Page 15

CHAPTER 14

S tar stared out her bedroom window with a dreamy smile tugging at her lips. Last night had been incredible. Ethan was a fantastic lover—attentive, skilled, and so utterly focused on her pleasure it left her breathless. He’d put her needs before his own, balancing tenderness with an unmistakable protectiveness that had made her feel both cherished and safe.

The man’s muscles had muscles. He’d taken her to heights she’d never reached with anyone else. Every touch, every kiss, had sent her spiraling higher and higher until she’d shattered—oh, God, shattered in a way she’d never imagined possible. And the need to replicate that sensation had been beyond urgent. Unfortunately, she’d passed out from exhaustion.

Thank God Ethan had been up for the task in the middle of the night. Then once again exhausted, she’d fallen asleep in his arms, lulled by the steady rhythm of his breathing. But when she’d woken and found the bed empty, a flicker of disappointment had nudged her. Throwing on his T-shirt, she’d padded downstairs, following the faint hum of electronics.

His office took up the entire basement, and stepping into it had felt like walking into the future. Boxes of machinery lined the walls, cooling fans whirred, and blinking lights illuminated the dim space. But what had caught her attention was the massive wall of monitors—like something out of a high-tech thriller.

She wasn’t an expert, but even in her sleepy state, she’d recognized the sheer amount of money sitting in that room. Ethan wasn’t just good at security—he was a damn expert. That realization made her feel safer, especially after what had happened to Mrs. Harvey.

Mrs. Harvey.

Star shook her head, guilt twisting in her chest. She’d had coffee with the woman so many times. Why would anyone want to hurt her?

She chewed her bottom lip, but that wasn’t even the worst thing that had happened yesterday. Her mind drifted back to that horrifying moment on the sidewalk. Her skin still crawled remembering the face staring up at her. The violence, the sheer brutality of what had been done to that person was … unreal.

She’d read news articles, watched crime documentaries, but nothing—nothing—could compare to witnessing something like that firsthand. The image was burned into her mind, and even though she knew there was no reason to feel unsafe in her own home, the shiver that ran down her spine told a different story.

She blinked, realizing her dictation software was still running. With a sigh, she stopped it and scrolled back to see where she’d drifted off into her thoughts. That had happened two, maybe three, times that day. She allowed herself some grace. Last night with Ethan and the chaos of the day before had been a lot to process.

Yanking off her headphones, she powered down her computer. Clearly, she wasn’t going to get any quality work done that afternoon.

A scraping sound made her freeze.

Her breath hitched. She sat perfectly still, listening.

There it was again.

Grabbing her phone and, on instinct, a spackling knife from the nearby table, she tiptoed toward the hallway and carefully avoided the squeaky spots on the floor as she crept to the top of the staircase, peeking around the corner.

Relief flooded her. "Ethan! You scared me!" She let out a breath and jogged down the stairs. "What are you doing?"

Ethan, perched on top of a ladder, glanced down at her with a raised brow. "Have some time while my system runs a few algorithms, so I thought I’d set up your security system." She exhaled, hand over her chest, then realized she was still gripping the spackling knife. Before she could shove it behind her back, Ethan’s eyes narrowed. "Were you planning on spackling me to death?"

Star huffed and quickly hid the knife. "Not you. But you wouldn’t want to be a stranger sneaking into my house."

Pulling a wire from between his teeth, he twisted it with another near the small camera he was installing. "Well, if you locked your doors, you wouldn’t have to worry about strangers sneaking in."

She frowned and glanced at the front door. "It is locked."

Ethan sighed. "You have two doors, Star. The front and the back."

"Okay, well, that’s not my fault.” She crossed her arms. “You walked me back this morning, and then you kissed me. And kissed me. And kissed me." She gestured dramatically. "Forgive me if I wasn’t thinking clearly when you shut the door behind me. I had no brain left."

Ethan rested his forearms on the top of the ladder and smirked. "So, you’re saying I kissed your brains out?"

