Brenden gets the window all the way up and deftly enters like he’s done this a thousand times.
Which he probably has.
He unfolds himself in front of me, wearing dark clothes, black tactical pants and a black sweatshirt. He looks thoroughly amused to find me cowering on the floor at the foot of my bed. He takes me in briefly before scanning the rest of my room.
“Nice place.”
“What the hell are you doing?!”
He shuts the window behind him. “Cool night out there. Wouldn’t want you to get sick.”
“Brenden—“
“Shhh.” He kneels beside me, crouching down to my level. “Someone might hear.”
“Someone might—!” I pinch the bridge of my nose and count to ten before looking at him again. “I’m going to ask one more time before I start screaming. Why. Are. You. Here?!”
He seems utterly unbothered by my threat. Instead of pulling back, he hunches down to sit beside me, both of us with our backs to the bed now.
“I wanted to see how you liked the ring.”
I stare at him, brain trying to compute and failing miserably.
“You climbed to my window… scared me to death… broke inside… all to see if I liked the ring… you mysteriously put in my pocket?”
He brushes a hand across my thigh. “Do you?”
“It’s fine!” I push him away. “You could call. Hell, you could email! What are you doing climbing around my house at night?”
“This is more fun. I like seeing you in person.” He cracks his neck and rolls a shoulder. “Besides, I wanted to see if your brother would catch me this time.”
“My brother? You mean Sam? And—“ I sit up straight. “What the hell do you mean,this time?!”
“He’s a clever kid but I disabled most of his alarms. At least any that would’ve tripped. Did you know he had the whole house wired top to bottom?”
My head’s spinning. I feel like I might pass out. I wave my hands in front of me to both ward him off and to catch my balance.
“I’m sorry, this is a lot. Sam’s weird. You’re weird! I’m just?—“
“You still haven’t answered my question. Do you like the ring?”
I look down at my hand. I have it gripped tightly in my palm. I hold it up to the meager moonlight seeping through the window and watch it glitter, biting my lip, a strange sharp excitement in my core.
“It’s nice,” I tell him.
“Nice?” He sounds disappointed. “I put some effort into stealing that, you know.”
“Hold on, you stole—“ I stop when I see him grinning. I bump his shoulder with mine. “That’s not funny.”
“It’s a little funny, but no, I didn’t steal it. That was purchased legally. Pretty sure I got robbed actually.”
“Serves you right.” I close my hand again, hiding it away. I’m not sure why I feel so protective of the ring, like somehow he’s here to take it away, and I don’t want him to. Does that mean I like it? Does it mean I want to keep his creepy gift?
He seems thoughtful. I’m surprised at how attractive I find him, but I shouldn’t be. That afternoon in the office, I wanted him more than I’ve ever wanted someone in my life, and the hours since then have only complicated that feeling, but they haven’t completely destroyed it.
If anything, now he’s even more taboo. But also not? Since we’re getting married?
God, I’m so confused and frustrated, and when he looks at me like he wants to destroy me I can’t make my brain work properly.
