Awfully nice words from someone who wants to kill me and add my body to the pile in the kitchen. Further evidence backs up this thought when he walks with me into the living room.
"Spencer!" I pound on his chest twice out of pure frustration. "There's a dead body in the kitchen."
He tugs me right past the living room and back out the front door. "I know, I've already called it in. You were supposed to stay in the living room."
"Should I check to make sure he's dead?" I am a nurse. While I don’t see many dead bodies, there have been a few during my time working at the hospital.
Spencer shakes his head. "He's dead."
Either he's recently deceased, or the cold temperatures have kept his body preserved. There was no telltale smell in the kitchen.
Blue and red lights circle over the front porch, casting shadows on the uneven, rotten boards. With his hand on my shoulders, Spencer guides me to the truck, opening the door and waiting for me to jump in.
"I need to talk to the Sherriff. Please stay here this time."
"No problem," I answer, widening my eyes so he can see my commitment to the statement. I have no desire to see anyone else dead tonight.
***
"Can you tell me a story?" I pull the covers of Spencer’s bedspread up around my shoulders and snuggle into the pillow, allowing his woodsy aftershave smell to surround me.
It's been a long night. After several more police cars showed up, Spencer and I both gave statements to what felt like the entire Pelican Bay Police Force. When they finally let us leave, Spencer and I were both too tired for the steak dinner he’d promised. We grabbed some drive-through and headed back to his apartment since it was close and Frankie was waiting.
Somehow, he decided I needed to spend the night and then I ended up in his bed.
Wearing one of his old T-shirts.
Under the covers. Snuggled up next to Frankie. And Spencer. I thought about putting up a fight, but no woman in her right mind would say no to sleeping with a beefy former SEAL.
Plus, it’s been a crazy day. I deserve this.
"A story? What kind?"
I think for a moment, tapping a finger to my bottom lip. "A good one."
Frankie snuggles her head against my arm until I scratch her behind the ears. She stretches out, her long legs kicking Spencer in the chest, pushing him a few millimeters away.Bad dog."Tell me about how you found Frankie."
"You said you read the article. That’s pretty much the story. It wasn’t all that exciting. Now, how I met the guys who were at the bachelor party…that’s the story.”
My tiredness wanes with the excitement of hearing more about Spencer’s past. "Yes, then tell me that one."
“We were strangers on a plane, about halfway across the U.S. My friend Lucas and I were headed to Texas for a tattoo convention right after I left the military. Things were quiet and going well when someone at the back of the plane started screaming.”
“Screaming?” I lift my head long enough to confirm and then snuggle back in.
Spencer chuckles, lost in his memory. “Obviously, it caused a commotion. Before anyone knew what was happening, the woman was lying in the walkway talking about contractions.”
“You’re kidding.” I perk up at the crazy story, but it doesn’t last long as sleep continues to tug on my consciousness.
Spencer holds two fingers to his chest. “Scouts honor. The plane was quickly turning to madness, so Lucas and I stepped in. Us and a few other guys calmed the crowd and delivered the baby.”
I yawn. “For real?”
“I promise. The mother named the baby Jacqueline and married the guy who cut the cord—the guy whose bachelor’s party we were attending. I think they received free airfare for life, too.”
That is the craziest thing I’ve ever heard.I think the words, but they don’t escape my mouth before I’m lost to a dream world of airplanes and Spencer’s babies. They’re fluffy black with big, floppy ears and tails that knock things off end tables.
CHAPTER SIX
