nanny cam.” I paused. “Does anyone know about the nanny cam?”
She shook her head. “I was kind of embarrassed and afraid I was losing it, so I didn’t tell anyone. I didn’t even tell my mom until I called to ask if you were here on her behalf.”
“Good.”
We talked logistics until she started to droop and I told her to get some sleep. I gave her the bed, despite her protests, and sat at the desk to get some work done. Around three o’clock, I settled into the chair by the window and tried to get a little sleep. It was going to be a busy day.
I woke up when I heard the shower running and realized Shannon was getting ready for work. The idea that she was naked on the other side of the door to the bathroom made parts of me wake up in a hurry and I had to untuck my T-shirt from my jeans to cover my erection before she came out. I’d grab a quick cold shower before she had to leave and that would help, but I hadn’t woken up with this bad of a case of morning wood in a long time.
Shannon was dressed when she came out, though her hair was wet and her face devoid of makeup. And she was fucking stunning. Jesus. How did a woman look so good without any enhancements? Maybe I was biased because I’d been dreaming about her for so many years, but now that she was here, I wasn’t even a little bit disappointed. I still thought she was beautiful, and so far, I liked her as a person too. We weren’t romantically or sexually involved, she was in the middle of a genuine crisis, and in the back of my mind I was worried about my status with Director Dickhead, but being here with her felt oddly natural. As if we’d done this before.
“Are you going to shower?” she asked me as she towel-dried her hair.
“I need five minutes to get ready,” I told her, heading for the bathroom.
“No worries. I’ll do my makeup in here and I’ll braid my hair so I don’t have to blow-dry it.”
“Okay.”
I took a quick shower, brushed my teeth and pulled on clean clothes. I had a lot to do today, including shopping for and installing a better video system in her apartment. Not to mention trying to figure out who was stalking her and why. I also had to check in with Erik and possibly my boss, neither of which were foremost in my mind right now.
Shannon was ready to go when I came out, light makeup on her face and her hair braided down her back.
“Do you always braid your hair?” I asked her.
“On days like today, when I want to just get going, it’s a lot less work.”
“It’s cute.” I gently tugged it and she smiled.
“My mother hates it but has learned not to bug me about it.”
We walked downstairs together and I motioned to a taxi. “Your phone doesn’t appear to have any kind of tracker on it, so make sure you keep it on your person at all times. Call me on your break.”
“Will do,” she said as she got into the cab. “Thank you.”
I closed the door after her and watched the cab pull down the street. Now I’d find something to eat and get to work. By the time she finished teaching for the day, I planned to have a new surveillance system set up in her apartment and maybe a plan for catching this guy. Or woman. Didn’t matter to me, as long as we figured this out.
Chapter Ten
Shannon
I was distracted at work, again, and I did my best to act normal. Whatever that meant. Sandra found me in the teacher’s lounge and leaned against the counter as I got a fresh cup of coffee. I hadn’t slept for shit last night. Between the stalker situation and having Ace five feet away from me all night, I’d tossed and turned until almost dawn. I’d woken up before my alarm went off and now I was exhausted.
“You look tired,” Sandra said. “This stalker thing has you worried, huh?”
“Kinda.” I tried to be nonchalant.
“Maybe you should see someone, you know? Like a therapist. Maybe it’s all in your head.”
I sighed. “Maybe.” I hated lying to my friend, but Ace had made me promise not to tell anyone anything, and it made sense since we didn’t know who we were looking for.
“What are