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“ T hank you so much for carrying this up to the porch.” I stuffed cash into the delivery driver’s hand. “I added extra this time for the rush order.”

“Thanks, ma’am!” The young man set the last box of goods on the porch, including the oxygen tanks, before taking off.

After lifting one of the heavy boxes, I opened the screen door and pivoted left to set the box on the kitchen counter.

“I thought this was your day off?” My father leaned against his walker at the kitchen entrance while delivering one of his famous looks of disappointment for a daughter who couldn’t sit still for a second.

I set the box of food on the counter. “No such thing as a day off in this house. Your drink’s on the table by your favorite chair. I’ll join you in a little while, but I’ve got a few things to do around the house first. It’s nice outside. After lunch, we can go for a drive.”

“And see more trees?” He barely suppressed a laugh while shuffling through the house.

I turned the music up and began unloading the food. While I missed grocery shopping myself, it was nice to have it delivered so I could focus on preparing our meals. On my days off, I spent time with my father, but I also cleaned and completed projects around the house.

After grabbing a couple of oxygen tanks from the porch, I danced my way into the living room and set them by the wall. Then I lost myself in the music, snapping my fingers and remembering what it was like to be carefree and young.

I spun around, and when I noticed a man looming outside the glass door, I had a whole-body spasm. My heart ricocheted, and I clutched my chest.

As I drew closer to the silhouette, relief washed over me. Despite the false alarm, my inner animal was irritated and pacing beneath my skin.

Lucian’s hypnotic gaze followed me as I crossed the room to greet him.

“Mr. Cross. I wasn’t expecting you.”

He tilted his head to the side with a quizzical brow. “You invited me over.”

“Sorry. I completely forgot about the invitation. There’s a lot going on this morning.”

“I can leave.”

“Don’t you dare.”

When he backed up for me to open the door, I noticed my strappy heels dangling from his fingers.

He jerked his chin toward the boxes on the porch. “What’s all that?”

“Groceries.”

His gaze fixed on the oxygen tanks. “Do you scuba dive?”

I reached down and grabbed them. “Can you help me?”

After setting the canisters down in the living room, I returned to the porch and brought in the last box.

Lucian set down two boxes and then did a slow turn in my kitchen. He sniffed the air. “Do you have company?”

“My roommate.”

His eyes slid down to my grey tank top, cotton shorts, and bare feet. Nobody ever saw me this underdressed, and it made me self-conscious enough to fold my arms since I wasn’t wearing a bra.

“It’s hot today” was all I could summon.

“Yeah.” He pinched the front of his black tank top. “Hot.” The low crew neck and tight fabric revealed hard muscle on a svelte body.

Tension crackled in the air.

I glanced at a box he’d set on the counter. “That one needs to go in the living room.”

When he lifted it, I stole a glance at the sinewy muscles in his arms and the way he glided through the room instead of lumbering. He set the cleaning supplies and paint can by the oxygen tanks.

I lifted the paint can by the curved handle and moved it to the front door. “The trim outside needs a fresh coat. I plan to do that later.”

“Why don’t you hire someone?”

“Because I can do it myself. Hard work is good for the soul.”

He joined me in the kitchen and leaned against the counter. “You work a lot.”

“So do you. I always see you on your phone.”

I noticed my heels on top of one of the boxes Lucian had carried in. After grabbing them, I walked to the door and bent over to set them down. When I turned around, he immediately cast his attention to the ceiling. I thought perhaps he’d noticed a spider, but I didn’t see anything crawling about.

“How old is this place?” he asked.

“It was constructed in the 1970s. They built houses to last in those days. It’s a little outdated, but I’m working on the upgrades.”

He brushed his hand over the smooth granite countertop while admiring the new stainless-steel appliances and cabinetry. “Like the kitchen. Looks good.”

Lucian swiftly went from admiring my house to inspecting it. He examined the window, squinted at the vents, and walked down the hall before stopping at the elevator.

He knocked on the wood. “What’s this?”

“An elevator to the basement. Fully renovated. That was my big project, so now it’s time to work on the rest of the house.” Maybe now was an opportune time to voice a concern about my situation. “Mr. Cross, do you think it’s possible to secure this house so nobody can break in?”

He put his hands in his pockets and strutted past me. “Lucian.”

