Stopping two steps from the elevator, I hold her gaze. “I can wait. If you want me to.”
Shock plays over her features, her lips forming a smallobefore she shakes her head. “Of course not.”
I shouldn’t notice how her cream-colored blouse drapes over her breasts. Or stand close enough to her, I can smell her perfume—something light and floral. “Thanks. I bought some better locks. If you want me to install them, I can. Or I can give them to the landlord.”
The elevator dings as it reaches the fifth floor, and I brace my hand against the door until she exits.
“You did not have to do that.” We walk side by side down the hall, and I’m surprised she doesn’t try to put as much distance between us as she can.
“The standard ones don’t do shit. I’ll need a few days to assemble the motion sensor, but the deadbolt and security latch I can put in any time.”
At our respective doors, Domina stops, her key in her hand. “You could come over now. There is…something we should discuss.”
“Are you okay?” She sounds so unsure of herself, so very unlike the woman who walked out on me last night—or the one who kicked me out the night before.
“Fine.” Straightening her shoulders—which only serves to highlight her curves—she slides her key into the lock. “But I spoke to the police today, and…” With a quick glance down the hall, she shakes her head. “Come over whenever you are ready.”
“Give me five minutes.”
I can’t open my door—or dig out my toolbox—fast enough. The way we left things, I was sure she never wanted to see me again. And while I know we’ll never be more than friends, I’ll take whatever I can get.
She answers less than a minute after I ring the bell, still wearing her black skirt and silk blouse. She kicked off her heels next to the couch, and her briefcase dangles from one of the tall chairs at the breakfast bar.
“Can I get you something?” she asks. “I have lemonade, tamarind soda, and tea.”
“I’m good. But can I use one of those chairs? I can’t kneel for long periods.” As soon as the words leave my mouth, I curse under my breath. I feel like half a man needing to sit down to install a couple of locks.
“I have a desk chair. Would that be better?” she asks.
I nod, and she disappears into the bedroom. A moment late—are those…bells?—Domina drags a chair down the hall, a string of bells attached to the back.
“You got them.” I grin as I take the chair from her. Domina’s cheeks turn dark red, making her even more beautiful. “Did they make you feel safer?”
“A little. Thank you, Leo.” She’s so formal with me now. Like we’re strangers. But those few words still make up for needing the damn chair in the first place.
Sinking down with a sigh, I start unscrewing the flimsy deadbolt. “So, what did you want to talk to me about?”
Domina sits at the counter, turning her cell phone over and over in her hands. “I spoke to Detective Ortiz this afternoon. The man who broke in…” Her voice trembles, but she swallows hard. “His name is Daniel Pinzon. He refused to talk to them—or answer any questions.”
The old deadbolt tumbles into my hand, and I drop it into the bag at my feet. “Not surprising. He was a grade-A asshole.”
Popping the clamshell package for the best deadbolt on the market, I fumble for the screws. One of them slips through my fingers and skitters across the floor.
“There is more.” Domina slides off the chair and retrieves the errant screw. When she drops it into my hand, her fingers brush my palm. A little zing of electricity passes between us.
Shit. How can I be “just friends” with her? Her words finally sink in, and I peer up at her. “Domina? What else did the police say?”
“Daniel Pinzon is no longer in custody,” she says, and I drop the strike plate back into the bag.
“What?”
By the time she fills me in on the incompetence of the National Police, I’m seething. And more determined than ever to give her the best security money can buy.
Get a hold of yourself, asshole. She doesn’t need you to scare the shit out of her because you can’t control your anger.
The last screw goes in, and I test the new locks, giving myself a minute to calm down before I turn back to her and force a smile.
“I’ll make some calls. See if I can find out anything more about the guy. But he’d be fucking stupid to come back here.”
