He called Sookie from the road and told him his parents had a house key for him to use until Billy had time to get one made for him.
“You can stay at the house tonight if you want. There’s a guest room on the main floor, to the left of the kitchen. That’ll be yours.”
Sookie thanked him for the work, but more for getting him out of the bunkhouse. “Whatever you need help with, I’m happy to do it,” Sookie told him.
As long as he stayed away from Renie, he didn’t care what the man did. There was a bigger bedroom downstairs, but it was next to the one she stayed in. Billy didn’t want him down there.
Billy would be there in about an hour and a half if he left when she thought he did. She looked around her one bedroom apartment, trying to decide if she should tidy up, or text and suggest they meet somewhere.
It would be better to meet somewhere. Meet me at The Hideout, she texted, she wasn’t ready to have Billy here, in her space.
No, he answered.
You aren’t supposed to be texting and driving.
Not.
How was that even possible?
For a smart girl, you don’t know much about technology.
Meet me at The Hideout, she texted again.
No, he answered again.
An hour later there was a knock at her door. How had he gotten here so fast?
“Hi,” she said as she opened the door. Damn, he looked good. He hadn’t shaved all day, so the dark stubble was more evident. He wore a dark blue, plaid True Grit shirt, and those tight Cinch jeans that made her drool.
“You gonna invite me in to do that, or are you gonna feast on me with your eyes out here in the hallway?”
She smiled and waved him in.
Her place was small, but it looked like her. Her kitchen was spotless, the dining room table was stacked high with books and papers, and the living room looked less lived in.
He looked around, wondering which hallway door led to her bedroom. A couple days ago, he would’ve looked, but now things were different between them.
She was studying him, a little smirk on her face, as if she dared him to do it.
“Ah, hell.” He stalked down the hall, opening the first door he came to. Bathroom. There was only one other door, it had to be her bedroom. It was, and it wasn’t at all what he expected.
Most of her apartment looked like a typical college student’s place, a mishmash of randomly-gathered furniture. Her bedroom reminded him pictures he’d seen of Greece. Everything in the room was white, except the bright turquoise and red pillows scattered on the bed and floor. Her headboard looked like it was carved from stone. Its ledge had a picture on it, and a vase with three fresh roses. He walked over and picked up a photo of her and Pooh. It was taken when Renie was about ten, and in it, Billy stood next to her, holding the horse’s reins.
Renie stood in the doorway, watching him. He set the picture down and looked around.
“Where do you keep your clothes?”
“In the closet.”
He wanted to wipe that damn smirk right off her face, but it might be too soon to do it the way he wanted. That would involve using his lips.
He met her in the doorway, and when she didn’t move, he got as close to her as he could, without touching her. He looked her up and down, the way she had when he got there.
She had on jeans, the same 501s she always wore, and a pink, striped, button-down shirt, with enough buttons undone that from where he stood, he could see the lace on her white bra, and the swell of her breasts. One hand was on her hip, the other hung at her side. Her feet were bare, and her toenails were painted a pale shade of pink. Her long, blonde hair was up off her neck, and tiny pearl earrings adorned her ears. Her blue eyes didn’t blink.
He reached up, took the clip out of her hair, and dropped it on the floor. She reached down to pick it up, but he grabbed her arm.
He brushed his lips across her cheek, to her ear. “Either let me out of your bedroom, Renie, or be prepared to stay in here with me for the rest of the night.”