His face seems all wrong without the big, uneven smile. He’s still possibly the hottest man I’ve ever seen in person with the serious expression, but it doesn’t suit him.
“I’ll be okay,” I assure him. My sister already gave me the safety talk when I told her I was going to be living alone. I’m under strict orders to lock all doors and windows, leave the front porch light on, and always keep my cell phone nearby. She’s a true crime aficionado so I figure she knows her stuff.
“I don’t want to freak you out, but there was a break-in last night.”
A momentary flash of fear hits me before understanding dawns and my emotions level out. The person who broke in—no, the person who came in through the window of a place she had every right to enter—was me.
I attempt a smile that wobbles a bit at the reminder of last night and its never-ending fallout. With a shake of my head, I open my mouth to somehow explain but he beats me to it.
“It was probably just a kid having some fun, but my cameras caught someone climbing the tree between our houses and going in through the upstairs window. I wasn’t here so I’m not sure what happened, but my alarm company notified me and then the cops…” As he trails off his gaze lifts from my face again and scans the house like he expects the perpetrator to jump out at any minute.
Joke’s on him, I guess, because I’m standing right in front of him. Then his words click into place.
“Wait.Youcalled the cops?”
He nods his head rapidly with an almost proud expression. A white knight on his steed ready to save the day.
Whatever expression he sees on my face has his gaze narrowing.
“I felt bad for the kid, don’t get me wrong, but he can’t just break into homes.” He gives me a timid smile that I don’t reciprocate.
“I can’t believe this.” A gruff laugh slips from my mouth. “I spent the night in jail because of you.”
His brown eyes widen almost comically.
“Yeah,” I read theoh shitbubble hanging over his head. “That was me.”
“Why the hell were you going through the window?”
“Because the realtor forgot to leave the key.”
His head bobbles as he processes this like he heard me but thinks that isn’t a great explanation. I don’t owe this guy shit, let alone a perfectly sensible explanation for my actions.
“I’m sorry.” He rakes a hand through his dark hair. The movement draws my attention to his bicep muscle and the edge of a tattoo.
“You’resorry?! You have no idea what you’ve done.”
He tries another one of his lopsided smiles. “Actually, I do. I’ve spent the night in a holding cell. Although in my case the misunderstanding was of my own doing.”
Is he really joking about this right now?
“This isn’t funny. I lost my sponsorship because of this.”
His smile falls.
“Yeah,” I say, inching closer to him. I’m fueled by anger and desperation. Not all at him. In fact, mostly not at him. “Because of your ‘save the day’ routine, I not only spent the night in jail, I’m going to lose the funding for my training.”
“If it was a misunderstanding, then I’m sure it’ll all blow over.” His lips part into a timid but still assured grin. Just like that, no big deal.
I huff another bitter laugh. “Spoken like someone who’s never had the world fall out from underneath him.”
The air crackles around us. I’m standing so close to him now that I can smell his shampoo or body wash. Apples or pears maybe.
“I think we got off on the wrong foot here.” Travis clears his throat and shifts from foot to foot. His discomfort has a tinge of guilt bleeding in with the rage.
“Yeah, because you ruined my life.”
“Well, that’s a little dramatic, don’t you think?”
