“I’m not a flirt.”
Her innocence wiped the smile off my face. “I know, darlin’. C’mon, let’s get you two inside.”
I unlocked the front door and disabled the alarm André, Blaze and I had installed.
“Nice place.” Kendall looked out the wall of windows to the intracoastal beyond. “Whose is it?”
“Blaze and Layna’s. Take the guest room down the hall on the right.” I led Siren toward the other guest room.
“I’m starving,” Kendall called after us. “Can I look in the kitchen?”
“Help yourself. I’ll get supplies in the mornin’.”
“It is morning,” Kendall reminded me.
I ignored Kendall and pushed open the door to the guest room I usually used when I was here. King-sized bed, attached bathroom with a huge tub, the room faced the front of the house. I led Siren to the bed and gently sat her down.
“You wanna take a shower?” I kneeled and pulled her boots off.
Her chin to her chest, her hands in her lap, she didn’t answer.
“I’ll give you some privacy while I grab the bags outta the trunk.” I stood and made it two steps.
“Are you sleeping in this room?”
Taken off guard, I turned. She still had her head down. “Look at me, Siren.”
Her shoulders rose with a breath and she lifted her head.
“Do you want me to?”
Her penetrating stare was her only response.
“Lots of places in this house to catch some z’s but I’m not a mind reader. You gotta let me know.” I tried like hell to keep my tone even and my body language neutral.
“You’re upset.”
“No, darlin’, not at all.” I exhaled and ran a hand through my hair. “You just took me by surprise,” I admitted.
“You assumed we would sleep in the same bed.”
It wasn’t a question but I nodded anyway.
She dropped her head again.
“Lemme grab our bags and pull the Challenger in the garage. You get comfortable and I’ll be back in a few to make sure you fall asleep, okay?”
She half shrugged, half nodded.
I wasn’t sure if I’d read her hesitation right. Didn’t matter. I wasn’t going to leave her alone until she fell asleep anyway. I walked out before she could tell me not to come back.
Kendall was messing around in the kitchen. “She okay?”
No, she was a fucking mess. “Yeah.”
“Do you need me to go talk to her?”
If I thought for one minute Kendall had a sympathetic bone in her body, I’d say yes. “Leave her alone, Kendall.” Fuck, I was tired.
“You know she’s never been on her own?”
I paused at the front door. I knew she’d left her parents and moved in with Randy. “Your point?”
“She has no one now.”
“She has me.” I hoped like hell I was enough.
I grabbed the bags after pulling the Challenger in the garage. I’d rent a car later, but for now, I needed to know Siren was okay and then I needed some fucking sleep. I left my bag and first aid kit in the living room then dumped Kendall’s bag by her door. I debated knocking for half a second before entering Siren’s room. I’d never been the guy who knocked but Siren was making me question everything about myself. In the end, I walked in like I belonged there.
Curled in a ball on top of the covers, she didn’t look up.
I walked to the edge of the bed and brushed a strand of her hair from her shoulder. “You want somethin’ more comfortable to sleep in?”
She shrugged.
I felt like she was slipping away from me. “C’mon, you need to get outta those clothes.” Randy’s blood stained the front of her shirt.
“Okay.”
I reached for her bag but when I looked inside, she had even less clothes than she’d had before. A few pairs of underwear, her running shoes and a pair of running tights, she literally didn’t have another shirt besides the one on her back. Cursing under my breath, I wanted to buy her so many fucking outfits, she’d never be in this position again. “Be right back.” I strode out of the bedroom, trying to control my anger.
I could’ve grabbed something of Layna’s—she wouldn’t have given a fuck—but I got one of my T-shirts instead. Striding back into the bedroom, I sat down next to Siren and pulled her into a sitting position. Gently lifting her shirt over her head, I tried not to stare. Even in a sports bra she was fucking beautiful. I slipped my T-shirt over her head and laid her back down. She didn’t look up until I reached for the waistband of her pants.
Alarm spread across her face.
“Just getting’ you comfortable, darlin’.” I smiled and slipped the leggings over her hips.