“What?” I hurried after him when he walked briskly down my bedroom hall.

“Mr. Cross is what they call my oldest brother. I go by Lucian.”

“Old habits are hard to break.” My jaw slackened when he barged right into my messy bedroom. “ Wait! You can’t go in there.”

My blankets were disheveled, drawers open, and jewelry scattered about.

I snatched my satin bonnet off the chair and hid it behind my back.

He stood before the high window and examined the frame. “How many bedrooms do you have?”

“Three.” My eyes widened in horror at the vibrator on my bedside table to the right. While he had his back turned, I shoved my sex toy under my pillow along with my bonnet.

Lucian turned on his heel and was out of the room lickety-split. The next thing I knew, he was in my bathroom, which thankfully was kept clean for unexpected guests. After inspecting the secondary rooms, he returned to the kitchen and entered the garage.

My face flushed as we stood in the stagnant air.

Lucian leaned against my car and put his hands in his pockets again. “How secure are we talking? Can’t break through windows or can’t break through walls?”

I glanced up at a crack in the ceiling. “Well, I’m not rebuilding my house. Let’s focus on windows and doors.”

“Doable.”

“I was thinking of replacing the windows with shatterproof glass.”

“Shatterproof is a myth when it comes to Vampires. Polycarbonate is better, but you’ll want steel shutters. Does the basement have a door, hatch, or windows? Anything leading to the outside?”

“No.”

“What’s the attic situation?”

“I’ve never crawled up there.”

He scratched his head. “If you have money to spend, you can build an underground escape route connected to your garage. The floor will lower your car into an underground chamber where you can drive out of here through a tunnel. As long as the exit is somewhere on your property line, you won’t have to worry about special permission from the Council, but I guess you already know that.

Securing windows will only keep them at bay for so long. ”

“That’s reassuring. Let’s go back inside before we melt.”

Once inside the cool house, I poured two glasses of sweet tea with a slice of lemon. While I gulped down the refreshing beverage, which instantly cooled me off, Lucian kept staring at my legs. Each time our eyes met, he averted his gaze.

It’s my outfit. This isn’t the professional leader he’s used to seeing out in public. Well, he’s already seen me looking like a ragamuffin. There’s no point in changing my clothes now.

“What’s all this security for?” He set down his glass.

“My roommate wants to stay upstairs while I’m at work, and I don’t feel safe leaving them alone during the day.”

“Why not?”

I held the icy glass against my neck, rivulets of condensation rolling down my chest and into my tank top.

“A little over a year ago, I arrested a Shifter on abuse charges. He was a rogue, so the only person who could bail him out was his brother, who didn’t have the money.

His brother paid me a visit one afternoon at my home.

He thought I was in here and wanted to force his way in to teach me a lesson. ”

Lucian growled deep in his chest.

“I wasn’t here, but my roommate was. Since then, he’s been sleeping in the basement.”

He stood there for a beat, eyes locked on mine. “Your roommate is a male?”

“I’ll introduce you.” After setting down my glass, I cut through the living room and opened the back door. “Dad, I want you to meet someone. This is Lucian Cross. He belongs to the Arrowhead pack—the one whose baby shower I attended.”

“A wolf, huh? Come over here and let me have a look at you.”

Lucian flicked an uncertain gaze at me before approaching my dad’s cushioned chair.

My father stared up at him and laughed. “Are you messin’ with me? He can’t be in a pack. That boy’s a Chitah.”

I stood behind my father and gripped his shoulder as a warning to be nice to our guest. While he got along well with most people, he had a sense of humor not everyone appreciated. “Lucian, this is Afram Thompson, my father.”

My dad looked up at me and lowered his voice. “What’s he doing here?”

“He was returning my shoes.”

“Your shoes?”

“Lucian’s going to install a security system. That way you can live upstairs again. Won’t that be nice?” A cool breeze blew by, making me thankful for these early days of spring. “I’m going to make lunch soon. Do you want to come back inside or eat out here?”

He picked up his tea glass. “I’m going to live out here is what I’m going to do.”

“If you get hot, come inside.”

“Hot?” He chuckled. “This is nothing. You forget where I’m from.”

I jerked my head toward the house, motioning Lucian to follow.

Once inside, I returned to the kitchen to put away the groceries.