From the front door, I entered an open foyer and dining area. They had a round table with four wooden chairs to the side. On the right was a small bedroom with a gorgeous green and white bedspread. A large archway connected the front space to the living room where a TV, couch, and two chairs welcomed visitors. A small bathroom connected off that, another closed door, and finally another much smaller arch lead to a galley kitchen.
“I took the smaller room,” he said, pointing to the one on our right with the pretty bedspread. “It puts me closer to the main door, and the other bedroom has an attached bath for you to use. There’s a dresser, but the closet is locked.”
“Oh, thanks.” He wheeled my case toward my designated room. I slowly followed behind him. “I didn’t think you’d be so…ah—” My toes caught on something, and my body pitched forward, trying to throw me into the ground.
Reed spun quickly, threw his arm out, and caught me before I made impact. “Careful, there’s a lip.”
I righted myself, my cheeks flaming. “Thanks.”
“You didn’t expect me to be so…” he asked, starting again.
Oh, crap. He heard that? “Early,” I lied.
I thought I’d mumbled the disrupted question, but I’d definitely been about to say big, or muscular, or hot… not early.
He chuckled again, totally not put off by my almost crash. “Yeah, I caught an earlier flight. I’ve got a friend in the area, and we met up for dinner. Did you have a pleasant ride in?”
“It was memorable.” I stepped around him as he spun my case into my room. The wet shirt, tripping, and overall embarrassment hit me like a slamming door. I peeked into my space and sighed at the super comfortable-looking bed with a blue duvet. “Do I really need… this?” I asked, gesturing toward him.
His once cheerful expression turned serious. “Management at the podcast thinks it’s a wise choice for a while. After what happened in February, they don’t want a repeat.”
“Right. February.” I forgot about that. Nobody wanted a repeat of February. “Well, I’m going to head to bed. We can get a fresh start in the morning.”
He nodded. “Sleep tight. I bought coffee supplies in case you need them.”
I definitely would.
With a quick nod in acknowledgment, I closed the door behind Reed’s retreating back and leaned against it. Great, I had to spend seven long days working one-on-one with a man who could star in an action movie. I should have let the plane take me out. That might have been a better end.
I almost sent Delaney a text as I brushed my teeth in the gorgeous half-bath, but didn’t want to disturb her in case she was at the hospital with her dad.
Reed’s rough words rumbled around in my head. I’d forgotten about the incident earlier this year. In February, an armed man robbed a podcast researcher in southern Florida as she’d been staking out a biker bar. But I still didn’t understand exactly why I needed a bodyguard.
When Delaney told me I’d have backup, I expected a nerdy guy with glasses. I had zero plans of going anywhere sketchy in Savannah. I barely knew what I was doing, but I certainly planned to do it as safely as possible. There was no need for so much… muscle.
Monday morning and the official start of my short foray into investigative journalism came hours too soon. I spent most of the night tossing and turning in the comfortable bed. Between the anxiety of not dying on the plane and sleeping just a few inches and a piece of drywall away from the hottest man I’d ever laid eyes on, I couldn’t fall asleep.
My eyelids weighed more than an electric car, and I struggled to keep them open as I brushed the last few pieces of my hair. Vibrations from the phone I’d set on the sink’s edge worked hard to push the last few remnants of sleep away.
I answered Delaney’s call with a quick hello.
“You didn’t text me that you arrived,” she started the shakedown right away.
My makeup bag tilted on the small shelf beside the sink when I tossed the brush on top. “Sorry. I didn’t want to bother you. How’s your dad?”
I felt her noiseless sigh rather than heard it. “Last night he told the nurse she had legs like Madonna. That’s weird. Right?”
“Yes.” I slipped on my shoes beside the bed. “But at least he’s getting spunky again. I guess.”
“I guess. And hey, don’t feel bad about not texting. Reed checked in for you, so you’re in the clear.”
At the mention of his name, I froze. Could he hear us talking about him through the walls? Was he awake already? I hadn’t heard a single peep in the rest of the house and had put off looking as long as possible. I lowered my voice just to be safe. “You didn’t warn me he was hot.”
Delaney laughed. “I’ve never met him. Tell me. What’s he look like?”
“I can’t right now,” I whispered forcefully. Was she crazy? He’d definitely hear.
“Send me a picture!”
