Page 115

“If she says she was followed, then I’m sure she was. The dudes are probably good at tailing their marks.” I lift my beer bottle to my lips.

Soren might not be worried, but I am. It’s a little freaky to think that dangerous people might have followed her to our town.

“I don’t want us making a big deal out of it before it becomes one. Gilli will stay here, and in the morning, we’ll do our own research,” he says to me. “See if we can figure out who is hiding behind the username. Is Solome still doing his private investigating shit?”

“As far as I know,” I say with a shrug. “I haven’t kept up with him since college.”

“We’ll give him a call, too.”

Soren pushes away from the table, staring at Gillian. They lock eyes and something tangible passes between them. For a beat, they’re the only two people in the room. Nothing and no one exists outside of them.

I take it as my cue to get the hell gone.

If those two need a reprise of their performance last night, I’d rather not stick around to see it. And the way she’s looking at him leaves me with little doubt who she’ll choose, if any of us, to warm her bed tonight.

“I’ll clean up,” I announce gruffly.

“But you made dinner,” Gilli protests.

“This barely counts as dinner and we know it.” Besides, my stomach is turned inside out.

She was right to run, and smart, to come here. Out of all the places she could go, I doubt someone is going to go to the trouble to research her threadbare family connections and check out their real estate.

But what if they did? What if they did take the time to research and this seriously bad dude is in Holly Brook as we speak?

Helping her isn’t an issue. I meant what I said earlier—if anyone tries to hurt her, they’ll die. It’s that simple.

Gilli doesn't deserve to be the target of some psychopath who thinks he’s entitled to things at others’ expense. Money buys a lot but not the right to cause pain.

I’m done in the kitchen and Soren is nowhere to be seen. Neither is Gilli. Both their doors are closed and my heart lurches before settling into a resentfully level rhythm.

I flip off the lights, heading toward my room when a throat clears.

Soft, insistent, feminine.

I turn and there’s Gilli in the open doorway to her room,wearing a baggy nightshirt and skimpy sleep shorts. Salivation, check. Immediate half chub, check.

My brain goes right to the fantasy of those long legs wrapped around me, of how those two long braids on either side of her head will feel in my fists.

“Will you snuggle with me?” she asks sweetly.

“What’s the matter? Soren not the snuggling type?” I know for a fact he’s not.

“I wantyou.”

My heart stutters. The statement shoots straight down and curls around the frantically beating organ.

How the fuck do I say no to her?

Quick answer: I don’t.

So I crook a finger. “My room or nothing, sweetheart.”

She pauses for only a moment before she follows me across the hall.

Chapter 27

Gilli