Page 28 of Killer Notes

“I woke him up and found out he wasn’t feeling good. Anyway, he ended up having the flu, which he passed to me.”

“That sucked,” I say, then realize just how close our bodies are. I glance into his alluring blue gaze and fall a little harder for the singer. The slight lift of Danny’s chin, his mouth barely open, and those lips ready to be sampled. Devoured.

No.

I promptly shut that shit down, step back, and disengage myself from the easy-going banter. I clear my throat and say stiffly, “I turned off the tracking on your phone. Even though you aren’t linked to anyone, it’s best you turn it off. I don’t want to take any chances.” I take another step back, needing the space between us, and hold his cell phone out to him.

All the humor from moments before flees from his face. “I understand,” Danny despondently says, and he takes the cell phone. He turns off the device and places it in one of the kitchen drawers. “I’m not hungry anymore.” He picks up the mug of coffee and heads toward the back slider and stares at the scene without uttering another word.

I don’t know what to say—if I should say anything at all, to ease the tension evident in his stiff posture. Surely, he knows I’m doing all this to keep him safe. Whatever connection is forming between us can’t happen.

One way or another, I’m here to protect him at all costs. From the stalker, and from me.

CHAPTERNINE

Tobias

The following morning, I find Danny in the kitchen again. The moment I step into the space, his body stills, but he doesn’t turn around or acknowledge me.

The tension-filled silence between us yesterday lasted the entire day and I didn’t like it. Wanting that easy conversation back between us, I finally break the silence, “What are you doing?”

“I’m going to cook bacon and scramble eggs. Hungry?” He sets one pan on the stove and then grabs another.

“Sounds good… Danny, we need to talk,” I say tentatively, sitting on the stool next to the small island.

“About?” He briefly meets my eyes before turning away.

“You need to understand something. I didn’t set any ground rules for your safety when we got here the day before. So that’s on me. But there are rules we both need to follow in order for me to protect you, and get you to that festival in one piece.”

“I understand,” he says evenly. “So what are the rules?”

Danny turns, eyes cast down to the package of bacon in his hand. I notice how his thick dark lashes frame his soulful eyes, and immediately my dick stands at attention. Thank God for the island, or he would see my tented cargos.

I inhale a silent breath for strength and concentrate on the rules. “I know this may sounds ridiculous, but I have to take every precaution when it comes to you, Raven.”

“What happened to calling me Danny?” He bites his lower lip, and his questioning eyes finally meet mine.

Jesus. He’s going to be the death of me, if he keeps looking at me like that. The thick line I’m attempting to keep drawn between us just got thinner.

“Danny,” I acknowledge.

“Thank you. And I’ll do whatever you say, Tobias.” He says so innocently, but…

Now I’m imagining dirty things.

I shake off those thoughts and continue. “Once I make sure the perimeter is clear, that’s when you can go on the deck. If you want to go for a walk, then we’ll plan that time. But it won’t be a long one.”

“Understood.” He nods, ripping open the package and laying bacon slices in the frying pan.

There’s a quiet mood in the space as Danny starts humming a tune while flipping over the bacon.

“What are you humming? It’s… nice,” I say, snagging a cooked piece of bacon off the plate. Then I spot a small thin pouch on the counter and peer inside it. “Holy crap. How tubes of gloss you do have?”

Danny snatches the bag off the counter, zips it up and tucks it in the drawer where his phone is. “Does it matter? I… like variety.”

“Okay. Now, tell me about the song,” I say, to divert us from the gloss topic Danny’s evidently sensitive about.

“It’s something I’ve been working on for a while now. I just…” He pauses mid-flip and shakes his head. “The music is easy, but I can’t seem to get the lyrics to flow.”