"No, please. I don't want the police involved. I'll tell my dad when I get back home. I'm sure both our fathers would be able to make him see sense."
"Okay but you're staying with us, Jasmine. We won't take no for an answer," Will declared. "Tomorrow night after work, we'll go and grab your things from your sister's place. Can you wait for your stuff until then? I don't think you should go back there by yourself. He may not do anything—he might not even be there—but it's better to be safe than sorry."
"Thank you. I really appreciate this."
Jasmine was grateful to have people she could depend on at a time like this. Her heart's frantic beating started to slow as the threat of danger lessened.
But still, her whole being seemed to scream for the one person she wanted by her side. Kane. But he was the one individual she should never call upon.
*******
Jasmine wandered aimlessly inside Will and Clarise's house. She wondered if she could help tidy up their kitchen or vacuum the place but everything seemed spotless.
She sighed. She was getting bored out of her brains and it wasn't even the middle of the day yet. Apart from her wallet, keys and phone, everything else was back at her sister's place.
She considered going to the shops in the city and hanging around there until Will and Clarise were ready to go home. It appeared Tim didn't know where she was right then so he wouldn't be able to follow her.
Except that she knew she'd get bored shopping for hours, too. What she really itched to do was work on her book. She could write for hours and not notice the time pass. But she didn't have her laptop with her.
What were the chances of Tim still hanging around outside Jessa and Rob's house at this time of the day? If he was there last night, he would have gone home by now. Most likely, he wouldn't resume his stalking until tonight.
She shivered but felt confident enough she should be okay going back to the house by herself during the day. It would save Will and Clarise the trouble of accompanying her to pick up her things after work.
Satisfied with her planning, she headed for the kitchen to check out what the couple had in their fridge. She could cook dinner for the three of them tonight. That was the least she could do after she had invaded their space unexpectedly.
Ding-dong.
The sound of the doorbell stopped her in her tracks. She placed her hand on her chest and took a deep breath, hoping that would calm her heart, which had started racing. Did this house have a security door? She couldn't remember. How could she check who rang the bell?
Relax, Jasmine. It could just be a door-to-door salesman or someone doing a survey or something.
She jumped when the bell rang again.
"Jaz? Are you there?" a muffled voice asked.
Her heart pounded harder, but this time for a much different reason. Her legs came back to life and she hurried to the door.
"Kane, is that you?" she asked hopefully.
"Yeah, it's me."
Relief and excitement made her giddy as she opened the door for the man she'd been dreaming about every night for the past week. What was he doing here?
"Hi," he said.
"Hi," she responded, taking in huge gulps of air.
"Hey, are you okay?" Kane asked with concern. He cupped her cheeks with his warm hands and his piercing eyes inspected her face thoroughly.
She let out a ragged sigh. His touch was both calming and stirring. "Yes," she responded with a weak smile. "For a while there I thought you were …"
"That idiot better not show his face or I'll deck him," he muttered as he ushered her inside and locked the door.
"What are you doing here, Kane?" She didn't know whether to give in to the comfort or the agitation brought by his presence.
"Ray called me and told me about the text you got last night."
"Oh. Clarise told him?"
"Yes. We're all worried. Anyway, I think that the best way to keep this guy away from you is for someone to act as your bodyguard. And since he already thinks I'm your boyfriend, I'm taking the job."
She gaped at him, her mind trying frantically to process what he'd just said. "Did you say you're going to act as my bodyguard?" she asked uncertainly.
"Yes. I can't be around all the time, unfortunately. But I'll check up on you daily at different times to hopefully make Tim believe he would get caught if he tried something stupid."
"But that sounds too much of an inconvenience for you. What do you mean 'daily at different times'? How often? When?"
"It's not an inconvenience, Jasmine. This is a very serious matter," he admonished her. "Right now, I have a very flexible schedule at work. I'll just get in the car and drive here when I can."
Her jaw dropped to the floor. "You can't be serious. You'd do that?"