As if sensing her, he spun around. His side bumped against the counter, and he hissed out a long breath.
Instinct moved her across the tile floor. She reached out to touch the white bandage taped over his wound, but she stopped her herself before she could graze her fingertips along the gauzy cotton. She opted to keep her focus on the gold chain he’d worn since childhood, the bullhorn hanging from the middle a constant reminder of what had ripped them apart. “Are you okay?”
He stared down at her outstretched hand then cleared his throat, meeting her eyes with his. “I’m fine. You always wake up this early?”
“Not if I can help it. Did you make coffee?” She nodded toward the half-filled pot.
“I made a couple pots,” he said, wrinkling his nose. “Sorry. I should have asked but I didn’t want to disturb you.”
Her mouth fell open. “How long have you been awake?”
He lifted the side of his mouth up in a sexy half-smile and rubbed the back of his neck. “I haven’t slept. At first, I couldn’t get comfortable, then I couldn’t settle. I wanted to make sure no one came around again.”
The gesture chipped away at the cold stone of animosity encasing her heart. “You didn’t have to do that.”
He shrugged. “It’s the least I can do.” Shifting to the side, he plucked a mug from the cabinet behind him and offered it.
She took it then busied herself pouring her coffee, doctoring it with a little cream and sugar. She didn’t have the energy to reopen the conversation regarding the role Lane wanted to play in Parker’s life, so she opted to venture into safer territory—even if it was still difficult to discuss.
“Last night still seems like a nightmare. I laid in bed for hours and replayed the whole thing over and over.” She skirted around the table and sat, wrapping her hands around the warm mug.
“It was scary shit,” he said, staying in place. “Did Spender or anyone else from the sheriff’s department call you with more information?”
She shook her head and took a sip of the sweet, hot caffeine her body needed. “Not a word.”
“Me neither, although I’d be shocked to get a call. Do you still not have any idea who that man was?”
Again, she shook her head. “No clue.”
“What about your ex?”
Pursing her lips, she leveled him with a don’t-even-go-there stare. She had to be mindful of the boundaries that needed to stay in place if Lane would have any part in her life for the sake of their child. One of those boundaries was a limit on any conversation regarding her personal life. “Definitely not.”
“Okay,” he said, lifting his hands. “Just checking. Hopefully it was a onetime thing. Some random asshole who found his way in here and attacked you and now he’s long gone.”
A shudder ripped through her. “I’m not sure if that makes it less scary or not. I still don’t feel safe here alone. I’m not sure if I ever will.”
The thought weighed her down. Her house might not be grand and fancy, but it was hers. She’d worked hard to make this space a home for her and Parker. The idea that her sanctuary had been violated saddened her beyond belief.
“Do you have anywhere else you can stay?” he asked, taking a sip of his own coffee.
“I guess I could stay with my mom, but that’s a last resort.”
Lane grinned. “Lisa will love that. Give her a story to eat out on for months in this town.”
She couldn’t stop her own grin from growing. “God, I don’t even want to know what kind of flair she’d add to this situation. It’s annoying enough that I have to depend on her to watch Parker while I work. As much as I appreciate it, she knows how to rile me up like no other.”
“She always has.”
Celine’s grin faded. Lane would understand her feelings toward her mother more than anyone else. He wouldn’t judge her for any animosity she held onto, even if they’d repaired some of the fractures in their relationship. “Staying with her for more than one night isn’t an option.”
“I get that,” he said. “As of now, there’s no reason to believe your attacker’s coming back, but I understand why you don’t want to be here alone. What happened last night was terrifying, and it’ll take some time for you to process. Have you ever thought about getting a security system?”
She rolled her eyes then took another hit of coffee. “With what? All the money I have stuffed in the cookie jar?” She pulled double shifts as often as possible just to keep the lights on, but she wouldn’t divulge that much information to Lane.
“Let me pay for it. Hell, I bet I can even install it. How hard can it be?”
“No way,” she said, shaking her head. Last night, she’d argued she didn’t want anything from him. She couldn’t buckle the first time he stepped in and accept a handout. “I’ll figure something out.”
