Georgina poured a glass and handed it to him. Skeeter poured the vodka into it. “There. It’s one of them fancy mixed drinks now.”
Tinsley laughed. What else was she to do? In less than two hours she was going to tell the man who burned up her dreams that he was going to be staying in the bedroom next to hers. She wasn’t going to sleep again until Paxton Kendry was out of her house. Even then it was debatable, considering the way he took over her dreams.
“Thanks, Skeeter.” Tinsley took the drink and chugged it down.
She slid from the barstool and pulled her shoulders back. She was walking into war. Not with the thieves, but with her heart.
7
“What do you mean I’m staying at your place?” Paxton asked again. He’d been working for the past hour setting up hidden cameras in the art gallery when Tinsley dropped that little bomb. It wasn’t bad. In fact, it was an answer to his prayers. However, he had a case to solve and lying in a bed just one thin wall away from Tinsley—who made him question everything he thought he knew about his life goals—wasn’t going to make things easy.
Tinsley plastered on a smile that was way too perky to be real. “The B&B is all filled up for the week. The Olympic shooting team is there. It would be unpatriotic to kick them out. The only other place is my house. I have a guest room. It’s not like we’d have to share a bed.”
Paxton raised an eyebrow and watched as Tinsley turned bright red. “That’s too bad. Are you sure you have the spare room available? I don’t mind doubling up.”
Tinsley sputtered. He could see her struggling between being shy and not backing down from him. Paxton eagerly waited to see which side won out.
“I’m sure you wouldn’t want me to be on top of you like that. Personal space-wise, I mean.” Tinsley blinked her eyes innocently and Paxton wanted to simultaneously groan in sexual frustration and applaud her for not backing down from him. It was seriously the biggest turn-on of his life when a woman got him. Most didn’t. Tinsley did. The fact that she was so nice only turned him on more. He wondered if anyone else knew she had this naughty, playful side. Then he realized he hoped they didn’t. He wanted to be the only one to see this side of her.
“I don’t mind. I’m flexible. I can be on top, too.” Paxton loved the way her eyes dropped down and then flew back up. What she was thinking was written all across her face and he’d be happy to fulfill every single thought she had.
Finally, Tinsley shook her head. “You’re teasing me again.”
“More like feeling you out.”
Her mouth dropped open and then she snapped it closed. “And they say women are confusing,” she muttered before walking away.
Tinsley closed the office door and looked at her phone. She bit her lip and finally reached for it. “Hey, Tins. What’s up?”
“Hi, Ridge. I have a question for you,” she said to her brother.
“What’s up?”
“Do you have a spare room for someone to stay?”
“Well, I have a spare room, but it’s filled with a whole bunch of things Savannah bought for a house she’s decorating. There’s about a two-foot-wide path through it. Why?”
“No reason. Just a friend needing a place to stay.”
“You have a guest room,” Ridge pointed out.
“I do. I guess he can stay there.”
“He?”
Tinsley rolled her eyes. “Yes, he.”
“Wait! Is this the same guy seen going into the gallery late last night?” Ridge asked.
“What?”
“The knitting club was letting out and Dare said some of them cornered a guy with takeout. He ran into the gallery and locked them out.”
“He did what?” Tinsley screamed loud enough for Paxton to come bursting into the room. “You ran from the knitting club and then locked them out of the gallery last night?”
“The granny gang? Hell yeah, I did. There is nothing scarier than a granny gang. They rip confidential information from you faster than waterboarding,” Paxton told her.
“Is that him? Tinsley? Who is this guy you’re with?” Ridge yelled over the phone.
“Um, bye, Ridge. Love you.” Tinsley hung up the phone and grimaced. “So, my brother might be a problem. He still thinks I’m ten and the idea of a guy staying with me as gotten him a little . . . miffed.”
Paxton didn’t look worried. “It’ll be fine. He’ll like me. I’m a guy’s guy.”
“You’re scared of a knitting club,” Tinsley reminded him.
“And you aren’t?”
Okay, he might have her there, but he didn’t need to know that. Tinsley was about to deny it when the front door flew open so hard it slammed shut on its own.
“Tinsley! Ridge called me and told me to get over here.”
“I’m back here, Harper. I’m fine.”
Her cousin charged in with her long hair in a ponytail, jeans, and boots that could kick a door down. She looked at Tinsley standing behind her desk and then over at Paxton standing next to her. A slow smile spread across her face. “Gotcha. Dinner tonight at the bar. Both of you.”
Then she spun around and left. It was then Tinsley noticed the knife in her hand.
“What was that about?” Paxton asked.
Tinsley shrugged and batted her eyes innocently. Her brother had now brought in the whole family to save Tinsley from the big, bad man sleeping in her house. Good thing she didn’t tell Ridge about the whole “being on top of each other” thing. “No idea. Now, what else needs to be done before dinner?”
Paxton and Tinsley worked for the next two hours getting everything set up for this undercover operation. Hidden cameras were aimed at each door. Alarms were installed on all of the doors and windows. More hidden cameras covered the entire interior of the gallery from multiple angles. Tinsley would
