She won’t mind. She likes them.
Elias ignored the warmth in his chest at the innocuous thought.
The kitchen was empty. The coffee pot was full.
“Wren?” he called out. She wasn’t in the living room or in the other bathroom—the door was open when he passed it in the hall.
Wait? Could she be…?
Elias grinned and headed for Chuck and Penny’s room, certain that she was in there playing with them. He opened the door to see only his pups staring at him, tails wagging, expecting breakfast like it was any other day.
Shit. Idiot.
Elias went back to the living room to look out the front window. Just as he suspected, Wren’s car was gone. He didn’t see a note in the bedroom or one in the kitchen. He found his phone and checked it for texts.
Nothing.
Feeling way more upset than he cared to admit, Elias filled the dogs’ food bowls in the kitchen. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had breakfast with a woman he’d just slept with. Or being as excited about the prospect of spending more time with her, getting to know her outside of the bedroom.
Last night obviously didn’t mean as much to Wren as it did to him.
Of course not, dumbass. Ram was right—she’s way above your paygrade.
He went back to the front window and looked out as if her car would suddenly materialize.
Just one night. That’s all she wanted. But what did I expect?
His dark thoughts stopped abruptly as he looked around the living room and realized something he’d missed when he walked in the first time. It took him by surprise. His heart sped up.
“That littlethief.”
He pressed his lips together, frustrated.
And trying hard not to laugh at her game as hope stirred back to life in his chest.
The hunt is on, Wren Stapleton.
FIVE
I’ve lost my mind, I’ve lost my mind, I’vecompletelylost my mind.
The chorus sang merrily through Wren’s head, over and over. It started singing as she slipped as carefully as she could out of Elias’ bed while he slept. It picked up as she escaped out Elias’ front door. It kept singing as she trotted to the car under the still-dark sky.
But, better the endless chorus than having to explore the dumbass thing she just did.
Or her feelings about Elias.
Nope. Back to the chorus.I’ve lost my mind, I’ve lost my mind, I’vecompletelylost my mind.
As she started to open her car door, her phone rang, making her jump. She looked back at the house as if Elias could hear her phone through his walls. She quickly got into her car and glanced at the screen, saw who it was, and accepted the call.
Wren answered with, “About time you called. You’re a dead woman.”
“Now why?” her bestie asked.
“Serge.”
“What do you mean?” Barbie sounded incredulous. “He works miracles. His hands are the hands of a healing angel. His needles are little darts of love.”
