The whole apartment is masculine.
My eyes move to the kitchen, which is in the exact same place as mine. The apartments are laid out identically. Ace is standing at the counter, tapping away at his open laptop. He hasn't realized I'm awake. My cheeks flush. I barely know him, and here I am sleeping on his couch. Did I snore? God, did I lay there with my mouth wide open. Worse, did I drool?
Oh god, what if I drooled?
And he saw.
I raise a hand and run it through my messy hair, catching his attention. His eyes flick to me, and something twists inside my chest. It isn't an unpleasant feeling¸ in fact, it's a feeling I'm not overly familiar with. It feels warm, safe even. I squash it back down and mumble a sleepy, "Hi."
He nods. "Morning."
"What time is it?"
"Eight."
I thought I might have slept longer than that, but I'm glad I didn't. I sit up, adjusting my clothes and making sure they're all in the right place, before sliding off the couch. I fold the blanket and place it on the end, and then stack the pillows on top before walking towards the counter. Ace slides a coffee towards me without looking up.
My heart warms.
He made me coffee.
"Thank you," I say, taking it in my hands.
"I'm going to take a few things from your apartment into the station today, check to see if I can get any fingerprints, anything like that. The locks have arrived. I'll put them on before lunch and you should be safe to go home then."
I swallow.
Even though he says that, the idea of going home terrifies me. That whole apartment feels unsafe now.
"I'm going to run a few more checks, see what I can figure out. I'd like you to stay here, at least until I change the locks. Can you study here?"
He wants me to stay … here? At his house?
"Ah, yeah, I can grab my laptop and study from here. I have to work tonight, is that going to be a problem?"
He shakes his head. "I'll drop you off, so I know you get there safe. Pick you back up when you're done."
"Is it normal for, ah, detectives to do all of that?"
He finally looks back up at me. "I'm not your detective when I'm here, Hartley. I'm your neighbor. And yes, it is normal."
Right.
Still, I have never heard of any police officer or detective going to such extremes to help someone. Usually they give the job of watching a person in danger to one of the rookies, and go about their business. It warms my heart that Ace is wanting to help me out, on his own personal watch. That means a lot to me. I should probably allow Jacob to do it, but I'm still not ready to let him do that yet, still not ready for that kind of change in our relationship. Besides, Ace is a cop … it makes more sense.
"Okay." I nod in agreement. "Whatever is easiest."
"Hopefully I'll get some sort of lead in the next few days, to try to figure out what it is we're working with here."
My phone rings, and I glance around, wondering where it is. Ace had it last night, and obviously brought it over here. He glances down, and I see it's sitting beside his laptop. Making a cranky face, he picks it up and answers it.
He answers my phone.
My mouth drops open when he mutters a grumbled, "Jacob."
Oh.
Boy.
"She's at my house, under my protection at this stage. Until I can clear you, I'll need you to keep your distance."
My heart slams against my ribcage, because I know he's already cleared Jacob. I know he has, because he told me. So why is he telling him that he hasn't?
"She's fine. She had a scare last night."
Ace looks up to the ceiling.
Impatient.
"Five minutes."
He hangs up and slams the phone down, focusing back on the laptop.
"Uh," I begin. "What was that?"
"He'll be here soon. I told him he can have five minutes."
"You answered my phone."
He looks up. "So?"
"So … it's my phone."
"Yeah, and you're under my care right now."
"Actually, I'm not-"
He shoots me a look that has me backing down right away. "You're being harassed, you're my neighbor, you stayed at my house, and I'm investigating your case. Right now, you're my business. I'd rather you didn't get murdered right next door to me. So stop arguing with me and do as you're told."
///
Oh.
My.
God.
"Ace," I growl. "Jacob is my business, and that is my phone."
He ignores me.
"You have no right to speak to someone who is important to me like that."