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“Noah.” His voice is grim. “I have a favor to ask. It's Karen's daughter, Cynthia. She thinks someone broke into her place. Can I get you to run a security check and maybe act as her bodyguard for a few days until we figure out what's going on?”
My breath catches in my throat, my body humming at the thought of having an excuse to be in Cynthia’s presence. This is like a dream come true, only guilt gnaws at my stomach when I realize that this wouldn't even be necessary were it not for me being such a creep to begin with.
But there’s no way I can say no—nor do I want to. The thought of being Cynthia’s protector, of being the one she turns to to keep her safe, is too enticing.
“Have her meet me at your place in twenty minutes,” I tell him before I hang up.
I'll always be her protector—even though the only person she needs protecting from is me.
* * *
Cynthia
My heart is still pounding a mile a minute. I can't believe someone was in my apartment. I can't imagine who would do something like this. I don't have any enemies—that I know of anyway.
I'm pretty well-liked and can't think of anyone whom I could have pissed off, so what if this was just a random attack? What if I'm being targeted by a serial killer or something?
A shiver goes down my spine, and my mom wraps a soothing arm around me and pulls me against her side, rubbing her hand comfortingly up and down my shoulder.
Still, I'm not comforted. I'm nervous and jumpy.
I'm a control freak. I’m a perfectionist about my things, and there's no way in hell I would have left my dresser drawer open like that. Not only that, but my panties looked like they'd been rifled through.
That causes another shiver to go through me. What if the guy stalking me is some sick pervert and had planned to rape me?
I can't stomach the thought of going back to my apartment all alone.
Everything's happening in a blur. I hear the murmur of Jeff’s voice as he's on the phone with someone, but I can't make out what he's saying. My mom is murmuring soothing words to me too, but again, I can't tell you what she's saying.
I think I'm going into shock, which might make me a bit of a baby because nothing hasactuallyhappened to me. It's more the fear of whatcouldhave happened that's freaking me out.
I jump when the door opens, my mouth parting in surprise when Noah's burly frame fills the doorway. His eyes zero right in on me before he comes striding over and kneels in front of me.
My body instantly softens as a feeling of safety washes over me. I can’t explain it, but the way his eyes bore into me, it’s like he's cloaking me in his protective gaze. I feel safe and wrapped up in the tender warmth I see in his eyes—like nothing can ever hurt me again.
“There, there,” he tells me in his deep, soothing voice. “It's okay. No one's going to hurt you.”
My mom nods in agreement and rubs her hand up and down my back.
“What happened?” His eyes sweep over me as if he’s checking for injury.
I shake my head, my face heating. “Nothing, exactly. I just came home and my underwear drawer was open.” My cheeks flush harder admitting this to him, and his nostrils flare before he schools who face back to impassivity.
“Did you notice anything missing?”
I shake my head. “No, but I didn't stick around to check everything out. When I thought there might be someone in the house, I just turned and ran.” Shame engulfs me at my cowardice, but he nods at me in approval.
“Good girl. You did the right thing.”
A shiver of pleasure runs up my spine at hearing him call me "good girl” in that deep voice of his.
Jeff comes over and sits down on the other side of me. “Cynthia, if it's okay with you, I've asked Noah to serve as your personal bodyguard for a while. Just until we make sure there's nothing nefarious going on here. Can you think of anyone who would want to hurt you?”
I shake my head. We've already discussed this, but I guess he's asking me again for Noah's benefit. “No, no one.”
“Any ex-boyfriends?” Noah asks.
I look up into his eyes before I shake my head. “No, I've never had a boyfriend.”