Star blinked, considering, then frowned. "Well, if anyone could, it would be you. So … yeah."

Chuckling, he shook his head. "Maybe I should install self-locking doors."

"Nope, because then I’d get locked out, and you’d have to rescue me. Constantly."

"Also a fair point,” he agreed with a grin. “I’m almost done here. Want to grab a coffee with me?" He paused, then added, "Oh, and a pup cup. Thor’s been pouting all day because he didn’t get one last night."

Star glanced around. "Where is he?"

"Backyard. Refuses to come in."

"Seriously? Just because of a pup cup?"

Ethan’s lips twitched. "Well … no. He’s mostly mad because I didn’t let him sleep in the bedroom last night. He usually sleeps at the foot of the bed, so he’s in full-blown sulk mode."

"Oh no.” Star winced. “Are you saying I usurped Thor’s place in your bed?"

Ethan snorted. "No, he sleeps at the foot of the bed, not against me."

"What do you think he’ll do if I spend the night again?"

Ethan descended the ladder and pulled her into his arms. "If? Why wouldn’t you spend the night?"

"Well, we could stay here …” She grinned up at him.

Leaning in, he brushed a slow, teasing kiss against her lips. "We could sleep in Outer Mongolia for all I care. Just tell me when and where."

Star grabbed his hand and tugged him toward the stairs. "Upstairs. Now."

Laughing, he let her lead him into her bedroom, where she pushed him onto the bed and straddled his lap. But just as his hands settled on her hips, his watch beeped. He groaned and sat up. "Sorry, babe, I have to take this call."

With a sigh, she slid off him. He pulled his phone from his pocket, already grimacing. "Dinner, then a continuation after?"

She smirked. "Sounds like a plan. Let’s go to Wagner’s and eat outside so Thor can come with us."

His expression softened. "Perfect. Sounds good. I’m really sorry about this."

She shook her head. "Go ahead. I understand. I run my own business, too, remember?"

Ethan pressed a quick kiss to her forehead before answering his call, and Star couldn’t help but smile. Yep. She was in deep.

"I do remember." Leaning down, he kissed her again, slow and deep, making her toes curl. When he pulled back, a cocky smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"But I definitely want to continue this … in the position you were in."

With a wink, he turned and jogged out of her room, disappearing down the stairs.

She heard the back door slam, and then a second later, it banged open again.

"Lock the door!" he yelled up the stairs before the door slammed shut once more.

Star rolled her eyes but smiled as she followed his order. She jogged down the stairs and through the house to the back door, twisting the deadbolt into place as she peeked out the window. She was just in time to see Thor standing his ground. He planted his massive paws and flat-out refused to go inside with Ethan.

The dog was upset. That much was clear.

Sighing, she trotted back upstairs and grabbed her phone. If she wanted to get back into Thor’s good graces, she had an idea. She texted Ethan:

Before you sequester yourself, can I take Thor to the coffee shop for a pup cup? He might forgive me then.

She hoped to catch him before he got wrapped up in whatever classified cyber-wizardry he did in his office. She knew for a fact that once he was in work mode, his phone might as well not exist.

A typing bubble popped up, three dots forming and disappearing, before his reply appeared:

His leash is in the kitchen. He’ll love you forever. Be safe!

Grinning, she slipped into her tennis shoes, tied her hair up into a quick ponytail, and grabbed her phone and debit card. She bounced out of her house and dutifully locked the back door, knowing Ethan would give her one of his exasperated looks if she forgot.

Crossing into his backyard, she stepped inside and found the leash hanging in the kitchen.

“Hey, why don’t you have to lock your door?” A low woof from behind her turned her. “Oh, yeah, I guess you’re probably better than any lock, huh.”

“That and I have an alarm system.” Ethan’s voice came from a small speaker near the camera.

“Freaky, dude. Freaky.” She laughed and then spun around to go redeem herself. Thor tracked her with his golden eyes, his massive frame completely still and his expression filled with pure betrayal.

