hell just happened? He had been pleased ever since she invited him to her home for dinner. They had talked about the case and the threat. She seemed at ease with him once they sat on the roof. Then she intimated no one would believe they were dating… fuckin’ hell, not that again. Then she suddenly became angry when he mentioned sleeping in his vehicle. Hell, she’s the one who said I wasn’t her type.
She was twisting him in knots, but he had a mission to do. And I’m fucking going to do it even if she’s hot and cold. She doesn’t have to like me… just work with me so I can keep her safe.
In the middle of his internal rant, he felt something brush against his leg and looked down at the black, sleek, green-eyed cat rubbing against his legs. Reaching down, he ran his hand along her back, finding the fur to be as silky as it appeared. “Melon, I keep fucking things up with your mistress. Think you can put in a good word for me?”
The cat simply stared up at him, not blinking. He had no doubt the feline was saying, “Keep your shit together, man, so that Josie won’t get so mad she forgets to feed me.”
He was sure Josie never forgot to feed her cat. Me? I may have just had the last meal she’ll want to share. He only pondered where to sleep for a moment, deciding to take her up on her offer. Going out to his vehicle, he grabbed his bag from the back seat and scanned the area. There was no activity on her street, nothing suspicious. Once inside, he bolted her door, checked the windows and other doors, then flipped out the lights in the kitchen and living room. One of the bedrooms was used for extra storage, several boxes piled up, a few pieces of disassembled furniture next to the wall, and a treadmill. The room closest to hers held a queen-size bed, chest of drawers, and comfortable chair with a reading lamp next to it.
He set his bag on the bed, then walked across the hall to the guest bathroom. While he’d gone out to his car, she had laid clean towels on the vanity. Even angry, she’s polite. He showered quickly, pulled on a pair of loose-fitting running shorts, and headed back to the bedroom. He left the door open, placed his weapon onto the nightstand, and crawled into bed. He’d slept in a lot of places all over the world, from five-star hotels down to sleeping on dirt and rocks out in the cold. But right now, he found sleep was hard to come by with images of the beautiful woman in the next room running through his mind. She might not like me, but I’ll keep her safe.
Sleep finally claimed him, and when he woke, it was with a cat on his bed, staring at him. Mumbling, “I don’t feed you,” he climbed out of bed and into the bathroom.
After a quick shower and dressing, he found Josie at the kitchen counter, shoveling in cereal while coffee dripped into a mug. “Hey,” she mumbled, then swallowed. “Good morning. I’ve got some coffee ready, so that’s for you. I hope you don’t mind cereal for breakfast.”
He had meant to rise before her, but the comfortable bed had eventually lulled him into a deep sleep. “No, cereal’s good.” He turned to the counter to see a box of Loopy Rings. Glancing at the red tint of her milk, it was easy to see she was a sugar-cereal kind of girl. He hadn’t had kid’s cereal in years but wasn’t about to turn it down.
While he ate, she finished and rinsed her bowl before turning toward him. “Listen, Jorge. I owe you an apology.”
Her hands twisted as they clasped together, a telling motion he now recognized. He started to object but she kept on talking.
“I’m sorry I was so prickly last night. I overreacted. Chalk it up to being tired, frustrated, a little scared, overwhelmed, out of my element… whatever. You’re here to do a job, and I need to let you do it however you think is best. I’d like you to be comfortable while doing that job, but I have no idea what you need.”
Again, with her, there was no bullshit. He might not always know what she was thinking, but she didn’t play games. “Josie, you don’t need to apologize. I know this