He huffs a laugh and rolls his eyes. “In droves. This life isn’t easy on spouses, there’s a lot of alone time. I count myself lucky I got a good one.”
I remind myself that once this is over, I’ll probably never see Abbot again, and that makes me sad.
“What can I do you for?” He breaks through the dark cloud that is settling over me.
Shaking my head, I look at him. “Didn’t I see some earbuds in here somewhere?”
He turns and looks around the desk. “Here!” He grabs a little black box and hands it to me.
“Thanks.” I turn and leave the room, my mood getting gloomier by the minute.
The cicadas are singing loud as I pull myself out of the cool, clear pool and wring the water out of my hair. I wanted to see how many laps I could swim in a pool since I’ve never done it before, and I found out quickly that I suck at it. At one point, the side of the pool brushed against my arm.
I started out in the middle.
Chuckling to myself, I grab the towel on the lounger and twist it around my hair to absorb more water and toss it over the back of the chair. I can’t believe I’m winded from just swimming across the pool four times, I feel like I ran a mile. Idon’t know how athletes do it, I’d never survive in any type of athletics.
It’s scary to think that I would probably be caught if I were running from a bad guy.
Pulling up Abbot’s streaming music app that he left the password to, I connect the earbuds and put them in my ears. The sun is hot on my skin as I close my eyes and relax against the lounger, soaking up my vitamin D. I wish I had my weed right now, but I didn’t bring it, I figured the FBI agent I’m staying with might not like it.
I’m not sure how long I’ve been lying here, maybe four or five songs, when a shadow blocks my sun. Keeping one eye closed, I lift my hand to shade the other, thinking I’m going to see Swan, but a man I’ve never seen before is standing over me.
He’s older and has darker features like Rhys, and is wearing jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt in the sweltering heat with a bandana tied around his head, and he’s all sweaty.
Oh fuck.
Did they find me?
With a yelp, I twist and slide off the other side of the lounger onto the hot concrete to put it between us, the earbuds fall out of my ears with the impact.
When I try to stand up, I slip and scrape my palms and a knee on the concrete, and I have to try again to stand upright. The man watches me, looking bewildered, as I keep the lounger between us. When I turn to run to the house, I bounce off a wall of muscle.
Two powerful arms wrap around me to keep me from falling, and I look up into a set of dark brown eyes, looking at me in surprise. I’m breathing so hard I can’t talk, but I just point at the man. He lifts his head to glance at him and then back down at me.
He shakes his head, gripping my head with both hands. “Hey, hey, hey, it’s okay, he’s my gardener. He takes care of the yard. I’m sorry I forgot to tell you.”
My whole body sags, and my eyes close in relief. “Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.” I’m whispering what I’m thinking without realizing it. I fist Abbot’s shirt in each hand over his hips and let my forehead rest against his chest. “It’s okay. I’m okay. It’s okay.”
His arms go around me again, and he holds me to him as my breathing goes back to normal. He speaks Spanish over my head, the man by the lounger responds in Spanish.
The tone of the conversation quickly goes from explanatory to laughter.
“That’s why the long sleeves and the bandana, to protect him from the sun.” I’m still whisper-panting, mainly to myself. Abbot smells good, his usual dark spicy scent is wrapped around me, and I inhale the scent of safety as my breathing goes back to normal.
I feel like a jumpy idiot.
“She okay?” I hear Swan’s voice, he’s behind Abbot, who has his chin on my head.
“Yeah, just spooked.” Abbot’s deep voice rumbles in his chest. Keeping one arm around me, he leans to the lounger and grabs the towel I discarded earlier before holding it up behind me, wrapping it possessively around my nearly naked body.
“I’m sorry.” I mumble into his shirt. “Will you tell him I’m sorry? I thinkIspookedhim.”
Abbot chuckles deep in his chest. “You did, but there’s nothing to be sorry for. I forgot to tell you he comes on Fridays.”
He grips my head and makes me look up at him. His eyebrows move up his forehead. “You okay?”
As I’m nodding, Swan says, “You’re bleeding.”
