sure nobody slipped in. I scanned the perimeter, wishing I had my gun on me, but it was in the truck, and there wasn’t time to run and grab it. From the corner of my eye, I saw a shadow disappear around the side of the house. In an instant, I had rounded the corner, but no one was there.
Maybe he’s hiding in one of these gigantic bushes? Who needs bushes this big? Just asking for a burglar, in my opinion.
I bent down to check every bush as I made my way to the backyard, which was the size of a park with a pool dug into the middle. She must certainly pay a pretty penny to keep this yard in tip top shape. I didn’t see one blade of grass or one solitary crumb of mulch out of place.
Jogging from one end of the yard to the other, I searched for anything out of place, but there wasn’t anything that stood out. As I walked up the trail to investigate the left side of the house, I caught sight of Ty struggling to heave a huge Hawks’ duffel bag into his trunk. I almost offered to help, but he was finished before I could open my mouth.
After walking the entire perimeter of the house, I found myself back at the front door with nothing to report. I took one last look, then knocked on the door.
***
Kenzi
I opened the door.
Zander walked back in with a perplexed look on his face. “Kenzi, I didn’t see anyone.”
“Oh,” I said, half ashamed. “Well, I’m sorry you had to run around the house for nothing.”
“No, it’s okay. Really,” he assured me.
I shifted my gaze from the door and back toward him. Getting lost in his soft blue eyes, I had almost forgotten why I had come downstairs in the first place. “I—uh—oh, I came down to apologize to you for acting like such a bitch earlier.”
“Think nothing of
it. I shouldn’t have mentioned it,” he said, shaking his head.
“No, it’s not that I don’t like to talk about them. I—just—” I looked down at my feet, trying to explain myself to him, but couldn’t.
“You don’t—” he insisted before I cut him off.
“Can we just start over?” I requested quickly, looking back up at him, praying he wouldn’t turn me down.
He chuckled. “Of course.”
I let out a big sigh and walked over to the hallway closet. “Wow, it sounds great,” I said as I swung the door back and forth.
Picking up his wrench from the wooden floor, I smiled as I handed it to him, impressed with his domestic handiness.
“Sorry about the floor,” he said as he looked down and rubbed the small dent the wrench had made when he dropped it.
“Oh my goodness, don’t worry about it. It’s just a floor. No one to impress anyway, it’s just me,” I said, looking back at the door, crossing my arms.
“Who says you aren’t someone who needs a little impressing in her life?” he asked as he gathered his tools.
His flirting tickled every nerve ending in my body, and I wanted nothing more than to throw him on the floor and rip his clothes off.
“Wait, leaving so soon?” I asked, frowning.
“I’ll be watching you from outside. Just call me if you need anything else. Here’s my number,” he said as he handed me a small piece of paper from his pocket.
“Well, I—” I scraped the paper across my palm as I tried to come up with some good excuse to keep him from leaving. “—the sink. I mean, the garbage disposal.”
“It’s broken?”
“Yes—” I paused and looked toward the kitchen. “No. I’m lying. I’m sorry,” I apologized, scratching my forehead.
He chuckled. “Why?”
The Enemy Inside (The Captive Series Book 1) Page 3