Forged in Stone - Alyssa Rose Ivy Page 0,4

for an already paranoid person.

I unlocked the door and quickly locked it behind me. I glanced at the large kitchen. It was tastefully done, but I was surprised the owners hadn’t updated it. Then again there was something charming about the old countertops. Granite might have taken away from the overall feel of the place.

The thought of a late night snack appealed, but a glass of wine sounded even better. I filled a tumbler two-thirds full with some left over Cab Sav. Although I was broke, there were certain luxuries I indulged in. I walked down the hall to the living room. At least there was a big screen TV to keep me company.

3

AINSLEY

A glass of wine and a hot shower worked wonders. The alcohol relaxed me while the warm water washed away all thoughts of Brad and the fact that my one and only friend in Charleston had betrayed me. I knew she probably meant well in that crazy way of hers, but to set me up like that—with a guy like Brad? She should have known how upset that would make me.

The water started to turn cool, and I rinsed off my hair one last time before stepping out. I wrapped up in my favorite pink towel and tossed my dirty clothes in the hamper.

I reluctantly opened the door to the bathroom, dreading the burst of cold that would hit me as soon as I stepped out of the steam filled room. Luckily my room was only a few steps away.

The heat had blown my door closed again, so I used one hand to pull it open. I stepped into the dark room and felt around for the light switch.

I turned it on and started to scream. There was a very shirtless guy lying on my bed.

I was frozen, unable to do or say anything. The guy sat up and rubbed his eyes.

I stopped screaming¸ but my muscles still didn’t work. I just stood there staring at the insanely attractive guy lying on my bed like it was his own. His dirty blond hair was messy, but it was his chest and abs my eyes kept going to. Leave it me to focus on the fact that the guy was in impeccable shape.

For his part, he stared at me too. His eyes raked over me.

I tried to come up with something to say, but like my body, my mouth seemed to have stopped functioning.

He blinked his eyes a few times. “Uh, hello. What are you doing here?”

His words snapped me out of my silence. “What am I doing here? What are you doing here?” Then a thought occurred to me. “Wait. Grace is behind this too, isn’t she? You were the fall back if things didn’t work with Brad. What did she tell you? Guaranteed sex if you came in here?”

“Wait. Back up.” He held up his hands as if in defense. “I am not here for sex… not that it didn’t cross my mind seeing you there in well, that little thing, but I am only here to sleep.”

Little thing? I glanced down at my towel. I was nearly naked in front of the sexiest man I’d ever seen. In another context that would have been great, but sexy or not, I had no idea what he was doing in my bedroom. “So you’re not a friend of Grace’s?” I picked up the largest book I could find on the bookshelf.

“Never heard of her.”

“Then get out!” I held out the book like a weapon.

He moved to the side of the bed closest to me. “Hold on there. You still have not told me why you are in this house. I have every right to be here.”

“Every right?” I lowered my book as a humiliating thought hit me. “Oh my god. Are you the owner’s son or something? I heard they have one.”

His face relaxed. “Not their son, but I am a good friend of the Calloways.”

“A good enough friend that you’re staying here?” I watched him carefully. He knew the owner’s name, and so far he was keeping his distance. Part of me still wanted to run, but that would only make this more of an embarrassing story when he relayed it to the owners. “They never told me to expect you. Clearly I wouldn’t be wearing this.” I gestured to my towel. Normally I’d have been mortified by my appearance, but I wasn’t. I was strangely comfortable around the stranger, and that alone should have had