money on me.”
She shrugged. “So give it back to him on your way out. But you signed up to play the part of a hockey wife. Driving a five-hundred-dollar car does not fit that role.”
“What about the other stuff?”
“Find common ground. Forge a friendship. If you want to sleep with him, then sleep with him, but if you can’t emotionally handle it, then stick to your guns. He’ll respect your decision.”
I was starting to question my reasoning. Was I giving up the best year of my life because I was afraid of getting hurt?
“What about the money?”
She winked at me. “Spend it. God knows, living with that man, you will earn it.”
Friday night, I attended another game, this time with Zoey at my side. We had a lot of fun watching the game, even though the Wolves lost. Afterward, we waited in the family room for the players to come out.
Mica was quiet after the game. He didn’t speak much on the way home and he seemed distracted. Still trying to figure out his moods, I decided this might be one of those nights he needed his own space. I retreated to my room to read and got lost in a book. I only realized how late it was when I finished my book.
Outside my bedroom, the house was dark and quiet. I changed into a T-shirt and then washed up before crossing the dark room to get into bed. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. A large menacing figure, its face obscured by a dark hood, stood just outside my balcony doors looking in on me.
My mouth opened to scream, and at first, no sound came out, but then the most piercing, horror-movie shriek escaped my throat. I almost fell over as I bolted out of the room. I ran through the dark with only one thought.
Mica.
In the dark, two strong arms grabbed me. I screamed harder, fighting to get away.
“Charlie, it’s me.” Mica’s voice penetrated my fear.
“There’s a man…” I babbled. “Outside.”
He charged across the living room. I watched in mute horror as he disappeared out the balcony doors.
I rushed after him, stopping at the doorway. I saw him sprinting barefoot across the deck before he disappeared into the dark. I stood there, heart pounding, imagining the absolute worst-case scenario. After a lifetime of anxiety, he reappeared on the deck. He walked towards my balcony doors and was looking at the deck. He was wearing nothing more than a pair of black boxer briefs. Half of my brain was freaking out about the potential intruder, and the other half was trying to compute the vision Mica created.
He was built like a Greek god, with broad shoulders, rippling abs, a tight ass, and monster thighs. He turned and came back towards me, unabashed that he was wearing only his underwear. I, on the other hand, tried to look anywhere but at the manly bulge that promised to be in proportion to the rest of his huge body.
He was slightly out of breath. “I didn’t see anyone.”
“There was someone there, I swear.”
I could tell he was debating how much he wanted to tell me. “There are muddy boot tracks outside your balcony door. Someone was there.”
Stress made my voice get progressively higher. “Who was that person? What did he want? Was he trying to break in?”
Mica put two hands on either side of my face. “It’s okay. Just calm down.”
I clung to his wrists as my body trembled in a very un-calm state. “What’s happening?”
His expression was grim. “I don’t know.”
“Should we call the police?”
His nostrils flared. “They will not do anything except discover the same footprints I did. The guy is long gone.”
“What do I do now?”
“You should try to get some sleep.”
There was zero chance I was sleeping after that. “You go on. I will stay up for a while.”
He gave me a speculative look. “Want me to hang out with you?”
God, yes. “You don’t need to.”
He disappeared into his bedroom and reappeared wearing a pair of sweats and a T-shirt. He was also carrying a deck of cards. “Want to play a game of cards?”
Actually, I would have pretty much done anything to keep him up with me. “Sure.”
He looked at his still-destroyed couch. “Come to my bedroom. We’ll be more comfortable there.”
I was so scared that I didn’t even care if this was some ruse to get me naked. I just didn’t want to be alone.
Mica was a perfect gentleman. He sat