He places a hand on my cheek and another on my hip, bringing me close to him. “I’ll be quick. Thirty minutes tops.”
I pout. “It’ll take at least forty unless you plan on ignoring every speed limit in town.”
He ignores my estimate as he carries on. “And after, maybe…” He clears his throat nervously, which suddenly has me on alert. “Maybe after, we can take a drive and I can show you a bit more of the property? I’ve got some ideas I want to run by you.”
“Okay… You looked nervous for a second there. I thought it was something bad.” I narrow my eyes at him. “I swear to God, if you declared your love for me yesterday just to show me your murder shed today, I’m going to be beyond pissed at you, Luke Weston.”
His shoulders relax as his eyes shine with humor. “Daisy, you’re cute.”
“Thank you—”
“But a little bit psycho.”
“What?” My jaw drops.
“It’s endearing. Really. Suits your whole innocent vibe. And it reminds me not to piss you off since your true crime obsession has taught you over a dozen ways to make a body disappear.”
“And don’t you forget it,” I grumble.
He slowly backs up to the front door, arms up with a sly grin on his face. “Be back soon. I’m setting the alarm, so stay inside. I don’t want to worry about you going off looking for my murder shed, tripping over a raised tree root, and ending up with a sprained ankle.”
“That only happened one time. Okay, two times, but I swear that root wasn’t there the last time I checked.”
He steps out but pops his head back in one more time. “Thirty minutes, and then I can properly praise you with warm cookies and an orgasm before we hit the road. How does that sound?”
I cross my arms over my chest as I lift my chin. “Like I’m okay with you breaking the speed limits.”
I’ve pulled my hair into a high bun and finished packing our things, and I’m throwing on my cozy cardigan when I hear the alarm disengage.
I wash my hands and look at the time on my phone, then shake my head. “Really, babe? Thirty minutes? Is a box of cookies really worth getting pulled over for?” I ask as I walk out to meet him.
But I freeze when I get a look at the person standing in front of me.
The stunningwomanstanding in front of me.
Long wavy blond hair that almost reaches her ass. Sharp makeup that accentuates her pretty hazel eyes, and a smart camel trench coat that’s tightly cinched at the waist and shows off her curves.
Who the hell is she? And how the hell did she know the code to get in here? Or thathereeven exists?
I love and trust Luke, so I’m trying my hardest not to jump to conclusions. But I’m also the kind of woman who’ll only ever be 99.9 percent sure someone isn’t a serial killer. Therefore, in my mind, there is always a chance something will go wrong.
I should be concerned that she might be a crazy ex. A silent assassin. Someone sent by Damien’s campaign to cut off “loose ends.”
But instead, I’m more concerned by the slight upturn of her lip as she scans me from head to toe and the way it hitches higher with every pass she makes.
Finally, she speaks. “Well, well, well. So this is why he hasn’t been answering my calls.”
“I—Who—”
Tires screech beyond the open front door, followed by a door slamming. Heavy footsteps run up the front porch before Luke’s bursting into the cabin looking none too pleased at our latest arrival.
His chest rises and falls heavily as he seems to try to get his breathing under control. It’s odd; I’ve witnessed Luke ripping people’s heads off for small infractions on the field, so I would assume he’d be running mad if someone was breaking into his house. I’m even more surprised when his voice comes out calm, as if he’s trying to make peace with this woman rather than sending her packing. What the fuck is going on?
“I told you not to come inside until I got here. Could you not follow those simple instructions?”
She full-on grins now, and I’m starting to feel like the odd man out. “Is she—” I stop, not knowing how to organize the mess in my mind. “Should I go?” I point behind me, as if my home is somewhere in the woods. A place I would happily run off to if I discover that Luke has a secret hot hookup who apparently decided to stop by.
“Daisy, it’s not like that.” He starts to make his way toward me, stepping into the space between me and her, when she makes a gagging noise.
