His deep laugh echoed through the car causing goosebumps to break out over my skin.
It was going to be the longest car ride in history.
* * *
I breatheda sigh of relief when we turned onto my street.
Paxton didn’t seem surprised when I’d told him I lived above the bakery. I wasn’t one to advertise where I lay my head but with Brinley’s bookstore right next door and conversations with the ladies it had come up. If the ladies knew then I was sure all the guys did too.
Most of the buildings in our row of shops had upstairs rooms and I’d gotten lucky when I’d found my place. It already had a good setup for my bakery downstairs and someone had previously lived upstairs so it was set for a living space as well.
It was perfect for me and made things easy. I was all alone and I didn’t need much. It wasn’t big or fancy, I’d already had that and it didn’t get me anywhere good.
For the most part since I’d been there I’d felt relatively safe and that’s what mattered. I knew I’d never feel that way a hundred percent and would always be looking over my shoulder.
“Do you go in through the shop or is there an entrance from the back I should pull around to?” Paxton asked as he idled up next to the curb out in front of the bakery.
Looking over at the storefront window, I decided it was silly to unlock everything in the shop, even if it felt more personal with him pulling around to my back entrance that led up to my place. I just needed to get out of the car and away from the man who’s scent was as intoxicating as my bakery early in the morning when I started for the day.
“Let’s go to the—”
I sucked in a sharp breath cutting off the rest of what I was going to say when a flash of light skimmed across the bakery window and a large shadow moved behind the display cases that were lit up faintly by the dim light I left on after hours.
My body started to shake and I couldn’t move a muscle. I felt a strong, warm hand grab my palm and I jumped.
“Hey, it’s just me, darlin’.” Paxton’s soft voice soothed the terror racing through me.
Have they found me?
He turned my hand over and rubbed slow circles on it while he snagged his phone with his other hand and dialed.
He had it connected to his Bluetooth because a lady’s voice came through the speakers. “911, what’s your emergency?”
My body tensed and I squeezed Paxton’s hand in a death grip.
“I’d like to report a break in…”
That’s all I heard of the conversation. It was like rushing water hit my ears, my pulse sped out of control, and panic took hold so tight I wasn’t sure I’d ever come back to reality.
But then my eyes met the intruders’ through the glass where they then stood at the front of the store. I couldn’t see the person's face with a ski mask on but I assumed it was a man because of their massive frame.
My body went on higher alert.
When he moved toward the front door, I looked at Paxton and screamed, “Go, go, go!”
He dropped his phone and grabbed the wheel. With the hand that had held mine, he gently pushed on my head. “Get down!”
Tires screeched as he sped away and seconds later the sound of glass shattering echoed through the car.
“Paxton!” I yelled.
“We’re okay, just stay down for me, please, darlin’. I’m just not taking any chances.”
I shouldn’t be thinking about how much I liked it when he called me darlin’ but he’d said it a couple times and I could easily get used to hearing it often. The endearment and the way he said it, shot tingles through me and calmed me too.
We hadn’t made it far when the sounds of sirens pierced my ears. I wanted to get up to see what was happening but I was too scared to do so. After a couple of turns, I felt the car come to a stop and Paxton released his hand from my head.
“Sweetheart, you're safe. You can get up now.”
