Page 51 of Finding Love

What she could remember was why their wet dinner was still sitting on the table, half eaten. They’d been so busy thinking of their pleasures, that they hadn’t ensured their own safety. In Pride, she doubted that this would have been an issue. But after being attacked last week, she should have known better.

Which meant, whoever had broken in had been watching them.

They had known that they had left the back door unlocked. Somehow, they even knew how to get in to the fenced-off secure neighborhood and, most importantly, how to get out again.

“I doubt they’ll catch the guy,” Ryder said after taking a sip of the juice.

She sat down on the barstool and listened as he tried to figure everything out. He believed the same thing she did—whoever had broken in had been watching them. Maybe even watching the house before Ryder had returned home.

She felt a shiver race down her back and wrapped her arms around herself.

That removed Mark from the suspect list. At least according to Ryder.

“Then who?” she asked.

Ryder shrugged and glanced around. “I’m too tired to think. Let’s head back up and pick this up in the morning.”

“What about your laptop?” she asked.

“The good news is that it’s upstairs locked away. The bad news is that whoever stole the case may try to get their hands on it again. But why?” He sighed, then added, “We may need to postpone our trip.”

She walked over and wrapped her arms around him. “Do what you need to. I’m not going anywhere, and neither is the boat. We can go when things are settled.” She kissed him.

She felt him relax and watched him smile. “I love you.”

Her smile flashed and she kissed him. “I love you too.”

He lifted her up into his arms and started carrying her back upstairs, shutting off lights as they went.

“The police sure left a lot of lights on,” she said holding onto him.

“Those weren’t cops. They were from the security company that oversees the neighborhood.”

She frowned. “They weren’t the police? They had guns.”

“Tasers. They just look like guns. Sort of.” He shrugged. “They had yellow handles.”

“I guess I’m more tired than I thought.” She yawned. Plus, she’d been so worked up over the break-in that she hadn’t been really thinking clearly. “Shouldn’t we call the police? The real ones, I mean?”

He shook his head. “Nothing was really taken. A laptop case.” He shrugged. “The security company will handle it. It’s what everyone on the street pays them for.” He shut the bedroom door behind them.

Willy was back in his bed, fast asleep. Ryder set her down on the bed.

“As much as I’d like a repeat of earlier, I’m beat.” He sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled off his pants and shirt. He sat beside her in just his boxers.

“Me too.” She realized that the comforter was still back in the closet. She went to go gather it, then slipped out of her jeans and sweatshirt and put on her sleeping shorts and tank top.

By the time she returned to the bed, Ryder was lying down almost fast asleep. She put the bedspread over him and crawled under it, straight into his waiting arms.

“I love you,” he said into her hair. “Get used to hearing me say that since I’ve spent my entire life not saying it to anyone else.”

She smiled. “I love hearing it,” she said softly, then she drifted off in his arms.

When she woke, she was alone in the bed. After showering and dressing, she went down to find Ryder at his office desk on his laptop.

“Morning,” she said, leaning in and placing a kiss on his lips.

“Morning.” He smiled up at her.