“I installed the cameras and will work on your locks tomorrow,” he offers. I nod quietly, and then start to pull out the items for my charcuterie board. Holt comes up behind me and reaches around for something— his beer. If I didn’t know any better I would say he did it on purpose.
Taking my knife I start to slice the cheese. All of a sudden the knife is taken away from me. “What the hell,” spills from my lips.
“Piper, I got this. Go take a seat,” Holt says. It sounds like he is right in my ear. I spin around right into his firm chest. His left arm goes around my waist automatically. For a second I freeze. Being this close to him, I can see the gold flecks in his eyes. Realizing how close we are I start to push off of him. He gives me space and hands me my wine.
“Thanks,” I mutter and head over to the couch. My cheeks feel hot—AGAIN.
Chapter 20
Holt
I watch her form make its way to the couch. Those fucking leggings will be the death of me. She thinks she is hiding herself under that overly large hoodie, but I can see her shapely legs. The very bottom of those luscious ass cheeks are slightly exposed, and it is making me half hard. My eyes narrow again, wondering if she got that hoodie from an ex-boyfriend. It definitely looked like it belonged to a man at one time.
I take a deep breath. I need to reign my shit in right now. The urge to tear the sweatshirt off of her and throw it into the fire is simmering just under the surface. I turn my attention back to the cheese. Watching her wield the knife was making me nervous. I know I won’t be able to protect her all the time, but when I can step in I will.
She has turned the television on to some true crime show. I chuckle softly. The woman with PTSD, who was recently held up at gun point, continues to watch true crime. She is definitely a mess— good thing I like getting dirty. I bring over the platter with her self proclaimed “girl dinner” and set it on the coffee table.
“Eat,” I tell her. She looks at me and raises her eyebrows. Just when I think she is going to challenge me, she reaches over and grabs some grapes. I nod and go back to get my drink. The actual food should be ready in a few minutes, so I decide to join her on the couch.
“The cameras are up outside, I’ll put the app on your phone tonight so that you can look at them whenever you want,” I explain to her. I reach over and grab some cheese and a cracker. I watch her curiously. She nods at me and takes another gulp of her wine. I hand her a cracker. Her eyes narrow at me as she reaches out to take it from me. As she does that, she speaks.
“Thanks, let me know what I owe you. If I can’t pay for it all up front, I’ll pay in installments,” she explains. She obviously doesn’t understand. I’ll be thrilled to spell it out for her soon. I can’t contain my laugh.
“Sure, I’ll let you know,” I can’t keep a straight face, but her form of payment and mine will be extremely different.
“What’s so funny,” she asks. Again, not understanding. She will understand, when she understands that she is mine. I change the subject.
“Piper, we need to talk about what happened today,” she sighs as the words come out of my mouth. Her head is already shaking.
“I don’t know what is happening,” she mutters. “I have been over it in my head hundreds of times, and I’m no closer to an answer than I was earlier today.”
“It’s okay,” I soothe. I put my hand on her thigh and squeeze it gently. She tenses but doesn’t pull away, so I leave my hand in place. The urge to float my hand upwards is practically killing me.
“Maybe Carter will be able to dig something up on one of your customers,” I respond. “Have you had any new customers lately,” I ask her. She shakes her head no and opens her mouth to speak.
“If I have they haven’t made an impression, I honestly don’t know everyone that comes in. This is a tourist town, Holt. I have my regulars, of course, but a fair amount of my customer base are visitors.”
What she is saying makes sense, but it doesn’t give me any peace of mind. In fact it just worries me more.
“I get that,” I respond. I’m trying not to push. Someone that is stressed out will not be able to help in any investigation.
“We will wait until we hear from Carter,” the timer on the oven goes off, prompting me to stand.
“Let me help,” Piper says as she moves to stand. I shake my head and hold up my hand. She looks so tired.
“I’ll get it, give me your glass,” I say. It is almost empty, and I plan on refilling it. The second glass will help her relax. She hands it over easily. I assemble our plates and make my way back to her. I am on a mission for Piper to let her guard down.
Chapter 21
Piper
I shut the door to the bathroom behind me and lean against it. I take a deep breath. I used the excuse that I wanted to brush my teeth after dinner. Being in Holt’s presence was so easy it was killing me. He was so attentive and kind. I’m not sure what is happening here, but I needed some distance.
After dinner, we continued to marathon the true crime show that I had picked. Holt kept a respectable distance between us. He nursed the same beer the whole night, while I am close to finishing up the whole bottle of wine. I shake my head and start brushing my teeth. It would be extremely weird if I didn’t do what I said I came in here to do.
Leaning over the sink, I rinse out my mouth. I wash my face quickly with cool water and pat it dry. I take another deep breath, and decide that I’m going to give Holt the bed. I can send him in there, and I will take the couch. Determined I swing the door open and take a step right into him. My nose hits his chest and I let out a small squeak. His hands go around my back.
“Woah, Piper. You okay,” he asks. His voice has a low tone to it that makes my stomach dip like it is on a rollercoaster.
