When we pull up to her apartment, I walk around to open her door and take in the area. She lives in a rougher part of town, but until I can figure out the situation better, I am going to have to protect her here.
Her face is red and I ask her about it only to have her flush deeper.
“This is ridiculous. Your truck is probably worth more than everything I have in my apartment. It’s crazy to get a security system for my stuff. I don’t have anything of value… especially now.”
She walks ahead of me and I keep my eyes trained on the back of her head. She doesn’t need me ogling her ass when she is feeling so vulnerable.
When she opens her door, I stop her before she walks in. I put my hands on each of her shoulders and she tips her head back to look at me.
“The security is for you, Sierra. To protect you.”
“But he won’t…”
I stop her before she can even finish the sentence. “We don’t know that. We don’t know what he’s capable of right now. Until we do, I’ll feel better knowing you are protected.”
The stress is evident on her face and I can tell she’s not used to having someone take care of her. She looks up at me with confusion in her expression. “Why are you doing this? Why do you care?”
Without any hesitation, I tell her, “When I saw you today I knew that I had to protect you. I won’t rest unless I know you are okay. I don’t really understand it, but I know I have to make sure you are okay.”
She considers my answer for a minute and then just nods her head. When I slide my hand down her shoulders and trail along the cold chills on her arms, I wonder if she is feeling anything for me.
Walking into her living room, I glance around briefly. I already know I need to work on lighting the parking lot, and her front door more. She has one simple lock on her front door and as I inspect the windows, some of them are even unlocked. I figure she doesn’t need me admonishing her right now, so I just go through the house securing the rest of the windows. She sits on the couch while I do the walk-through. When I go into her bedroom, the scent of lavender and vanilla hits me and I now associate that smell with her. I try not to look at the bed with its rumpled blankets and pillow with the indention from her head on it.
After evaluating everything, I don’t wait; I get started. The lighting will have to wait until tomorrow, but locks and alarms I can do now.
“I thought you were only doing an estimate?” She interrupts my thoughts by walking into the bedroom.
Chapter 2
Sierra
When I walk into my bedroom and see him on his knees securing something to my window, I stop and watch him. Just the thought that he is in my bedroom makes my lower belly quiver. He’s so handsome, and so possessive… even though he has no reason to be.
“I thought you were only doing an estimate?” I ask him.
He doesn’t stop working. “I’m going to go ahead and secure all your windows, especially since you are on the first floor. And take care of your door.”
“But how much is this going to cost?” I know I’m getting frustrated with him and he’s only trying to help. But I can’t afford to pay a lot.
“Quit worrying about it, Sierra.” He pulls his wallet out of the back of his pants and hands me his credit card. “Hey, will you order some food for us? I’m starving.”
“You are not buying food. I’ll fix us something.” I hand him back the card and walk out of the room. I can’t let him buy me food, I’m already going to owe him so much money as it is.
I walk into the kitchen and look to see what I have. I have all the fixin’s for spaghetti except the hamburger. I shrug. Oh well, it’s better than nothing.
As I start cooking, he goes room to room and is done by the time the food is ready. When he walks into the kitchen, I tell him, “I hope spaghetti is okay. I didn’t have any hamburger, so it’s just marinara sauce.” And I pray that my face doesn’t go red again.
He doesn’t bat an eye. “It smells great!”
He washes his hands at my dingy sink and I know that he is totally out of his element here. My parents have been gone since I was in high school. My brother was all I had left in this world and when he died, I really struggled to keep moving. I was able to get a full scholarship, but it didn’t include housing. My apartment is cheaper than the dorms and I make enough at my waitressing job to pay for rent and food. But after that, there’s not much money left.