Which meant that someone else had been out here on other nights. Someone else had triggered the motion sensors, causing the lights to come on.
And someone had put a scorpion in her house.
Who the hell was messing with Sage?!
Chapter 2
Sage woke up as the ending credits to the movie began to roll, looking around as she clutched the throw pillow against her stomach. When she spotted Arik watching her, she forced herself to relax. He was still here! She was still safe!
Relaxing slightly, she blinked, trying to focus. “That was a great movie,” she said, smothering a yawn. “Want to watch another?”
He leaned forward and really looked at her. The dark circles hadn’t abated; she’d only slept for about an hour. “You look worn out. Why don’t I…?”
Her face paled and she glanced quickly out the window. It was only a flash, but Arik caught the glance.
Sage forced her mind to start working properly. “Right. You need to head home.” She stood up and clasped her hands together, refusing to give in to the fear of staying out here alone again tonight. The sounds she’d heard all week…they were probably nothing. Nothing at all. Just her imagination.
Besides, Arik had been very sweet to sit on the sofa several feet away from her. The extra space had allowed her to relax, a difficult challenge when a man like Arik was nearby. He was just so…big and powerful!
“You know,” he said casually, standing up and yawning, “it’s an awfully long drive back into town. You have a spare bedroom. Any chance I could crash here tonight?” he asked. “I promise I won’t bother you.”
Stay the night? Have his big muscles and reassuring presence here all night?
Yeah, she’d love that!
“Absolutely!” she gushed. Was that reaction too obvious? “I mean,” she reigned in her enthusiasm, “if you’d like. I hate to think of you driving those dark roads at night. It’s…dangerous.”
He stepped closer and, with him standing so near, she completely forgot about all of those scary night sounds. It was just him and her. His breath and the heat of his body, her breathing and..!
“Yeah. It’s pretty dangerous out there.” He moved even closer and she hoped he couldn’t see the pulse pounding at the base of her throat. He wanted to kiss her. She could see it glowing in his eyes. And at this moment, all of her goals of being man-free shattered into dust.
But maybe if he was here…maybe she could sleep. Or worst case, he would hear the strange sounds tonight and that would prove she wasn’t insane! Yes, she wanted Arik to stay. Her lack of desire to rely on a big, strong, tough man was wiped out in the face of sleep deprivation and bone deep fear.
Arik watched the emotions echo through her eyes. He caught the hesitance in accepting his offer and knew it was because she wanted to be strong. And then he saw the acceptance of his presence. Or maybe, she just wanted another person who knew how to fire a gun. He wasn’t sure. The only thing he was absolutely sure of was that he wanted to kiss her. Hell, he wanted to pull her into his arms and make love to her. And he also wanted to protect her from whatever it was that made her chew her lip like that.
Tonight, he wanted her to get a good night’s sleep. They could talk about it in the morning when she was rested and maybe she’d tell him what was actually going on.
“Why don’t you show me your spare bedroom?” he suggested.
She nodded in a jerky manner, then led the way up the stairs. He liked the way she decorated her house. It was cozy and colorful. He’d gone out and gotten a couple of leather chairs and a leather sofa, the biggest television he could find, and…well, a grill. Oh, and kitchen gadgets because he liked to cook. Nothing fancy, but cooking was a good way to let his mind mull over a case, to let the facts simmer as he cut, chopped, and stirred. The movement of his hands and the preoccupation of part of his mind on a different task allowed him to think more clearly. It didn’t sound logical, but it worked every time. Besides, he enjoyed cooking. Mostly because he loved eating, but he also loved the science behind cooking.
He also loved her ass! Arik followed her up the stairs, her cute butt right in front of him as she led the way. His palms itched just thinking about what it would be like to hold that ass in his hands, to feel her tremble as he pleasured her.
When he groaned, Sage turned around, her eyes curious.
“Sorry, I was just…thinking about something,” he explained. But when her eyes clouded with worry, he shook his head. “It’s nothing. I’m just worn out,” he fibbed, not wanting her to think that he needed to get home. Hell, she was letting him stay the night! Not in the bed he wanted to be in, but at this point, Arik didn’t care. He liked her. Sage was pretty, sexy, and round in all the right places, and also a really great person.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t something he could say about the women he’d dated in the past. Not that they were mean. He simply hadn’t taken
