AllFreeNovel
Share Us
With shaking hands, I grabbed my cell phone off the nightstand and dialed 9-1-1.
Except, the call didn’t go through.
No signal. Wonderful.
I’d managed to make a few calls last night, though reception had been spotty. I got out of bed quietly and held the phone up, trying in desperation to get a signal.
A sudden knock on my bedroom door caused me to gasp and drop my phone. It hit the floor with an audible clatter. My heart raced and my palms became sweaty. Well, if the intruder didn’t already know I was here, they knew now.
I glanced around my room, looking for something I could use as a weapon, but came up woefully empty. Best I could do would be to throw a shoe, a stuffie, or a book at their head.
“Good morning! Sounds like there’s someone in there. Sorry to bother you. Also, my apologies for just walking right in. Hope I didn’t give you a scare. Didn’t realize the place had been rented out already. Name’s Derek Bolt and I’m your landlord. I’m here to put the final trim on the kitchen cabinets, but if now’s a bad time, I can come back later.” The voice was close, directly on the other side of my door.
Derek Bolt. My landlord.
I glanced at the business card that rested on the nightstand and breathed a sigh of relief. Of course. The big-time rancher who also happened to own a whole bunch of buildings in Rocky Springs. Sarah had continued gushing about him as I signed papers yesterday, and she hadn’t had a bad thing to say.
I took a few deep breaths in an effort to calm myself.
No big deal. Just my super sexy landlord.
Not a murderous clown.
What a relief. Sort of.
I smoothed my hair into place, took another deep breath, and opened the bedroom door. My eyes instantly met with a gorgeous deep blue gaze. I swallowed past the sudden dryness in my throat as I took in the details of the oh-so-handsome man standing before me.
Broad shoulders. Dimples. A hint of dark hair peeking out from his cowboy hat. An unshaven jaw that made my fingers tingle to stroke his face. He also towered over my five-foot-five frame by about a foot.
While the picture of Derek Bolt on the business card was nice, it didn’t do the man justice. In person, he looked like a sexy Hollywood actor who’d just walked off the set of a cowboy movie. My tummy fluttered as I took in the sight of his form-fitting jeans and his large belt buckle that was polished to a gleam.
“Um, hello, Mr. Bolt,” I found myself saying as I forced my gaze back to his eyes. I noticed he was taking stock of me too and couldn’t help but flush. What did he think of me?
“Good morning, ma’am.” He placed his tool bag and other supplies on the floor. He tipped his hat at me, and I nearly swooned on the spot.
But then I glanced down at myself and cringed. Oh no. No no no. I was wearing ladybug-print, drop-seat footie pajamas. And I was also still clutching Mr. Rabbit. Yeah, I’d dropped my phone but not my stuffie.
Shameful memories flooded me, and I backed up a few steps, suddenly dizzy. I grasped onto the doorway for support.
“Hey there, darlin’, let’s get you off your feet. You don’t look so good.” He guided me back to my bed and helped me sit down. “You all right?” His calm, steady voice washed over me.
My face had never felt so hot as I stared up into his concerned gaze. His kind eyes. If he thought a twenty-five-year-old wearing footie pajamas and carrying a stuffie around was weird, it didn’t show on his face.
“I’m fine, thank you,” I finally managed to say. “Just stood up too fast and got a little dizzy, that’s all.” I hoped he believed my lie. How could I tell the truth? Especially to a stranger? Compassionate or not, he would probably think I was strange. I was tired of people thinking I was strange. I wanted to be normal in Rocky Springs, though in my defense, I never thought anyone would see me in my footie pajamas or glimpse the inside of my ultra-girly bedroom.
With a gentle touch, he placed a finger beneath my chin, tipping my face upward. “Are you sure you’re okay, darlin’? I could have Dr. Humphrey here within minutes.”
“Oh, really, I’m fine. No need for a doctor.”
His nearness and his touch, as well as the scent of his cologne, rich and woodsy, yet subtle and masculine, caused little tremors of warmth to surge to my core. I found myself squeezing my legs together and squirming in place, pleasantly unsettled by the blissful ache that stirred in my nether region.
The caring glint in Derek Bolt’s eyes only increased my attraction to him.
And while he was a stranger, I didn’t feel unsafe in his presence.
Far from it.
Daddy vibes. He gave off daddy vibes.
