A young woman runs up to him, boobs bouncing with each step. I sprint toward the house, hoping she distracts him long enough for me to grab my handbag and get out of sight before he makes it the rest of the way up the beach.
I run up the deck stairs to my balcony two at a time, shimmy into a pair of denim shorts, grab my handbag, and hustle down to the kitchen to deposit the carrot juice in the fridge.
Unbelievable. I laugh, quite possibly harder than I’ve laughed in a long time. There is a chain and padlock on the fridge doors.
My name is Scarlet Stone and the reasoning behind most everything I do is—because I can. My grandfather died in prison, but not before he robbed five of the highest security banks in Germany and the UK, only to prove they were not truly ‘secure.’ My father is the great Oscar Stone who could steal the crown from the Queen—while she was wearing it—without anyone knowing for days. If Theodore Reed thinks his hardware shop padlock is going to keep me out of the fridge, he’s sorely mistaken.
Forty-five seconds.
The first twenty I spend digging through my handbag. Picking the lock swallows the last twenty-five. I’m not as fast as I used to be when my father drilled me over and over. I wasn’t a traditional thief, much to his displeasure. I chose the gray-hat hacker lifestyle. Now I’m a woman in need of refrigeration for her carrot juice.
“Shit!” I grimace when my face is shoved against the fridge, wet flesh pressed to my back.
“You just don’t get it. One rule. You can’t follow one rule.”
“Am I interrupting?” Nolan’s voice fills the air like a whisper from God.
My lungs search for breath as Theo releases me. I whip around. Nolan’s amused smile greets me, but it’s the death look from Theo that holds my attention.
“She’s a thief. You invited a fucking thief to live in my house.”
Clearly, the humor is lost on both of them. I am a thief.Wasa thief.
“Really?” I cough out a laugh. “A banana? Are you going to call the police to whisk me off to jail because I took one of your bananas?”
“And an apple.” He gives me his signature slit-eyed glare.
I wet my lips and nod, taking a quick glance down at the rest of Theodore. Dear god, he’s a wall of muscle and ink. “One bite. And you retrieved it by finger-raping my mouth. So technically, I don’t owe you an apple.”
Nolan’s eyebrows lift and his lips twist into a cheeky grin like he’s watching a comedy sketch.
I sigh, taking a moment to channel some inner peace. Theo and his overprotectiveness of his food doesn’t matter. “But in the spirit of housemates, I’ll replace both the banana and apple. In fact, I was getting ready to go to the supermarket, but I needed to putmycarrot juice in the fridge.”
“Theo, man… why is there a padlock on the refrigerator?”
“Where’s your juice?” Theo ignores Nolan, keeping his attention solely on me. Lucky me.
I tip my chin up. “In thesharedfridge.”
“How did you get in there?”
“Nice Speedo.” I wink at Theo as I brush by him. Nolan’s presence gives me a jolt of confidence that I have no doubt I will regret upon my return. “So an apple and a banana? Anything else I can get for you while I’m out, Mr. Reed?”
Theo mutters something before sulking off to his room.
“I see you two are getting along well.”
“Sorry?” It takes great strength to keep my control. “I’m paying double the rent as Mr. I Am The Law. He is completely bonkers.” I resist the “then again, so are your parents” remark. “I’ve been locked in my room. Twice. And there’s a padlock on the fridge. But yeah, we’re getting along wonderfully. Thanks for asking.”
“Carrot juice? I take it you saw Yimin this morning.”
“I … did.”
Nolan doesn’t give anything away in his expression, much like he didn’t yesterday with his parents. “That’s good. You need a ride?”
“I do.”
“You can set up grocery delivery here. Did you know that?” Nolan holds open the door.
