"Baby steps," she whispered to herself, echoing her therapist's frequent reminder. She'd managed a full day at work. She'd even eaten alone at a restaurant without panic. Those were victories worth celebrating.
Beth folded her legs beneath her, to sit cross-legged in the center of her plush bed. She closed her eyes, letting her breathing slow and deepen. She found that quiet place inside herself, the one she'd discovered during her recovery. Her shoulders relaxed as tension melted away. Each breath brought more peace, pushing away the lingering anxiety from a full day of meeting new people. In this moment, she was safe. Protected. Healing.
A light knock at her door frame pulled Beth from her meditation. Her eyes fluttered open to find one of the identical men standing in the doorway, his tall frame nearly filling it. Up close, his features were even more striking - high cheekbones, straight nose, and those brilliant blue eyes that seemed to glow in the dim light.
"I'm Tyr Lindström." His voice was softer than it had been outside, all business now rather than playful enthusiasm. "I need to check the security points on your doors and windows, if that's alright?"
Beth nodded, gesturing for him to enter. She uncurled from her cross-legged position but remained perched on the bed, watching as he moved to examine the French doors leading to her private patio. His movements were precise and efficient as he tested the locks and hinges, making notes on a sleek tablet.
He worked in silence, moving from the doors to the large window that overlooked the garden. His fingers traced the window frame, testing the integrity of the locks and seals. The tablet made soft clicking sounds as he typed his observations.
Though his presence filled the room, Beth found herself relaxing slightly. There was something reassuring about his methodical inspection, the way he took such care checking every potential point of entry. His earlier boisterous personality had shifted to quiet professionalism that put her at ease.
Beth couldn't help studying him as he worked. The way his dark green henley stretched across broad shoulders, how his dark jeans hugged powerful thighs. Even the graceful way his hands moved as he examined the window frames drew her attention. His presence filled her sanctuary with an energy she hadn't felt in years.
Her inner leopard stirred, rising from its usual watchful crouch to pad closer in her mind. The small cat's curiosity matched her own, wanting to investigate this stranger whoradiated such compelling strength. Urging her to move closer, wanting to brush against his legs and mark him with her scent.
Stop it, she told Whisper firmly. She couldn't help peeking, though, as Tyr bent to check the baseboards, his shirt riding up to reveal a strip of pale skin above his waistband.
Her leopard purred, the sound almost escaping her human throat. Beth swallowed hard, shocked by her own response. She'd worked so hard to keep her walls up, to protect herself. Yet something about this man called to both her human and animal sides, making her want to lower those carefully constructed barriers.
"Good locks. Could be better though." Tyr's quiet murmur barely carried across the room. Beth wasn't sure if he was speaking to her or making notes to himself as his fingers traced the window frame.
He turned suddenly, those brilliant blue eyes focusing on her. "Do you keep them locked?"
"Yes, always." Beth pulled her sweater sleeves over her hands. "Well, except at night. I sleep with the window open."
She tensed, expecting a lecture. Everyone else - Liam, Naomi, even her therapist - had strong opinions about her needing her windows open. But Tyr just nodded, his expression neutral as he made another note on his tablet. No judgment, no warnings, just quiet acceptance of her admission. Something tight in Beth's chest loosened slightly at his lack of reaction.
Tyr's fingers traced along the window frame once more, his expression thoughtful. "We can install perimeter sensors outside," he said, his voice still carrying that quiet, professional tone. "They'd create a detection grid around your patio and window. Anyone approaching would trigger silent alerts to security and your phone before they got within ten feet."
Relief washed through Beth's chest. "You mean... I could keep sleeping with the window open?"
He nodded, making another note on his tablet. "Fresh air is important. We'll make sure you can keep your window open safely. The sensors would give you plenty of warning if anyone tried to get close. We can set different alert levels too - wildlife versus human movement."
Beth felt tension she hadn't even realized she was carrying melt from her shoulders. Everyone else had tried to convince her to sleep with the windows locked. But she needed cool, moving air on her face when she slept—it seemed to keep the night terrors and panic episodes at bay. The fresh air grounded her when the PTSD symptoms threatened to overwhelm her in the darkness. Tyr offered a solution that would let her feel both safe and comfortable.
Instead of the lecture she'd braced for—the one she'd heard countless times from Liam about security risks, from Naomi about her safety, even from her therapist about establishing proper boundaries—Tyr had simply accepted her need and offered a solution. No judgment in his eyes, no disapproving frown, just quiet understanding that this mattered to her. The knot of defensive arguments she'd prepared unraveled, unnecessary in the face of his acceptance.
Tyr's gaze continued to sweep the room, landing on the partially open door near the corner. "En suite?"
"Yes." Beth's fingers twisted in her sweater sleeves. "There's a window in there too."
He strode toward the bathroom, tablet in hand. The moment he disappeared through the doorway, Beth sagged against her headboard, drawing in a shaky breath. What was wrong with her? She hadn't felt this kind of instant attraction to anyone for years… not since Neil. The thought of her dead fiancé should have doused these unexpected feelings, but instead they burned brighter. Her skin tingled with awareness of Tyr moving aroundin the next room, the soft tap of his boots on tile setting her nerves dancing.
Beth pressed her hands to her heated cheeks, trying to calm her racing pulse. She was being ridiculous. He was just here to do a job - checking security measures and installing sensors. Nothing more. She needed to get herself under control before he came back.
The sounds of his movements in the bathroom helped ground her: the click of his tablet, the slide of the window, the quiet murmur of his voice as he made notes to himself. Each sound helped restore her equilibrium, reminding her that this was just a normal security inspection. Nothing to get worked up about.
Tyr emerged from the bathroom, his tablet tucked against his side. His gaze landed on the desktop setup in the corner of her room, the dual monitors gleaming in the soft lamplight.
"What's your computer setup?" He gestured toward the desk.
"That's my gaming PC." Beth shifted on the bed. "And I have a laptop too - that ASUS over there." She pointed to the sleek laptop charging on her nightstand.
Tyr seemed to hesitate, his fingers tapping against his tablet. "Since you're using the house WiFi network, we should probably put security measures on those as well. To protect the whole system."
"Yes, absolutely." Beth nodded emphatically, relief flooding through her. She hadn't even thought about computer security, but with all the clinic data potentially accessible through their network... "Whatever you need to do. I want everything as secure as possible."
