“You’re about Iris’s size. You can borrow some of her clothes and then I’ll take you shopping tomorrow for your own stuff. Hang on. I’ll go ask her to grab some and then I’ll put them in here before you get undressed.”
Annika couldn’t help but giggle, even though she felt so foolish and immature for doing so. But the thought of him seeing her naked made her laugh.
Even though it wasn’t anything he’d want to see.
A moment later, she realized his eyes were on her. She looked to see so much affection in them it almost mowed her over.
She giggled again. “What, Sir?”
“You’re just cute. Too cute for your own good, in fact.”
This caused more giggling.
“All right, I’ll be back with some clothes and then I’ll give you your privacy.”
Annika smiled and dipped her head in appreciation. Watching him go, she licked her lips.
Boy, this night sure was turning out to be wild! Just two hours before, she never would have dreamed she’d be spending the night in some giant mansion, sleeping across the hall from the hottest, sexiest man on the planet.
Life sure could be funny sometimes.
Chapter Eleven
Annika was all smiles as she sank deeper into the big, claw-footed tub.
The warm water was like a hug and the bubbles piled high around her made her feel safe and protected.
For a moment, she was afraid as she recalled the warning about a ghost that roamed the house. But then she remembered the entity was said to be friendly. Plus, she wasn’t sure she even believed in spirits and things of that nature.
Right now, she wanted to live in the moment. No reason to waste energy on theories and mysteries. She might never get a chance to experience something like this again. Why not make the most of it?
“I sure wish Ollie was here to see this,” she said quietly.
She wondered what the odds were she could find him tomorrow when she left the mansion.
That thought made her want to cry. Sure, she wanted to find her stuffie. But the idea of leaving was enough to nearly drive her to tears.
Like trying to forget the possible ghost, she worked hard to shove those notions from her mind.
Tomorrow might find her back in a makeshift shelter in an alley. It was best to soak in every moment in the safety of the mansion she could until then.
“Knock, knock,” a voice called.
She looked at the door but didn’t see anyone there. A shadow on the ground, however, told her someone was standing nearby, not entering as to respect her privacy.
It sounded like Iris.
Annika inspected the tower of bubbles that surrounded her and called out, “Hi. You can come in. But you might not be able to see me.”
She waited until Iris had stepped inside the bathroom before giggling and adding, “The bubbles swallowed me! I, eh, went a little heavy when I was pouring them into the bathtub.”
“I do that, too!” Iris said with a grin. “It’s the only way to take a bubble bath.”
Annika giggled some more. She could only imagine how it looked—a wall of white foam with one face sticking out of the middle, like a human/bubble-hybrid creature.
“I was just checking to see if you need anything,” Iris told her.
Annika shook her head. “No, thank you. I have more than I need. And thank you for letting me borrow some of your clothes. If you show me where the washing machine is, I’ll clean them before I go tomorrow.”
