Wrapped Up in You - Jill Shalvis Page 0,46

door handle.

He crouched next to her. “What are we looking at?”

“After the truck break in, I got paranoid,” she said softly. “I put a piece of tape on here from the handle to the wood of the door every time I leave so I can tell if someone’s tried to get in.”

The implication being that if someone had so much as tried to turn the handle, the tape would break off.

The tape was broken off.

Rising to his full height he pulled her up with him. The lock didn’t appear broken or tampered with, but it was a cheap lock, one that anyone could pick with relative ease.

She tried the handle and it opened. “Shit.”

Pulling his gun, he nudged her back and entered first. He walked through the entire place, checking behind doors, her closet, under her bed, the window ledge—which didn’t take more than thirty seconds.

While he did this, Ivy stood in the middle of her apartment, hands on hips, expression carefully blank as she stared at him. “I know most women would disagree with me, but I like your cowboy costume better than the cop costume.”

“It’s not a costume,” he said, slipping the gun away. “It’s who I am. What’s missing?”

She shook her head. “I don’t think anything’s missing.”

He moved toward her until they were toe-to-toe, and gently tilted her face to his. Her eyes weren’t soft and warm now. They were iced. “Ivy—”

“I don’t need to call the cops. I’m looking right at one, and I don’t even know what to tell you, so there’s no reason to have them out here for nothing.”

“The truck break-in was one thing,” he said. “But this is now a pattern.”

She turned away from him. “I live in a shitty area and we both know that. It’s random. Just let it go. It’s late and I have to be up soon, so I need to go to bed.”

“Want me to stay?”

“No.”

She was holding herself rigid. Her entire body one big stubborn nerve. “I could take the couch,” he said. “No pressure.”

“No, it’s okay.” Her back was still to him, but she was hugging herself now. “I’ll be fine.”

He gently turned her to face him. She wasn’t fine. She was pissed and shaken, and that was all over her face. But she was also obstinate and full of pride and hated to accept help of any kind. Pushing her would get him nowhere. Which meant that he was going to spend the rest of the night in his car watching over her from there.

Chapter 15

You’ve got more in you

At kickboxing the next morning, Ivy was working her newfound frustrations out on the bag. She was in a zone when she realized everyone was looking at her.

Stopping, gasping for breath, Ivy relaxed her stance and stared at Tae, Sadie, and Haley. “What?”

“You seem a little . . . fierce this morning,” Sadie said.

“She means kickass,” Tina piped up from the front of the room. “Seriously kickass. And speaking of that, who’s ass are you kicking this morning?”

Whoever had broken into her truck.

Whoever had broken into her apartment.

And then there was the serious frustration bubbling just beneath her skin. Sexual frustration. Which was all on Kel, so maybe she was also kicking his ass a little bit too. Metaphorically anyway. “Just burning calories,” she said, swiping her sweaty forehead with her arm. “Now if you don’t mind, are we having tea or working out?”

Tina laughed with sheer delight. “Working out, sweetness, and you’re right. Let’s do double time.”

Everyone but Ivy groaned.

The sun had made an appearance when she left the gym and took the bus to her food truck. She’d been there maybe three whole minutes when she heard footsteps outside. They were easy and unhurried, and recognizing the quiet unruffled energy, she stuck her head out the back door.

“‘Morning,” Kel said.

She hadn’t slept a single wink, she felt like she’d been run over by a Mack Truck, twice, and she had a headache from said lack of sleep. So no, it wasn’t anything close to a good morning.

Until he held out a coffee. The ridiculously expensive coffee she treated herself to only very occasionally. She stared at it and then at him. He didn’t look like he needed caffeine in spite of the fact he’d played bodyguard, staying in his truck in front of her building last night. All night.

He took in her expression and waited with calm patience, clearly not willing to let her get away with not voicing her thoughts out loud.