Star sighed. "Okay, boy. I’m sorry. I took your bed last night—I didn’t know!" She kneeled in front of him, scratching under his chin. "How about we go get a pup cup and make friends?"

Thor’s thick tail thumped—twice, hard—against the ground.

She gasped dramatically. "Oh, you like that idea, don’t you?"

His tail thumped again.

Laughing, she clipped on his leash and stood. "Come on, let’s get that pup cup."

Ethan had been right. Thor was more than willing to forgive her—so long as it involved whipped cream. In fact, he led the way to the coffee shop, his gait steady and determined, as if he were a soldier on a mission. He didn’t yank or drag her, but there was no question about where they were going.

As they stepped inside, Thor immediately sat at attention, his gray coat gleaming under the café lights. He stayed still, waiting patiently—until Miss Bianca saw him.

"Oh, Thor!" the older woman cooed, hurrying around the counter to grab the whipped cream and a cup. The moment she called his name, his tail wagged so hard his entire body wiggled, but he remained seated, his discipline unshaken.

Bianca chuckled. "Such a good boy," she said, setting the can down on the counter and handing Thor his whipped-cream-filled cup. Thor wasted no time, diving in with pure, unbridled joy.

Bianca straightened, brushing her hands on her apron. "Where’s Ethan today?"

"He got caught up at work," Star replied.

She turned just in time to see a man walk out of the bathroom at the back of the café—and her stomach plummeted.

She almost swallowed her tongue.

It was one of them.

One of the men she’d overheard—or rather, over-recorded—at the hardware store.

Her body tensed instinctively.

And so did Thor.

The dog froze mid-lick, his entire body shifting from relaxed to alert in an instant. His ears perked, and a low, menacing rumble built in his throat.

Bianca frowned. "Hey, now, what’s that all about? I’ve never seen him do that."

Star forced a laugh. "Oh, he’s just picking up on my vibes." She reached down, running a hand over Thor’s head. "It’s okay, buddy."

After a beat, Thor slowly returned to his whipped cream, though his muscles remained coiled.

The man walked straight out of the coffee shop, not saying a word to anyone.

Star exhaled and glanced at Bianca. "Do you know him?"

Bianca frowned at the retreating figure. "He’s been in here a couple of times. Why? What’s the problem?"

"He’s …" Star hesitated, lowering her voice. "Just—just be careful."

"Why, Star? What do you think you know about him?"

Star snorted. "Think? I know." She glanced around, then leaned in slightly. "He’s … connected."

Bianca drew her head back, scrunching her nose. "To what?"

"To bad people," Star murmured. "Just be safe."

Bianca let out a soft laugh. "How in the world could you know that?"

Star shook her head. "It’s a really long, convoluted story. I promise, just … be careful."

Bianca patted her on the shoulder. "It’s all right, dear. I’m an old woman with a whole lot of experience. I can judge people. That guy won’t be a bother to me, I promise. Does Ethan know you think this guy is trouble?"

Star nodded. "Sure, he knows."

She sighed, bending down to pick up the now-meticulously-cleaned pup cup from Thor. Tossing it in the trash, she crouched again, rubbing his ears.

"Did we make up, buddy? Are you my friend again?"

Thor responded by giving her one solid, slobbery lick across the face.

She scrunched her nose. "Ah, thanks." She wiped her cheek with her hand. “I have to shower anyway, but, dude …”

Bianca chuckled. "Bye, sweetie. If you and Ethan are out tonight, stop by. I’ve got some new desserts I want to try out."

"That sounds amazing. We’re actually going to dinner at Wagner’s, so we can stop by after that."

"I look forward to it. Take care of yourself and that pup."

Star laughed. "Actually, it’s the other way around. Thor takes care of me. Don’t you, buddy?"

Thor’s tongue lolled out the side of his mouth, his expression one of pure doggy amusement.

She patted his head one last time. "Come on, boy. Let’s go home."