I crawl under the bed to retrieve my phone, ignoring the spike of panic the position invokes. I’ve never had much of an issue with tight spaces, even after I was kidnapped in college and kept in the trunk of a car for hours, but for some reason this is triggering me.
Once I have the device in my hand, I shimmy my way out and check my call log for when I called Colten.
I stare at the time beside the call for a handful of seconds before checking the current time. Thirty-four minutes.
That’s barely enough time for him to have made it here from his apartment, let alone to have pulled me out of an almost panic attack, dealt with the team that has just arrived, and gotten us ready to leave.
Maybe he was in the area doing business,I rationalize with myself, because really, what other options are there?
“You ready?” Colten asks from the doorway, startling me. His face softens, and he steps toward me, brushing his fingers down my cheek in a gesture that is far too intimate. “Sorry, Wildcat. I didn’t mean to scare you. I’ll be more conscious.”
I shake my head. “It’s fine. I’m just a little jumpy right now.”
“Which no one can blame you for.” He looks over at the half-full suitcase on the bed. “How can I help?”
I sigh and look around the room. “Are you sure I should be leaving? Who is going to look after Mr. Whiskers?”
“A babysitter. That’s who I was on the phone to.”
“You mean a pet sitter?”
“No, a babysitter. She’ll be here in ten minutes. I paid extra for her to get here quickly.”
“You hired a babysitter for a cat?” I ask incredulously.
Is he fucking insane?
He nods, busying himself with packing up my laptop and chargers.
I open my mouth to confirm one more time, because I have to be misunderstanding, but I snap it shut again.
Colten looks over his shoulder and must notice the way my brows have gathered in confusion. He sighs and drops my hair straightener into the suitcase. “I’ve run a background check on her, she’s very qualified in looking after children, so I can’t see her having any issues looking after a cat, even one as nuanced as Mr. Whiskers.”
Does he think I’m worried about leaving the cat with a stranger and not the fact he’s hired a human babysitter for ananimal that spends twenty-two hours a day sleeping and the other two eating and terrorizing Cruz?
I manage a nod and move into the bathroom, quickly gathering my toiletries and dropping them into the suitcase. I take another look around the room to make sure I haven’t missed anything before reaching to close the case.
A large hand covers mine and gently pushes me to the side, quickly taking over for me and zipping it up before lifting it from the bed.
Colten wraps his free arm around my waist and ushers me toward the door. “Come on, Wildcat. Let’s get you home so you can get a few more hours of sleep.”
“I don’t know if I’ll be able to close my eyes,” I tell him honestly. Just the thought has a fresh wave of anxiety rocketing through my chest.
How am I supposed to sleep when not even an hour ago I had someone break into a house with more security than Fort Knox with the intention of hurting me?
He pulls me closer as we descend the stairs. “Once the adrenaline wears off, your body won’t give you a choice.”
Before I get a chance to respond, a little orange body rubs against my leg, followed closely by a loud meow.
“Hi, buddy,” I say, dropping to my knees beside him.
Mr. Whiskers flops onto his side, immediately presenting me with his belly, pulling a soft huff of laughter from my throat.
Colten squeezes my shoulder. “I’m going to brief the team. Take your time and meet me out front when you’re ready.”
He heads toward the front door, and I stare after him.
Colten has always been gentle with me, far gentler than most of the men in my life. But there’s something different about how he’s treating me right now, and I don’t think I like it.
