Page 18 of Kiss of Deceit

“No,” she said quickly, clearly thinking of the bagel incident this morning. “Just surprised you’re home. I thought you had the night shift.”

I set my fork down, and got to my feet, facing her. “And why would you think that?”

“I met your coworker today. Adella.”

My heart dipped, hearing her voice change. She was acting uninterested. Bored. Which meant Adella told her that we’d slept together. I shouldn’t care. I willed myself not to. Yet for some reason, I didn’t want Dani to think that I was with Adella.

Before either of us said anything else, more voices came in through the window, and Dani’s eyes widened, realization dawning that I listened to her conversation. I shot her a grin, resting against the counter.

“Sounds like you’re already making friends,” I said casually. “We’re going to need to work out a system if you plan on bringing guys back here.”

Her already pink cheeks flushed as she scowled. “It’s rude to eavesdrop.”

“All I did was open the windows since someone decided to make my house a sauna.”

“I don’t like being cold,” she defended herself, crossing her arms. “And until I move, this is also my house. I have a right to feel comfortable while I’m here. You want money for the electric bill?”

I could fucking care less about the heat bill. I wanted to get back on the topic of the guy she’d been talking to. She stared at me pointedly, waiting for my response, and I took a step toward her until her eyes flashed with warning, her body going tense. She was a lot more on edge than this morning when I had her against the counter. The guy’s question filtered through my head when he asked her if she was okay, and I frowned, wondering what the hell happened. She sighed after the long silence, rolling her eyes.

“I won’t touch the heat again,” she muttered, sounding tired. “And as for your other complaint—you don’t have to worry. Any guy I talk to, I don’t plan on bringing here. You made it abundantly clear you don’t want me here. So I’ll spend as much time as I can out of the house.”

Well, fuck me.I stared at her, my heart racing in a way I wasn’t prepared for. She was right. I didn’t want her living with me. But I sure as hell didn’t want to think about other men touching her like I did.

She broke eye contact as she folded her jacket over her arms, her gaze going past me to the kitchen and then darting back to the stairs.

“Hungry?” I asked gruffly, nodding to my plate. “There’s more in the fridge.”

“No, I’m fine. I’m going shopping tomorrow.”

Her voice was firm, and it was immediately clear she didn’t like taking help. At least from people she didn’t know. She moved up a couple of steps on the stairs before halting and resting her hand on the banister as she peered down at me.

“What kind of animals are around here?”

Her question threw me off, and I frowned. “In the forest?”

“Yes.”

“The ones to worry about are mountain lions and bears,” I answered, looking at her questioningly. “Why?”

She hesitated. “I was out on that path a couple of streets over, and thought I heard something?—”

“That path leads to a cliff,” I cut her off. “Not smart to go out there at night.”

“Yeah,” she mumbled, moving up the steps again, “I know. I’m going to bed.”

With those words, she disappeared from view, and I heard the bathroom door slam shut. I shook my head, turning my attention to my now-cold food. Running a hand down my face, I grabbed my plate with my other hand and tossed the food in the trash. My mind wandered as I washed the plate before setting it on the towel to dry. I didn’t need distractions. I was here for a reason which meant I needed to get Dani the hell out of my head. Hopefully, Fiona would find her a new place to live soon.

CHAPTER NINE

dani

I peered through the glass,a grin tipping my lips when I found what I was looking for. A chiming noise rippled through the silence in the store when someone entered. My attention didn’t stray from the weapons in the locked glass case. Until a dangerous heat flowed through my veins. My heart thrashed when a familiar excitement engulfed me. I straightened up, stumbling back a step, knocking into a tall shelf. I spun around to see the stacks of winter gloves falling to the floor. I hurriedly picked them up, feeling eyes on me.

“You okay, miss?” the store clerk asked from his stool at the register.

I sucked in a shaky breath, regaining control before answering. “Yes….” I paused, trying to think of an excuse for my erratic behavior. “I thought I saw a spider.”

The old man pushed his large glasses up his nose, giving me a look before shaking his head and going back to his crossword. “This is why women don’t belong in hardware stores,” he grumbled, just loud enough for me to hear. “The only machinery they should be around is in the kitchen.”