Glancing back at her, I didn’t like the blank expression on her face as she watched me nab the keys and flick open the main lock. “Not a problem, pixie. I’ll make sure you’re locked up tight. Have you checked the windows?”
“I never open them, just that door.” Her voice sounded faint, like she was distracted by something, but the words were very telling.
The only thing she opened the lock on was her front door because she was too afraid even to run the risk of undoing any of the others. Her apartment wasn’t big, but it wasn’t tiny either, and there were a lot of windows in it.
I inspected them carefully as I walked down to where my truck was parked, and sure enough, she had different locks on the windows than were typically installed in apartments like these. Her neighbors' windows had smaller flip locks on them, ones that I’d expected to see in her apartment, too. That meant she needed to lock herself in to feel safe, basically.
Grinding my teeth, I unlocked the truck, glancing around the parking lot when the hairs on the back of my neck stood up as I reached in for my bag.
What was she so scared of?
Keeping my word when I went back in, I locked all of them and put the chains on, then made sure all of the curtains and blinds were down as I moved toward her bedroom. And there she was, lying under her duvet with a book in her hands as she watched the door.
“I’ve only got one bedroom in the flat, but so you can take this side.” She patted the mattress beside her. “I also have a lot of pillows, so we can just put them between us and call it Switzerland.”
Snickering at her nervousness, I moved over to my side of the bed and carefully toed off my boots, grateful that I hadn’t tied them up after the fight. The pain of bending over to undo them would have been insane.
“Do you mind if I have a shower first?” I felt guilty asking because the noise would keep her up even later, but I didn’t want to get into her bed and ruin the clean haven she’d made for both of us.
Clean was the keyword. My life hadn’t felt clean since that night. It was dark, dirty, and suffocating. With Sadie, I could breathe, I felt some of the weight lifting off my shoulders, and I couldn’t taint it with anything I’d brought with me.
“Of course, you smell like a beefy kebab anyway,” she winked. “Clean towels are in the cupboard inside the bathroom, and you can help yourself to whatever you need.” She paused, then added, “Including tampons.”
Holding my side, I burst out laughing as I walked across the bedroom. Sure enough, inside the bathroom cupboard were fresh, fluffy towels that smelled like fabric softener and felt like cotton wool.
My Sadie, making even the most inane things perfection. And this was why I couldn’t resist her and why she affected me so much. She brought a new light into my life and opened my eyes to things I’d been blind to.
Including the promise of a future I’d never even dreamed about.Chapter FourSadieHe was around here somewhere, waiting for me around a corner.
Sticking my head out the hole slightly, I looked around the room, but it was empty.
Maybe he was asleep?
Creeping forward, I followed the heavenly scent and swallowed the saliva that filled my mouth. I knew what that was. Sweet Lord in Heaven!
There was a cloth hanging low enough off the table for me to use to get where the smell was coming from, so I jumped onto it and dug my nails in, then scrambled up it. I needed to work out more, my upper body strength was embarrassing. Stupid little arms.
But cheese was cheese, and it was waiting for me. A lot of it was waiting for me.
My arms and legs were burning by the time I got to the top, and it felt like I’d scaled Mount Everest. But there it was… an actual mountain of cheese.
Danger forgotten, I ran over to it as fast as my legs would take me and sank my teeth in as hard as I could, groaning when the flavor hit me.
Cheddar, oh my God, I loved cheddar.
“Fuck’s sake, Sadie. Let go!”
“Why do you always ruin things, Tom?”
I hated that cat. For decades he’d chased me around, hitting me with a broom, setting traps, and making me homeless.
“Tom?” Tom growled. “Christ, pixie, you’re going to break the skin.”
A big hand shook my shoulder, making my teeth slip off the cheese as my eyes opened to glare at the bastard blue cat.
Instead, I saw green eyes glaring down at me as I unclamped my jaw from the skin on his bicep.