“It’s fine,” Bree said.
“You can’t know that unless you check it,” Tim mansplained.
“Considering I can see it from where I’m standing, I actually can know that.”
“Your gun safe is in your bedroom?”
“In plain sight.” Bree walked over to the full-length mirror attached against the far wall of her bedroom, next to the walk-in closet. She found the keypad on the top edge of the mirror and entered her PIN, then placed her hand on the upper right-hand corner of the mirror. With a soft whir of moving parts and a click, the mirror came away from the wall on a hinge, revealing her three rifles and two handguns.
“All weapons accounted for.” She turned and faced three stunned men standing in the doorway of her bedroom.
“That’s cool.” The deputy stared wide-eyed at her state-of-the-art safe before giving himself a small shake. “Uh, ma’am, I need to get some information from you to write up my report, if you don’t mind.”
“Yeah, we can go into the kitchen, if that’s okay.”
“I’ll meet you in there,” he said.
“No problem.” Bree turned back to her gun safe and closed the mirrored door, locking it again by reentering her PIN. When she turned, she was alone with Jase.
“You think it was your ex?” he asked.
She walked toward him. She couldn’t get a read on him. Was he upset about the thought of her having a recent ex? Did he think he was just a rebound and that was why she took off? She wished he would give something away.
“I don’t think so. This doesn’t seem like something he would do. Send me twelve dozen roses even though he knows I don’t like them, or some over-the-top gift, sure; but this is angry. Personal. And I think it’s a little weird that nothing else in the house was touched.” Bree crossed her arms over her chest, hugging herself as she looked at the shredded bedding. “Whoever did this came into my personal space and attacked it. It’s creepy.”
Jase closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his embrace. “You don’t like roses?”
“Hate them. Too cliché.”
“What’s your favorite flower?” he asked, rubbing small circles on her back.
“Calla lilies.” She turned her face into his neck. She liked this side of him. It reminded her of the guy she met in the bar. Sweet. Attentive. His hands on her back soothed her in much the same way petting her dogs helped her calm down when she was anxious.
He bent his head and whispered in her ear. “I can’t tell you how hot it is that you have guns. And that safe is cool as hell.”
And there was the guy she met this afternoon. Bree smiled against his neck, inhaling the hint of aftershave lingering on his skin. “Don’t get too excited. I haven’t been shooting since before my grandfather passed away – it was our thing to do together.”
“Still hot.” His hand drifted down to the cheek of her ass. She titled her head and opened her mouth against his neck.
“Y’all comin’ sometime today?” Tim yelled at them from the hall.
“I would really like it if people would stop interrupting right when things are getting interesting,” Jase grumbled.
Bree smiled. “Come on. I need to let my dogs in.”
She pulled back and looked up at him. She rose up on her toes and kissed him briefly, his beard tickling her face. “Thank you.”
Jase grabbed her face with both hands and deepened the kiss, sweeping his tongue into her mouth before raising his head. “You’re welcome.” Back to sweet.
They made their way down the hall into the family room and open concept kitchen. Deputy Grant sat at the angled bar. Tim had made himself comfortable at her small kitchen table tucked into the breakfast nook.
“Ms. Marks,” the deputy began.
“Dr. Marks,” Jase said.
The deputy looked at Jase, then looked back at Bree.
“Bree is fine,” she said. She grabbed a glass from the cabinet and poured herself some water from the pitcher on the counter.
