sliding around the bare skin of his torso as she tried to put him between her and Hans. The moment she noticed that the skin at the small of his back was smoother than the hard muscles of his chest had been was the moment she realized she was still touching him. Hope curled her traitorous fingers into her palms and clutched them beneath her chin. “Sorry. I shouldn’t keep grabbing you.”
“You shouldn’t keep apologizing, either.” Pike turned, filling her vision with his broad shoulders and chest. “It’s okay. I won’t break.”
“No. Obviously, you’re strong enough to...” Heat radiated off him in waves. Or maybe that was her own embarrassment making her feverish. “I was just caught off guard because you’re hot.” What did she just say? “I mean, your skin’s hot. Temperature-wise. Oh, God.”
He reached out and squeezed her shoulder, thankfully silencing her double entendres, keeping the heavy black gun he carried pointed down at his right side. “It’s okay. I’m flattered more than I should be. Now tell me about the car you saw.”
Those clear blue eyes were all business when she looked above the bare chest. Hope nodded as some of the fluster faded. She knew how to respond to that. “A silver SUV was parked out front when I woke up. I wouldn’t have noticed it except the sun was reflecting off the windshield and coming into my bedroom. There was a man behind the wheel, but I couldn’t see him well because of the glare.” Pike was already moving across the apartment to peek out the front windows. “It’s gone now.”
“Did he see you look out the window?”
Pike’s concise movements made her think she’d been right to be suspicious. “From my bedroom, maybe. If he was looking up. He pulled away when I opened those curtains there.”
“He drove south?”
“Yes. Is that a bad thing?”
“I’ll find out. Come on, big guy.” Hope hugged the white pillar beside her couch as he released Hans from his kennel, hooked the leash to his collar and opened her front door. “Stay put. Lock the door. We’ll be back.”
As soon as the door closed, Hope hurried after them to throw the dead bolt. She heard the doors opening downstairs and dashed to the windows to see Pike and Hans rush out to the sidewalk below. Even with Pike barefoot and wearing holey jeans, there was something powerful, vigilant, relentless about the pair’s quick movements and watchful scans. They moved up and down the street, following Hans’s nose before disappearing around the side of the building into her parking lot.
Several more minutes passed, giving her plenty of time to imagine a dozen different dangerous scenarios, before she heard them on the stairs again. Hope met them at the door and opened it, standing behind its blockade while Pike wrestled for a few seconds with Hans, then tossed a thick rope with a rubber ball tied to it into the living room, where the dog curled up on her braided oval rug to chew on his toy.
“There’s no sign of anybody watching the place now.” Pike pulled the door from her hands and locked it, exposing her hiding place before she was certain the loose dog wouldn’t notice her here. But that long-ingrained phobia was of little consequence. Pike tucked the gun into the back of his jeans and started rummaging through her kitchen cabinets. “You’ve had company. There were footprints in the landscaping around your lot.”
Hope hugged her arms around her waist. “They could be from patrons coming or going to the bar or coffee shop on the corner last night,” she suggested. “They park on the next block and take shortcuts through one of the alleys or my parking lot.”
Pike shook his head. “Hans found deep footprints in the mud. Someone was standing there a long time. Facing your shop.”
Shivering at the possibility that she hadn’t imagined someone outside was watching her, Hope inched into the kitchen with Pike. “Can I help you find something?”
“A trash bag?
“You shouldn’t keep apologizing, either.” Pike turned, filling her vision with his broad shoulders and chest. “It’s okay. I won’t break.”
“No. Obviously, you’re strong enough to...” Heat radiated off him in waves. Or maybe that was her own embarrassment making her feverish. “I was just caught off guard because you’re hot.” What did she just say? “I mean, your skin’s hot. Temperature-wise. Oh, God.”
He reached out and squeezed her shoulder, thankfully silencing her double entendres, keeping the heavy black gun he carried pointed down at his right side. “It’s okay. I’m flattered more than I should be. Now tell me about the car you saw.”
Those clear blue eyes were all business when she looked above the bare chest. Hope nodded as some of the fluster faded. She knew how to respond to that. “A silver SUV was parked out front when I woke up. I wouldn’t have noticed it except the sun was reflecting off the windshield and coming into my bedroom. There was a man behind the wheel, but I couldn’t see him well because of the glare.” Pike was already moving across the apartment to peek out the front windows. “It’s gone now.”
“Did he see you look out the window?”
Pike’s concise movements made her think she’d been right to be suspicious. “From my bedroom, maybe. If he was looking up. He pulled away when I opened those curtains there.”
“He drove south?”
“Yes. Is that a bad thing?”
“I’ll find out. Come on, big guy.” Hope hugged the white pillar beside her couch as he released Hans from his kennel, hooked the leash to his collar and opened her front door. “Stay put. Lock the door. We’ll be back.”
As soon as the door closed, Hope hurried after them to throw the dead bolt. She heard the doors opening downstairs and dashed to the windows to see Pike and Hans rush out to the sidewalk below. Even with Pike barefoot and wearing holey jeans, there was something powerful, vigilant, relentless about the pair’s quick movements and watchful scans. They moved up and down the street, following Hans’s nose before disappearing around the side of the building into her parking lot.
Several more minutes passed, giving her plenty of time to imagine a dozen different dangerous scenarios, before she heard them on the stairs again. Hope met them at the door and opened it, standing behind its blockade while Pike wrestled for a few seconds with Hans, then tossed a thick rope with a rubber ball tied to it into the living room, where the dog curled up on her braided oval rug to chew on his toy.
“There’s no sign of anybody watching the place now.” Pike pulled the door from her hands and locked it, exposing her hiding place before she was certain the loose dog wouldn’t notice her here. But that long-ingrained phobia was of little consequence. Pike tucked the gun into the back of his jeans and started rummaging through her kitchen cabinets. “You’ve had company. There were footprints in the landscaping around your lot.”
Hope hugged her arms around her waist. “They could be from patrons coming or going to the bar or coffee shop on the corner last night,” she suggested. “They park on the next block and take shortcuts through one of the alleys or my parking lot.”
Pike shook his head. “Hans found deep footprints in the mud. Someone was standing there a long time. Facing your shop.”
Shivering at the possibility that she hadn’t imagined someone outside was watching her, Hope inched into the kitchen with Pike. “Can I help you find something?”
“A trash bag?
Similar Books
