didn’t come out right.” He smiled, and the dimple in his cheek warmed his face. “I mean you look tired and your hair’s…” He made a sticking-out motion with his hands, and his grin widened.
His smile was infectious. She longed to throw open the door and bare her soul. “I have a headache,” she lied. “I was in bed.”
“You having trouble sleeping again? Your message the other night sounded strange.” Jared glanced behind her at the open door. Had he overheard Faelan whispering when he rang the doorbell?
“I called to see if you’d heard about the guy who was murdered.”
Jared frowned. “Murdered?”
“Out in the woods. They don’t know who he is or who did it.” If it was one of those things in the chapel, they’d need more than good luck and a gun.
“I just got back. I hadn’t heard. I go away for a few days, and all hell breaks loose. You shouldn’t stay here.”
“It’s okay. I keep the doors locked, and I’ve got my grandpa’s old gun.”
“If there’s a killer out there, it’s not safe for a woman to be here alone.”
Another overprotective male—it was like a disease. “I’ll be fine. Peter has the cops driving by every few hours. It was probably a wild animal anyway. How was your trip?”
“Not good. Some locals are raising a stink.”
“Why? It’s not like you’re digging up graves.”
“My backers are threatening to pull the funding. If I don’t find something soon, this project’s over. Have you thought any more about my proposal?”
He wanted to expand the dig closer to the house. She’d planned to tell him yes. That was before she’d found Faelan. “I haven’t decided. I’ll have an answer for you soon, I promise.”
“Thanks for considering it. You need anything before I go?” he asked, tucking her hair behind her ears.
“Thanks, but I’m good.”
“Maybe I should stay—”
“I’m fine. Really. You have your dig to worry about.”
His calloused palm touched her cheek as he brushed her forehead with a kiss. “Keep your doors locked. That’s an order. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
Guilt set in the minute he left. Jared was her closest friend. She’d told him things she hadn’t told another living soul. He’d listened without judging, comforted her when she was sad, and restored her faith in humanity. The male side.
How could he forgive her when he found out she’d hidden the biggest secret of all?
She turned and found Faelan watching her, holding a pillow over his groin.
***
“Who was that?”
“Jared.”
“The archeologist? What’s he doing here?” And how did he know she had trouble sleeping? “Is he your lover?” Faelan was certain he’d heard a kiss.
“Jared? No, he’s just a friend. We have a lot in common. We both love old things.”
Her eyes glowed with a warmth that made him want to pound the archeologist into one of the holes he’d dug.
“No. He proposed moving the dig. I’m not looking for marriage.”
Weren’t all women looking for a husband? It was the goal mothers drilled into a lassie’s head from the time she could talk. Of course, for him, relationships with women could be only a dalliance, and highly frowned upon, at that.
His mate had been decided before he was even born.
“Jared’s just looking for friendship.”
No man could know Bree and not want more than friendship. “He insulted you. Doesn’t sound like much of a friend?”
“He didn’t insult me, and he is a friend. My best friend. He was there to pick up the pieces after Russell almost destroyed me.” She scowled. “I have to go out for a while. I won’t be long.”
“You can’t leave. Not alone.”
“I’m going out to meet a friend.”
“Him? The archeologist?”
“Does it matter?” Bree glared at him. “I don’t need a bodyguard.”
Of course it mattered. He’d just made love to her. He had a right to know where she was rushing off to. “I’m trying to protect you. A man’s been murdered, and there’s an eight-hundred-year-old demon who’s spent centuries perfecting ways to destroy humans like you. If that’s not reason enough for a bodyguard, there were twelve half- demons in the chapel last night. One of them tried to capture you.”
