the fire department is offering now? Dawn wake-up calls? I can check my own smoke detectors later.”
“Later when? After this box of kindling you call a house has burnt to the ground with you inside it?” Griff swore graphically as he read something on the side of the device he’d dismantled. “These are out of date. They’d melt from the heat before they made a peep.”
“Excuse me if I’ve been a little too busy lately to do all the requisite household maintenance. What with my aunt dying and all the legalities that came with that. Not to mention…”
When she almost blurted out the facts of her own medical situation, Erica crossed her arms over her chest. As though she needed to hide the cancer from him.
“Not to mention what?”
His golden eyes sharpened. Forcing herself to appear nonchalant, Erica uncrossed her arms and placed her hands on her hips. “I have a job. A life.” The latter, not so much but Erica was hardly going to admit it. “If you’re really concerned about this, I will attend to the smoke alarms as soon as I can.”
“I am concerned. Do it today.”
Erica frowned in exasperation. She had other things on her mind today, but she wasn’t going to tell him that, so she lied to appease him. “All right.”
A relieved breath eased out of him. “Great. Good. It’s so bloody stupid, Red. People die all the time because they neglected something so simple as a battery or an expiry date. Good people. Whole fucking families sometimes. Young people with their lives ahead of them. People like you, damn it.”
Griff stopped dragging his hand through his hair long enough to pin her with his gaze. “You live here all by yourself in a place that looks like it’s itching to be firewood. There’s no one here to look out for you. You could die, Erica.”
It was such an ominous, prophetic statement, so mirroring the thought that had been on replay in her mind since that morning she’d found the lump and realized the Shannon genes had caught up with her. Erica couldn’t breathe. It was as though he had curled a hand around her throat and squeezed.
Her expression must have shown her horror. He took a step toward her, his hand outstretched. “Hey, I didn’t mean to—”
“Don’t touch me.” Erica thought if he tried to hold her she would surely break down and cry on him, reveal all her secrets. When Griff didn’t immediately back away, she reiterated with more force. “I don’t want you to touch me.”
Griff’s face turned hard once again. “Right. Well you might want to rethink the way you’re dressed. That itty-bitty robe doesn’t exactly scream stay away.”
Erica glanced downward. The lapels of the thin cotton garment had fallen open, the gape in the fabric giving away the fact she wasn’t wearing anything underneath. She gathered it together at the front, embarrassed. “I wasn’t exactly expecting anyone to come over. I just got out of bed.”
“You always sleep in the nude?”
His query was as rough as bark. “Not that it’s any of your business, but no. Last night was…hot.”
“Not really.” Griff’s eyes turned from glittering gems to smoking coals in an instant as realization hit. “You get naked when you’re on the phone with Corey.”
Erica swallowed her mortification. “Now that really isn’t any of your business.”
“You don’t think?” He walked forward, lethal intent in his eyes. Instinctively, Erica backed up. She hit the wall with a soft thud. Griff pressed one hand flat on the doorjamb beside her head and leaned over her, six feet of powerful, masculine intimidation. “You don’t think I have the right to know the role I played in your little tête-à-tête last night?”
So Corey had told him the nature of their conversations. Erica could have been angry, but it wasn’t rage that made her blood pulse hot through her veins, that flushed her skin all over. The fact that Griff knew aroused her. The fact that he was staring down at her
“Later when? After this box of kindling you call a house has burnt to the ground with you inside it?” Griff swore graphically as he read something on the side of the device he’d dismantled. “These are out of date. They’d melt from the heat before they made a peep.”
“Excuse me if I’ve been a little too busy lately to do all the requisite household maintenance. What with my aunt dying and all the legalities that came with that. Not to mention…”
When she almost blurted out the facts of her own medical situation, Erica crossed her arms over her chest. As though she needed to hide the cancer from him.
“Not to mention what?”
His golden eyes sharpened. Forcing herself to appear nonchalant, Erica uncrossed her arms and placed her hands on her hips. “I have a job. A life.” The latter, not so much but Erica was hardly going to admit it. “If you’re really concerned about this, I will attend to the smoke alarms as soon as I can.”
“I am concerned. Do it today.”
Erica frowned in exasperation. She had other things on her mind today, but she wasn’t going to tell him that, so she lied to appease him. “All right.”
A relieved breath eased out of him. “Great. Good. It’s so bloody stupid, Red. People die all the time because they neglected something so simple as a battery or an expiry date. Good people. Whole fucking families sometimes. Young people with their lives ahead of them. People like you, damn it.”
Griff stopped dragging his hand through his hair long enough to pin her with his gaze. “You live here all by yourself in a place that looks like it’s itching to be firewood. There’s no one here to look out for you. You could die, Erica.”
It was such an ominous, prophetic statement, so mirroring the thought that had been on replay in her mind since that morning she’d found the lump and realized the Shannon genes had caught up with her. Erica couldn’t breathe. It was as though he had curled a hand around her throat and squeezed.
Her expression must have shown her horror. He took a step toward her, his hand outstretched. “Hey, I didn’t mean to—”
“Don’t touch me.” Erica thought if he tried to hold her she would surely break down and cry on him, reveal all her secrets. When Griff didn’t immediately back away, she reiterated with more force. “I don’t want you to touch me.”
Griff’s face turned hard once again. “Right. Well you might want to rethink the way you’re dressed. That itty-bitty robe doesn’t exactly scream stay away.”
Erica glanced downward. The lapels of the thin cotton garment had fallen open, the gape in the fabric giving away the fact she wasn’t wearing anything underneath. She gathered it together at the front, embarrassed. “I wasn’t exactly expecting anyone to come over. I just got out of bed.”
“You always sleep in the nude?”
His query was as rough as bark. “Not that it’s any of your business, but no. Last night was…hot.”
“Not really.” Griff’s eyes turned from glittering gems to smoking coals in an instant as realization hit. “You get naked when you’re on the phone with Corey.”
Erica swallowed her mortification. “Now that really isn’t any of your business.”
“You don’t think?” He walked forward, lethal intent in his eyes. Instinctively, Erica backed up. She hit the wall with a soft thud. Griff pressed one hand flat on the doorjamb beside her head and leaned over her, six feet of powerful, masculine intimidation. “You don’t think I have the right to know the role I played in your little tête-à-tête last night?”
So Corey had told him the nature of their conversations. Erica could have been angry, but it wasn’t rage that made her blood pulse hot through her veins, that flushed her skin all over. The fact that Griff knew aroused her. The fact that he was staring down at her
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