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So much for a reprieve of any kind.
* * *
I stoodunder the shower spray until the hot water managed to work the last of that chill out of me and loosened the knots in my neck and shoulders. I hoped Holton had already showered, because the water was now lukewarm.
The bathroom was full of steam thick as fog when I pulled the shower curtain open and stepped out. The shower had worked wonders in helping me make my way back to normal. I stepped over to the sink and wiped the condensation off the glass to brush my teeth and saw that not only did Holton get the standard toiletries, but he’d also laid out all my special haircare products, as well as all the serums, scrubs, and creams I used for my skin. They lined the counter in nice, neat rows.
Just like that, I got misty again.
“Damn it, Lyric. Get your shit together,” I scolded on a whisper. “You don’t need to get all melty every damn time the guy does something thoughtful for you.”
But it was easier said than done.
By the time I finished with my hair and skincare, I felt ready to take on the day. Only, I discovered I’d forgotten to grab a change of clothes, or hell, even a robe, for that matter.
“Crap,” I hissed as I tugged the knot in the surprisingly soft towel I’d wrapped around my body even tighter. I rummaged through the linen cabinet in hopes of finding something with a bit more coverage, but I was out of luck. I’d have to make a run for it, dash from the bathroom to the guest room, and hope Holton was nowhere around.
I took hold of the knob, prepared to do just that. I yanked the door open, but instead of bolting for the bedroom, I let out a startled yelp and stumbled backward. I hadn’t expected Holton to be standingrightthere, with his arm cocked and his fist ready to knock.
“Shit, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I was just checking—” His apology dried up when his eyes drifted down to where I was clinging to the towel right between my breasts.
He’d changed out of the tee and sweats he’d been wearing earlier into his uniform, and as usual, my lady parts took notice, all but standing up to applaud the sexy deputy.
I swallowed, trying to relieve the sudden desert-like conditions in my mouth. “Checking what?” I managed to ask without sounding like I was panting and sex crazed.
I could have sworn the mossy green of Holton’s eyes was darker than normal when he dragged them back up to mine. He blinked, almost as if he were in a daze. “What?”
It very well could have all been in my head, but it felt like tension swirled between us, hot and thick and as stuffy as the steam that had been filling up the bathroom. Suddenly, the hand gripping the towel around me felt shaky, unstable.
I could still feel his gaze on my skin like a physical touch, from my cleavage, up my chest and throat, over my jaw almost as if his eyes were a tongue dragging that same path. “You said you were checking...” I trailed off, waiting for him to finish his earlier sentence.
“Oh. Right.” His throat bobbed on a thick gulp as he reached up to scrub the back of his neck. “Right. Um, I was checking to see if you’d be ready soon. If you really want to go to the library, I’ll drive you.”
“That’s really not necessary. If you just take me to get my car—”
He cut me off, and a switch flipped in him. I saw the cop return in the way his jaw all of the sudden grew tight and his eyes hardened just a bit. The Protector was standing in front of me now. “Until we know who trashed your house last night and why, I think it would be safest for me to take you to work and pick you up.”
“But that’s ridiculous. What are you going to do when I leave here? Drive to and from wherever I’m staying? That’s a waste of time, not to mention gas.”
He crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes. “Won’t be a waste of anything, seeing as you aren’t leaving here.”
My chin jerked back at that declaration, and the heat that had been crawling through my veins only a moment ago was replaced with an all-too familiar frustration with this man. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me. You’re staying here until this is over.”
I started to throw up my hands before I remembered my modesty was at risk. “That’s insane. I’m sure whoever broke into my house last night is long gone. What kind of an idiot would stay after doing something like that?”
“That’s not a risk I’m willing to take. Until we catch this asshole, you’re staying here. And I’m driving you to and from work.”
I threw my head back on a dramatic scoff. “But there’s no telling how long that could take!”
One corner of his mouth quirked up in a smirk that made him look way too pleased with himself. “Then so be it.”
His resolve had set in, which meant either he expected me to give in, or we were going to have a huge fight. And those two options pushed me over the line of frustration and straight into pissed off.
A sound a whole hell of a lot like a growl bubbled up from my chest. “I don’t need a babysitter,” I ground out through clenched teeth.
He lifted his shoulder in a careless shrug. “Then if it makes you feel better, consider me your own personal police protection for the time being. Twenty-four/seven.”
