CASSIDY
I staredat the man snuggled into my side and tried to pretend like it meant nothing. He was only here because he didn’t want to stay with anyone else, which didn’t exactly say a lot about me.
It wasn’t like he was confessing his undying love to me, telling me he only wanted me.
No, it was more likeHey, babe. You give me good sex and you’re not too annoying. Can I stay with you?
There was that moment a few nights ago where he gave me just the tiniest hint of who he was, but I chose not to read too much into that. There hadn’t been a repeat since that night, and I doubted there ever would be again.
Still, as I watched the hair resting on his forehead shift ever-so-slightly with every exhale, I allowed myself to dream just a little that this man actually wanted to be with me.
After all, he had stayed every night to watch Christmas movies with me. Yes, there was a promise of sex at the end, but I could swear that with each night that passed, he got a little more excited about what movie I chose.
Either tonight’s choice was boring as hell, or he was exhausted. Both were a possibility. I choseHoliday Inntonight,which wasn’t even one of my favorites. I just wanted to see how long he’d complain about it. Funnily, he didn’t utter a word of complaint. He sat there eating popcorn until he fell asleep with the half-empty bowl in his lap.
Which made me think that he was just plain exhausted from training.
He didn’t tell me a whole lot about what was going on at his new building, and frankly, I wasn’t sure I wanted to know. The idea that he got in the ring to be hit on purpose just seemed idiotic.
But I had no say in what he did with his life, and I wasn’t about to start pushing my way in now. Not when it was so obvious he didn’t want more than what he was currently offering me.
Getting up, I put as much distance as I could between myself and the man I knew I had much deeper feelings for than I cared to admit. If I stayed on the couch with him, it would only make things worse. Instead, I headed into the kitchen to pour myself a glass of red wine, hoping it would lull me to sleep.
Taking a sip, I stared out the back door, watching as soft flakes of snow drifted across the frosted grass. Winter was going to be hard this year, with more snow predicted earlier in the year than usual. We’d already seen multiple snowfalls, but the upcoming storm was predicted to be really bad.
Part of me wondered if Sam would stay at my house for the storm. Would he be able to handle being locked in a house with me for days on end, or would he flee, knowing it would feel too intimate?
Movement outside made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I shifted slightly, trying to get a better look into the darkness, but it was nearly impossible with the multiple trees in my backyard, adding cover for whatever was out there.
Very slowly, I reached out to the wall, flicking on the outside light. The whole backyard was immediately lit up, but whatever was out there wasn’t moving at all. Still, I stood quietly, waiting. Watching.
Unease skittered through me with every moment that passed. I felt like I had eyes on me, that someone was out there watching me sip my wine. I pulled the sweater tighter around my front and flicked off the light, shifting against the cabinets just out of sight.
“There’s no one out there,” I whispered.
Yet, even as I tried to convince myself, I peeked around the corner of the frame and peered into the night. As my eyes adjusted, I waited, searching in the trees. My heart beat faster in my chest with every second that passed. Was I just imagining it? Who would be out there at this hour, staring into someone else’s house?
Suddenly, all those years that I’d left my doors unlocked felt foolish. How stupid I had been, trusting that no one would harm me in this small town. I had always felt safe, but everything shifted the night Austin came over here with his family. Something about that night made everything seem more dangerous.
“Everything okay?”
I nearly jumped out of my skin at the low timbre of his voice, clutching the wine glass tighter to my chest as if that would somehow protect me.
“Geezus, you scared me!”
“What are you doing over here?” he asked, flipping the light on to look outside.
I counted to ten to calm my racing heart, taking in his features to help distract me from how scared I’d just been. Sleep lines etched the side of his face from where he’d fallen asleepagainst the pillows, and his hair flopped in funny patterns across his head from running his fingers through his hair.
He removed the stick from the door and slid it open, leaving me inside. Wondering what he was doing, I followed him onto the steps, stopping as he headed for the right side of the house.
“Sam!” I hissed, keeping my voice low since it was so late at night.
“Stay there.”
As he disappeared around the side of the house, I stepped back, turning to go inside where it was safe. Something rattled behind me and I spun, gasping as I watched the garbage can tip precariously before settling back on the ground with a wobble.
Shadows slid across the back of the house where it was darker until everything settled. I swallowed hard, knowing that whatever I just saw was way too big to be a raccoon. Someone had been there, hiding in the dark, waiting to…
