Wild Nights(20)

He finished his cereal in maybe ten bites and sat his dish down on the glass coffee table. He sat back with his arms behind his head and kicked his feet out. He was making himself very much at home, which made me a bit nervous.

“So,” I said. “What are your plans? Heading back to Tulsa today?”

I tried to be casual, and I hoped he couldn’t hear the nervousness in my voice. I didn’t want him to know that I wanted him to leave.

“Um,” he said as he scratched his head and thought about it for a bit. “I guess I didn’t really have plans.”

“Oh?” I tried not to act like I cared that much.

“I’m kind of just playing it by ear,” he said.

“Don’t you have a job or anything back in Tulsa?” I asked, shocked at how lax his schedule seemed to be.

“Freelance stuff,” he said. “I’m my own boss.”

“Oh, nice,” I said. “I know what that’s like. But I also know the money doesn’t come unless you’re doing the work…”

He snickered as if I was some naïve little girl.

“The money comes,” he said. “Trust me.

“Well, speaking of money and work and all that,” I said as I stood up. “I have to get ready for work.”

I lingered for a bit, hoping he’d get the hint and stand up too, but he remained seated on my sofa in his boxers.

“I’ve got to go to work now,” I said, trying to hint once again. “I’m going to go jump in the shower.”

“Cool,” he said as he leaned down and reached for the remote. He began flipping through the channels and stopped when he got to some reality show about MMA fighters.

I was at a loss for words. I didn’t want to turn the situation ugly by demanding that he leave, especially when he was so persistent and could easily over power me, so I tried to act like it didn’t bother me. Once again, I knew if he saw an ounce of fear in my eyes, he’d eat it up. Maybe the nice Blaze was all an act all along.

My mom had warned me once about sociopaths, and I shuddered to think that there was one sitting on my sofa right then.

I crept up the stairs and made my way to my bathroom, locking the door behind me and double checking it. I showered as fast as I could, and fortunately I didn’t have to wash my hair, so it saved a lot of time. I dried off and ran to my room to get dressed. I was ready in record time.

I climbed back down the stairs, hoping that seeing me ready for work would be the hint he needed to get going, but it hardly fazed him.

“You look nice,” he said as he glanced at me for a split second before his eyes returned to the T.V. screen.

“Thanks,” I said. “I have to go soon. Did you want to use the shower before I leave?”

“Nah,” he said. “I’ll shower in a bit.”

“Oh,” I said. He really wasn’t leaving. “Okay. Um…”

“I hope it’s cool if I just hang out here for a bit?” he said. He looked up at me with his gorgeous dark, sexy eyes, and for a second I was smitten once again. He was charming when he wanted to be. “I promise I won’t touch anything.”

He flashed his million dollar smile and raised his hands in the air as if it emphasis that he wouldn’t touch a damn thing.

I really didn’t have any valuables in the house he could steal, even though that was really the least of my concerns, and I was pretty diligent about shredding all my mail on a regular basis.

“Um,” I paused. “Okay. I guess.”

He stood up and walked over to me, slipping his strong arms around my narrow waist. He pulled me in and moved my hair off my shoulder, exposing my neck. He leaned down and kissed my neck softly, innocently, and I let down my guard a little.

“I’ll be here when you get back tonight,” he said. “Maybe I can take you out to dinner before I leave town? I’m just not ready to leave you yet.”

The way he said it was sweet and instantly knocked me off my high horse. He just really liked me. He was trying to be sweet, I told myself.

“Okay,” I said, as I couldn’t help by flash a smile. It felt good to be wanted like that again after spending the last year feeling like someone else’s road kill.





CHAPTER 9





I walked out of my townhouse and left Blaze sitting on the sofa watching T.V. It felt so weird to leave him there in my house, and I knew my mom would flip if she ever know. Hell, Tessa and Raquel would have an absolute conniption fit if they even know I was hanging around that guy still, but no one would understand.

They didn’t know how heartbreakingly lonely I’d been in the last year. They didn’t know how many nights I cried myself to sleep wondering why no one would pay me any attention. I hadn’t even been asked out on a date since Jeremy left me. I was beginning to think I was going to die alone, in my townhouse, with Delilah the cat. A spinster. Me.