I craned my neck to look at him, appraising his mild expression. "Military thing?"
"Residency thing," he corrected. "Brutal. If you'll point me toward the bathroom and where you keep extra blankets, I'll leave you be. We can talk more in the morning."
I really wanted nothing more than to retreat to my loft and pretend none of this had ever happened. "The bathroom is that way," I said, pointing to the other side of the wall where it had been built under the rest of the loft. "And I'll throw you blankets. I keep them in the loft."
His gaze sharpened with something slightly dangerous. "You don't trust me in your bedroom?"
I held his eyes steadily, lost in the implication there.My bedroom? Benjamin?The kettle whistled loudly. I started, and he took a step away from me, smiling like he was enjoying a private joke. I yanked the kettle off the burner and clicked it off. "You can… look for them yourself… if you want."
"Ah, you don't mind, then," he drawled, taking another few steps away from me. "I'll keep that in mind."
Keepwhatin mind? I hadn't just agreed to something had I? I peeked at him beyond the curtain of my long hair and found him grinning wolfishly. He was teasing me. Damn it.
Something told me I'd need to be on my toes, and it wasn't because of blood-seeking madmen.
Chapter Five
FROST
I woke up covered in sweat. It had been damned uncomfortable most of the night with all the windows closed for safety and no air conditioning to be found, but by the time the sun had risen, beating down on me through the front windows, it washot. I sat up on the stiff couch, blinking around blearily and wiping a trickle of sweat off my neck. I'd abandoned my shirt hours before, but I still found my entire torso dotted with perspiration, and a scalding beam of sunlight was burning my abs. Screw security. I was going to bake to death in here if we didn't let some air in.
I rolled off the couch and marched to the windows at the front of the living room, unlatching them and opening them outward first. A gust of fresh spring air wafted over me, and I breathed out a sigh of relief. Yeah, I'd fight a dozen guys in hand-to-hand combat before I spent another night bathing in my own sweat again. I got to work opening the rest of the windows, knowing it would only help so much, and then I made my way to the loft stairs. Scratching my head, I tried to peer over the railing. Was she awake?
My watch said it was seven, so maybe not yet. It had been a stressful night for her, I was sure. I shuffled into the kitchen in my sweats, looking for water, and I found a pitcher of fresh lemon water in the fridge. Like really fresh, as in, recently cut. Frowning, I peered into the sink and found a cutting board and a knife that hadn't been there the night before. A sinking suspicion plunked its way into my stomach, and I hurried back to the loft stairs. "Evie?"
No answer.
"Are you kidding me?" I muttered angrily. I stomped up the narrow stairs and found a feminine space decorated with hanging vines and flowers, kitsch lamps and vases, and colorful quilts. But the low platform bed was empty and there was no sign of my stealthy ninja. She'd snuck out. "She's insane," I mumbled to myself, hurrying back down the stairs and across the room to the front door. "Absolutely insane." I wrenched open the squeaky white door, looking left and then right from the narrow porch. "Evie!" I shouted.
A goat to my right bleated, and I jumped, slamming into the doorway. A girl of indeterminate age poked her head out from a giant bush of flowers. Wild, light brown hair fluffed around her face, and she gave me a speculative nose wrinkle. "Who are you?"
I looked her up and down as she emerged from behind the bush with two goats in tow. "Who areyou?" Did Evie have achild? She'd never mentioned having a kid.
The goats chewed on something, their eyes half closed, and the girl pet the white one between its horns. "I live here. Are you a burglar?"
I narrowed my eyes at her. "What if I was?"
She gestured to the goats like that was a sufficient answer. "They bite real hard. They might get your nipple."
I looked down at my bare chest, suddenly discomfited. "Interesting plan."
"No one expects attack goats," the girl said, tapping her temple. She was wearing a pair of shorts that were probably two sizes too big for her and bunched together with a hair tie, and her long-sleeve, striped shirt looked distinctly boyish. Apparently, she'd thought to offset this fact with her bright pink shoes and the plethora of plastic necklaces around her neck.
I leaned away from the child and her guard goats. "I'm here to help your… Evie."
She giggled, looking at me like I was crazy. "My Evie."
"Your mom?" I guessed.
She laughed outright. "Yeah, right.Ikeep her alive, not the other way around. What are you helping her with?" She looked me up and down speculatively. "Are you her boyfriend?"
The swift "no" I should have uttered didn't come out quite as quickly as I'd expected. I mean, damn, the womanwasgorgeous, and I'd had no hesitation in flirting with her last night. But, gamely, I said, "No, I'm her friend."
The kid didn't believe me, squinting one eye so hard, I was pretty sure she couldn't see out of it. She had two enormous front teeth and freckles all over her nose and cheeks, and she looked like she spent a significant amount of time outdoors. "What you doing in her house, then?"
"What areyoudoing at her house?" I countered.
"I live here," she replied, offended. She pointed behind her, and I realized that the small building I'd taken note of last night wasn't a shed but a house. "With Nan."
