War(10)

“But in this instance, you had completely noble intentions,” he said, his skepticism clear.

“Yeah. I even forgot about that stuff, and it’s not like I would try anything anyway,” I said, ignoring the fact that only minutes ago I had been thinking just that.

“Because you trust me?” he asked, looking at me, his voice still even, but also incredulous.

“No. It has nothing to do with that. I don’t generally like to pick fights that I’m going to lose. I’m pretty strong, but you’re probably stronger,” I said.

“Probably?” he asked raising his brow.

“Okay. Definitely,” I said as I stepped onto the front porch and unlocked the door. “You’re also incredibly suspicious,” I called over my shoulder.

“Occupational hazard,” he replied.

“I imagine so,” I muttered as I stepped inside.

“Tiff?”

I waited in the doorway, listening as nothing but the sound of silence greeted me.

“I don’t think she’s here,” I said as I stepped farther into the house.

Priest took another step as well, his body again brushing against mine, and I stayed still, not wanting to break the contact.

I was a fucking head case, but after a moment, I managed to gather myself and then continued inside.

He followed and then reached around me to pluck the key from my hand. I stopped and watched him as he closed and locked the door and then slid the chain across it.

“Are you locking someone out or locking me in?” I asked.

“Both. If your roommate comes back, I’d like a little warning,” he said.

“Okay,” I said quietly for lack of anything else to say.

He looked at me again. “Give me a tour,” he said.

“Tour?” I asked, looking at him quizzically. He stared back and then the realization of what he wanted hit me.

“I told you no one is here,” I said, annoyance making me stand up straighter.

“Humor me,” he said.

I turned away from him, not certain if I’d be able to suppress my irritation at the fact that he was insisting on searching the house. It was probably smart on his part, but still, I’d been accommodating—probably too accommodating—and that he hadn’t extended the same courtesy to me chafed. There was nothing for me to do about it, though, so I began walking down the hall.

“Follow me if you want. You get to see Tiffany’s dirty laundry and my unmade bed. How exciting,” I said.

I shouldn’t have added the last, but he said nothing and followed behind me, first into the kitchen and then into the small dining room Tiffany and I mainly used as an office. Even though I wasn’t looking at him, I could feel his gaze and knew he’d taken in every detail.

We left the living room and went to the hallway that led to the bedrooms, the light we kept on there the only illumination in the house.

“First door is mine, and the second is hers,” I said as I stopped and turned to face him.

“After you,” he said, his huge form filling the hallway, his face shadowed in darkness.

I huffed and then pressed my lips together so no other sound could escape and headed down the hall. I stopped at my door, opened it, and then flipped on the bedroom light.

“See?” I said, extending my arm into the room. “Unmade bed.”

He stepped beside me, his chest brushing against my arm as he looked into the room.

“Go open the closet,” he said.

Without speaking, I walked toward the closet and pulled the door open. The closet had an actual door instead of sliding doors, but the space was teeny-tiny, and there was hardly enough room for my clothes, let alone enough space for a person of any size to hide.

“Do you want to look under the bed?” I asked.

“I appreciate the offer, but I can see under from here,” he said.

I smiled despite myself and then went down the hall. “Tiffany’s room,” I said, opening her door and flipping on the light.

As I had promised, her laundry decorated the floor, and in stark contrast to mine, her bed was crisply made. I never understood that, how she could make her bed every morning but not manage to get her clothes into a hamper, but that was just one of the things that made Tiffany Tiffany.

“Open her closet,” Priest said.

“I will,” I said as I walked toward it. I pulled the door open and he looked inside. This was the master bedroom so her closet was bigger, but not by much. Still, Priest entered the room and took a look inside the closet and then opened the bathroom door and did the same.

“Is there anything else?” he asked.

I shook my head. “No garage,” I said.

He nodded, satisfied. “Okay,” he said.