Happily This Christmas (Happily Inc #6) - Susan Mallery Page 0,25

She had to protect Hunter—that, she knew for sure. Should she run or scream or—

“Sorry, Wynn. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

The man stepped out of the shadows and she immediately recognized Garrick. He had on jeans and a T-shirt, and his hair was mussed, as if he’d been asleep.

Adrenaline poured through her, making it hard to focus. Her mouth was dry and her head was spinning. Her heart continued to race, making it difficult to talk.

“You scared me!” she gasped. “What are you doing here?”

He shoved his hands into his front pockets in what she would guess was an attempt to look nonchalant.

“I slept on your sofa.”

The statement was so incredible, she couldn’t begin to understand what he was saying.

“What is wrong with you?” she demanded. “You don’t sneak into someone’s house and sleep on their sofa. You can’t just be here, lurking in the darkness. It’s not right.”

She thought longingly of the self-defense class she’d taken years ago and wished she could remember a few moves so she could break his nose or something. She pressed a hand to her chest only to realize she was wearing an oversize T-shirt, panties and nothing else.

“Dammit, Garrick.”

“I’m sorry.”

She stalked away, hoping the back of the T-shirt covered her butt. After pulling a robe out of her closet, she slipped it on and tied the belt at the waist. Only then did she return to the kitchen where she found Garrick seated at the island, sipping on a mug of coffee.

She poured herself a cup, then leaned against the counter and eyed him warily.

“Sorry,” he said, before she could speak. “The light was on late last night and I knocked. Hunter let me in. He said you were in the bath. I thought he told you I was here.”

“He didn’t. He was in bed when I got out of the bathroom.” Having never said a word.

Garrick drank his coffee. “I really am sorry.”

“I believe you. Now, why did you spend the night on my sofa?” She looked at him as she spoke, trying not to notice that despite the casual clothes and mussed hair, he looked good. Men, she thought humorously. It was always that way with them.

He sighed heavily. “I had to get away. Your place is right next door. I could have gone to Jasper’s or Cade’s but they’re both a few miles outside of town.”

“Okay, that explains why you picked my sofa over theirs, but not why you left your own bed in the first place.”

He glanced away from her. “Joylyn’s a nightmare. I know it’s wrong to say that, but she is. Sunday she mostly stayed in her room, but every time she came out she was complaining about one thing or another. So I tried giving her a little space, and then she complained I was abandoning her all over again. When I tried to talk about what it was like when she’d been a kid, she said she didn’t remember any of it.”

He clutched his coffee in both hands. “Last night I offered to take her out to dinner. She said she didn’t want to. I said I could get takeout or go to the grocery store, only she said she wasn’t hungry. Thirty minutes later, she accused me of trying to starve her and wanted to know why we weren’t going out to dinner. I don’t know if she’s torturing me or if she’s having some kind of breakdown.”

She relaxed. “You’re afraid of her.”

“You would be, too, if you had to live with her.”

“Poor Garrick.”

“It’s awful.”

“How can I help?”

“You can’t, but I appreciate the offer. I’m sorry I scared you.” He looked at her. “It was dumb to come here and I apologize. Tell me how I can make it up to you.”

She instantly thought of her still-warm bed and how good he would look in it. She liked the idea of them together, naked and touching. There were complications, however. Hunter would get up in less than a half hour and Joylyn was right next door. Oh, and the fact that Garrick had never once hinted he thought of her in a boy-girl way.

“Next time leave me a note,” she said. “By the coffeepot. That way I’ll see it right away.”

“I promise.” He drained his coffee and stood. “I need to get back and make sure she’s all right. With any luck, she’s asleep.”

“And you can sneak out to work before she wakes up?”

“I wouldn’t say sneak. Want to come over for dinner