Controlled Burn (Blackbridge Security 8)

Was she always this high strung before and I somehow missed it among her smiles and witty replies?

I wouldn’t be the first man to get distracted by a gorgeous woman.

“What?” I ask when I notice her standing in the hallway between the two rooms.

“I said, we’ll need both.”

I smile at her demand, still not having a clue what she’s talking about.

“Who’s we?” I ask, mildly confused but somehow completely okay with it so long as she’s this close to me.

“The kids and me. We’ll need both bedrooms.”

“For what?” I ask, my brows drawing tightly together.

“You offered us a place to stay. We’re going to take both rooms.” It’s more of a demand than a request, and although she just dropped another bomb right at my feet, my dick doesn’t get the memo.

All that damn thing is focusing on is her attitude and that spark in her eyes. My body demands me to light it and set it ablaze.

“I… umm…” I grab the back of my neck as I think of a way to tell her I only did that because she was crying. Now that she’s not crying, I can’t follow through with that offer.

Her face falls. “Are you backing out? I mean, after what you did, that would be a seriously shitty thing to d-do.”

Her voice quivers at the end, and my mind starts to race.

“No. I’m not backing out.” What the actual fuck? Am I being controlled by outside forces? I did not just make the same offer I did yesterday in a panic.

“Good,” she says, a quick smile tugging up the corners of her mouth. “Then you can help me move our things before I have to get the kids from school.”

“Kids?” How did I forget the kids? She literally just said we need both rooms before explaining exactly who she meant.

I blame her perfect ass for making me lose all reason.

“They get out at three-fifteen. Let’s get to work.”

She walks right past me, her ass bouncing in those damn gray leggings I’m obsessed with, and stupidly, I know I’ll do whatever she requests at this point.

Because I’m useless right now, she props my door open with a stool from the kitchen bar before walking across the hall and unlocking her door. With my eyes glued to her ass, I follow, like that cartoon skunk smitten with the female cartoon skunk.

One second, I’m entranced with the hypnotic movement of her ass, and the next, I’m being attacked.

“What the fuck?” I roar, covering my head with my arms and running for cover.

As I spring into action, I notice two things simultaneously. One, Kendall is smiling at my demise, and two, she’s not moving a muscle to help.

“This was a fucking trap!” I scream, realizing now that my attacker is of the winged sort.

I’m being ambushed, and my betrayer finds it hilarious. I grin at the sound of her laughter only to be dive-bombed again.

“Satan!” the bird squeals.

“Fucking stop, Puff!”

How in the hell did Wren’s bird make it into this condo?

“Fire! Fire! Fire!” the bird squawks. “Don’t just stand there! Help!”

Every chance the bird gets, usually when I manage to straighten and glare at Kendall for just laughing at the attack, the damned thing tries to rip my hair out.

“Kendall!” I scream. “Do something!”

“That’s enough, Evie,” she says in a stern voice, but the bird dives at my head one more time before flying over to her and landing on her shoulder.

“Evie?” I hiss.

“She doesn’t like men,” Kendall says with a shrug, a little too nonchalant for the assault that just took place.

“Get out, Satan!” the bird snaps, its wings flapping wildly with the threat of another attack.

“Settle down,” Kendall says, scooping the bird off her shoulder with a laugh before walking out of the room.

My heart is racing, and I know it has more to do with the laughter that bubbled from the insane woman than the dive-bombing bird.

I’m in serious damn trouble.

Chapter 9

Kendall

Evie did more than I would ever have the courage to do, and although it was rude, I just couldn’t bring myself to stop it any sooner than I did.

Maybe it was the humor in his eyes rather than absolute terror, but it left me feeling lighthearted with a smile on my face despite the tact I had to take this morning.

I’m normally a fairly timid person. I don’t like to ruffle feathers or cause drama, but when it comes to my kids, I grow a backbone very quickly.

That’s how I found myself standing outside Finnegan’s door. I didn’t give him a chance to say no when I insisted on taking him up on his offer. He looked more terrified with the idea of us moving in with him than he did being attacked by Evie.

I’m less likely to pull the plug on us moving in than I was in the seconds the man was being mistaken for Satan with flames coming out of the top of his head.