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Chapter 6
Peyton
I managed to sleep straight through the night in a bed far more comfortable than I remembered my own bed to be, and I stretched my body under a soft sheet, releasing a grateful sigh that finding Chloe murdered in my apartment was nothing more than a bad—no, a terrible fucking dream.
I must’ve been really pissed off at Chloe to dream about her getting murdered. I opened my eyes and frowned, sitting up immediately as I took in unfamiliar surroundings. No photos on the wall and no desk cluttered with my belongings. Shit. It wasn’t a bad dream after all, which meant I really had gone to Nolan’s father for help.
It should have been you. It was supposed to be you.
And suddenly, every fucking detail was right there before my eyes. The blood, everywhere. Chloe’s lifeless eyes. Her slit throat. The text message. The angry biker who didn’t want me in his house.
I needed to take the day to figure some shit out, but not without coffee. I changed into a pair of tight cycling shorts I usually wear to yoga, and a racer back sports bra. Absolutely not what I would normally wear to breakfast at a stranger’s house. Heaving a sigh, I left the guest room in search of coffee. The scent hit me as soon as I opened the door and I took the stairs quickly to get to the good stuff, but I came to an abrupt stop at the sight before me.
Rocky was a work of art in nothing but a pair of shorts that hung low on his hips, showing off not just a wide expanse of strong, heavily muscled back, but colorful ink mixed with gorgeous blackwork tattoos. It was mesmerizing and my mouth went dry at the way the muscles bunched and flexed as he moved in front of the stove. Holy shit, he’s hot as fuck.
That was my first thought. My second was that Nolan never mentioned that his father was a badass and a hottie, which was ridiculous because of course he wouldn’t mention that.
How the hell did Nolan come from this?
Actually, that wasn’t entirely fair. Nolan had a nice face, and actually looked pretty similar to his gorgeous beast of a father, if you sort of…cute-ified Rocky and slimmed him down. But where Nolan had a sweet, slightly geeky look with an athletic build, his father…
Hot diggity. His father was a pure, sinful wall of muscle from head to toe. He was beautiful and I couldn’t take my eyes off him, not even when he turned to face me, giving me a good look at his front side too. His hair was black with a little bit of gray at the temples that made me want to call him Daddy. Those hazel eyes blazed gold as they studied me while I studied him. His olive skin was perfectly sun kissed, his pecs hard and tipped with light brown nipples, rippling abs behind a thick dusting of black hair that disappeared down into his shorts. A slight bulge that gave me plenty of ideas. Not the time, Peyton.
“Done ogling me?” His words came out lazy and amused, and warmth shone in his eyes.
A touch of embarrassment swirled through me at being caught, but only a touch, and I smiled and gave him one more long look before I met his gaze. “For now, yes. Good morning.” His eyebrows rose at my attitude, and my smile broadened as I made my way to the coffee pot. “Thanks for making coffee.”
The cheeky grin he sent me back made my legs shake. That should be totally illegal. “Sleep okay?”
“I did, actually. When I woke up, I thought I’d dreamed the whole thing until I realized I wasn’t at home. Shitty way to wake up.”
“No doubt,” he grumbled. “Cream is in the fridge.”
I scooped two sugars into the mug and shook my head. “No cream. Too fattening.” His gaze stroked over my body at this, and I felt my nipples tighten in response.
“Oh, but two sugars aren’t?”
“Hey, a girl has got to have her pleasure somewhere.” His gaze heated noticeably, and I bit my lip. “You sleep okay?”
“Not at all,” he growled, and turned back towards the stove.
“Sorry.” I took a seat at the table, tracing the outline of his back muscles while he couldn’t see me. “I couldn’t think of anywhere else to go, but I have all day to find somewhere else.” I could put a cheap motel room on my credit card for a few days and hide out there. But then what?
“That’s not why I didn’t sleep well.”
I was about to ask him why when he turned again, and just when I thought he couldn’t get any hotter, he produced two plates with eggs, toast, and bacon on them. “Damn, how about I just pay you to stay here?”
Rocky’s lips twitched and he took the seat directly across from me, which stirred a different type of hunger.
Down, girl. You invaded his house in the middle of the night, he’s not interested.
“So, Peyton, do you have any idea who would want to do to you what was done to your friend?”
“My roommate,” I clarified, which I realized too late made me sound like a raging bitch. “Sorry.” I bit into the crispy bacon. “Honestly? I really don’t know who would want to do this to me. I don’t date, not really. I keep to myself, and I only have a few friends.”
Rocky nodded as if he believed me, but there were questions in his eyes. “No angry ex-boyfriends or ex-girlfriends?”
“The only ex I have is your son,” I answered bluntly. “And Nolan wouldn’t do this. Plus, he knew Chloe, so he wouldn’t mistake her for me.”
