Sinful Protector (Roughshod Rollers MC 2)

I pick up my robe off the floor and shrug it on, tying the belt around my waist. Then I leave my room and creep across to the bathroom, shivering at the feeling of the cold tiles on my bare feet.

Unfortunately, the shock is enough to wake me up completely, and I grumble as I realize that I won’t be getting back to sleep now. I sigh and smile to myself. Maybe, then, I can make some coffee. I’m sure Kyle will appreciate that when he wakes up.

I head out into the living room. First I pick up Kyle’s clothes and take them back to the bedroom, so he’ll have something to wear when he wakes. Then I yawn again and head to the kitchen.

Maybe it’s because I’m still sleeping and happy. Or perhaps it just took me longer than I want to admit to notice the change in my environment. But it isn’t until the kettle finishes boiling and I turn to grabs some cups that I notice them.

They’re sitting on the kitchen counter and I frown. A bouquet of flowers? It isn’t a large bouquet, and they’re in a small, square box that’s packed with dirt and wrapped with cellophane. The flowers are colorful, exactly the type that I love.

Were they here yesterday? I know I didn’t put them there. Did Kyle bring them in? Even if he had, he wouldn’t have had time to put them on the counter. We went from the door, to the couch, and then straight to the bedroom. There’s also nowhere that he could have hidden the flowers; I would have noticed them as soon as he arrived.

So where did they come from?

My breath catches. The flowers weren’t here when I left my apartment to go on my date with Kyle. I’m almost certain they weren’t here when we arrived back at the apartment. So, at some point between Kyle and I arriving back here, and me waking up, someone has been in my apartment.

Was it Jacqui? She’s the only person that has a key. But I can’t see her doing something like this. If she was going to leave flowers, she would have messaged me or left a note or…

That’s when I notice the card.

It’s blue and nestled between the flowers, blending in with them. My heart rate settles. There’s a note. Maybe it was Jacqui after all. Though I’m still going to yell at her about frightening me half to death. She could have sent me a message!

I pluck the card out of the flowers and open it. As soon as I look at the writing, however, I drop the card back to the counter, trembling. It falls open on the counter.

I know that handwriting. It isn’t Jacqui’s.

It’s Jesse’s.

Jesse was in my apartment.

“Shit,” I pant. “Shit, shit.”

How the hell did he get in? I swing around, my eyes darting everywhere. Is there anything out of place in here? I can’t tell; the place is already an unorganized mess, so I really don’t know whether anything is missing or if something else has been moved.

Did he come through the door? I stride across the room. Surely it wouldn’t be possible; I would have heard someone coming in the front door. I twist the door handle.

And it swings open, unconnected to the door frame. It was already open. No, more than that, the lock on it is broken and the frame is chipped. My door won’t close anymore. I already knew it was hard to lock it, but not that it won’t close.

My chest is tight and I can’t breathe. My hands are shaky.

Last night, Jesse was in my apartment.

He came in, broke the door - quietly, or I would have heard it even while I was asleep.

He left a bouquet of flowers with a card.

Then he left again, swinging the door shut behind him.

A door that no longer closes, allowing him access to my apartment whenever he wants.

I almost go and wake up Kyle. But I stop myself before I can. This isn’t Kyle’s problem. He already hates Jesse for my sake. I don’t want him to get any more involved than he already is. This is my problem.

A voice in my mind that sounds like Jacqui’s is calling me an idiot, but I ignore it as I cross the room and pick up the card again. I didn’t read the card, but I think I probably should. If Jesse was here last night…did he see me? Did he see Kyle?

I read the words and close my eyes.

Look how easy it is to get in once I know where you are. Next time, I’ll do more than sneak in if I see him here again.

I don’t know if Jesse came in while we were having sex, or if he peered into my room and saw me in Kyle’s arms. I’m grateful that Kyle was here last night. Quite possibly, his presence prevented anything from happening.