Page 89 of Love Me

I swiveled the chair to the side to face him. “It’s a shock to me, too.”

He smiled down at me in a way that was open and adoring.

“What about you?” I asked. “Are you the jealous type?” We hadn’t had a chance to talk about what had gone down with him, me, and Keelan on Halloween or how it had made him feel.

His beautiful smile dropped, and an intensity and seriousness took over his whole face. I knew he knew what I was asking. “I am the jealous type.”

Everything in me sank.

“But not with my brothers,” he added.

I couldn’t have stopped the happiness I felt from showing even if I’d tried and I got to my feet. I wrapped my arms around his waist and rested my cheek against his chest.

He put one arm around me and began to stroke my hair with the other, then froze. “How was the doctor?”

“Good. I no longer look like Frankenstein’s monster.”

His body shook as he laughed silently. “Did you need something from me?”

It took me a second to understand he was asking why I was here. I shook my head. “Can I hang out here until you guys get off of work?”

“Is everything all right?”

“I’m scared to be home alone,” I admitted. “I’m so unsettled I feel like I’m being watched and like someone is going to pop out around every corner. Every noise I hear makes me think someone is in the house. And it’s not just mine. I feel like that at your house, too. Dr. Bolton says that it’s because of the attacks, but I don’t think of Cassy or the sheriff when I’m feeling all this. I think it’s Mr. X. It’s like my mind defaults to him or something.”

He put his hands on my shoulders and stepped back to look down at me. “I think Dr. Bolton is right. You’ve been through a lot recently and that’s going to take a toll on you.” He leaned down and kissed my head. “You can stay, but you might be bored.”

“I figured I’d help Isabelle at the front desk, if that’s okay?”

He nodded and I headed for the door.

“Can I ask you for something?” he said before I left.

I glanced back at him. “Of course.”

He hadn’t moved from where I’d left him, and he had his hands stuffed in his pockets. “Will you spend the night with me tonight?”

I wished I looked confident when I replied and didn’t assume that by sayingspend the night,he had meant something more than sleep. Blushing, I answered, “Yes.”

* * *

I followed the guys home from Desert Stone in my 4Runner and we all pulled up to our houses at the same time. “I’m going to change really quick and then I’ll be over,” I announced as we all climbed out of our cars. I was out of clean pajamas at their house. Doing a load of laundry was on my list to do before bed tonight.

Colt and Creed headed for me instead of walking toward their house. “We’ll come with you,” Colt said, and I had the impression that Knox had told his brothers I was having a difficult time being alone.

We walked up the steps to my porch together and they waited as I unlocked the door.

“What are we eating for dinner?” Creed asked.

“I have a chicken recipe I want to try,” I answered as I opened up the door. The smell of pennies filled my nose the moment I stepped inside. When I saw why, I froze.

“Why isn’t the alarm beeping?” I barely heard Creed say over the pounding of my heart in my ears.

There was someone sitting on my couch.

Not “someone.”

Jacob.