Claiming Sarah (Ace Security #5)(38)

Cole frowned and grabbed her elbow in his hand. He pushed open his office door and tugged her inside. He sat her on the love seat and knelt in front of her.

Sarah swallowed hard and looked into his eyes as he spoke.

“I promise,” he vowed. “I’ll have everyone I can think of working to find you. All the guys at Ace Security will help; Alexis will use her hacker skills to see what she can find. Hell, she’ll contact the retired Navy SEAL guy she knows and have him do his thing too. Even Ryder’s old team down in Colorado Springs will get in on the act. We would find you. You’d just have to hold on and be strong until we could get there. Hear me?”

She nodded, more scared than ever. She didn’t feel strong. Not like Grace and the others. If Owen hurt her—

She cut off the thought. “I’ll do what I can to get away,” she whispered.

Cole reached up, put his hands on either side of her face, and waited until she focused on him. “Good. But if it doesn’t work out, don’t panic. Just know I’m coming for you, and you’ll be all right.”

“Okay,” Sarah said.

“Okay?” he asked with an arch of a brow.

“Okay,” she responded a little stronger.

“There’s my girl,” Cole said. Then he brought her head down and kissed her forehead before standing. “Enough talk of Creepy McCreepsters. Want to go see that apartment?”

“Yes.” She reached up and took hold of Cole’s hand once more. He grabbed her purse and passed it to her, and they walked out of his office hand in hand.

Twenty-five minutes later, Sarah stood in the middle of the studio apartment that was for rent and turned in a full circle. It wasn’t huge, but then again, she was the only one who’d be living there. She could see the kitchen, living area, and the space where a bed would go all from her spot. There was a small closet, and a bathroom with a functional sink and shower. There wasn’t a bathtub, but there was a place for a stacked washer and dryer, and it even had a dishwasher.

But the best part about the apartment was the security someone would have to go through to get up to the third floor, where she was located. The side doors were always locked from the inside. All occupants had to go through the front entrance, where there was a code to get inside the building. Then, if someone didn’t have a resident ID, they would have to stop at the security desk and verify what apartment they were going to visit. There were cameras everywhere—in the elevators, stairwells, and hallways. Every apartment in the building had a chain lock, a dead bolt, and a lock on the doorknob itself.

Sarah had never felt safer.

The only problem was, there were other people applying for the apartment she was now standing in. She still felt bad about the idea of Cole or his friends calling in a favor and denying someone else the safe haven the building and apartment provided. They might need it more than she did.

“What do you think? Is it too small?” Cole asked.

Sarah shook her head.

“Are you sure?” Cole frowned, and his eyes roamed the space. “It’s smaller than I thought it would be.”

“It’s just me,” Sarah told him. “I don’t need a lot of room.”

His gaze found hers, and it looked like he was hesitating to speak.

“What?” she asked.

“I want to say something, but I have a feeling it’s too soon.”

Now she was really curious. “It’s okay. Say it.”

“Fine . . . but remember, you asked for it. It’s not just you who will be in here. I’m planning on spending as much time with you as you’ll let me, just as I want you at my place as much as I can get you there. I’m not opposed to a queen-size bed, which will fit in here without any issues, because I like to snuggle when I sleep. But a king-size bed won’t fit, not without totally overwhelming the space. And you’ll need a big TV, and a comfortable couch. Once you get all that furniture in here, it might be cramped. And I like to cook. I’m not that great at it, but it’s fun to try. The kitchen is functional, but I’ve seen the layouts of the two-and three-bedroom places here, and the kitchens are much bigger.”

He didn’t take his eyes from hers as he told her all his thoughts.

Sarah’s pulse hammered in her throat, and she felt hot all of a sudden. Cole was a snuggler? God. The image of him spooning behind her, one arm around her waist, his leg thrown over hers, flashed through her mind.

She wanted that.

She wanted him.

Screw the fact that she hadn’t been with anyone in years.

For a moment, she forgot about Owen Montrone and his fascination with her.

She could only think about them making dinner together, then falling into bed, making love. Snuggling as they watched whatever football game happened to be on television.

“What’s going through that mind of yours?” Cole asked. He hadn’t touched her. Hadn’t come closer, but the look in his eyes was intense.

“I want to take the apartment.” She knew he wasn’t trying to talk her out of moving to Castle Rock, and she understood the space issue. “Maybe I can stay here when you’re working, or during the day when I’m on night shift, but be at your place other times. My bed is a queen, so that should work. And one thing Jackson insisted on was a big TV so he could watch his sports, so I’ve got that covered. You’re right that the kitchen isn’t huge, but I think we could still both fit in there. I wasn’t going to move the huge sectional from my house—I was going to sell it—but I’ve still got a smaller one that is super comfortable and should be okay in here. I don’t want to wait for another apartment to open up, because Owen is freaking me out, but also because it’ll mean I can’t see you more often if I wait.” She held her breath, hoping she hadn’t said too much.