Claiming Sarah (Ace Security #5)(43)

“Okay.”

And that was that.

Cole wasn’t sure what he’d expected. For her to agree he was a bad person and push him out of her house? To be appalled at the things he’d shared? But he should’ve known better. That wasn’t Sarah. She saw the good in everyone—it was just how she was wired. And something that often scared the shit out of him. But from here on out, she’d have him to make sure no one fucked with her.

He had a feeling her dads had seen the same goodness in her when she was just a child, and had done everything in their power to preserve it, to protect her from the shit that life could dole out.

“Did I wake you up?” he asked, trying to move on from their very emotional conversation.

She shook her head. “I was awake. Just being lazy and lying in bed trying to get up the energy to start moving.”

“Why don’t you go up and shower and get dressed? I’ll make us something to eat, then we can tackle the office and whatever else you want packed and sorted.”

Sarah stared at him for a beat, then nodded. “Okay. And if I forget to thank you later . . . thank you for being here to help me today.”

Cole knew there was no way she’d forget to thank him later, but he went with it. “You’re welcome, angel. And if you need any help up there in the shower, just yell.”

She blushed, but rolled her eyes.

He loved that he could tease her. He’d never felt so comfortable around another woman. Cole leaned down and kissed her forehead, then took a step back. He immediately missed the feel of her in his arms, but knew they couldn’t just stand around all day plastered together. He had to help her box up her stuff and decide what could be donated and what she wanted to keep. Not a lot of her stuff would fit in the new apartment, but the rest could be put into storage until she was ready to move to a bigger place.

Of course, the thought wouldn’t leave his head that when she was ready, she could move into his apartment. Or, once a bigger apartment became available in her complex, they could move into it together.

It was too soon to even be thinking about living together, but he couldn’t stop thinking about it. He would love to wake up with her in his arms every day.

She smiled at him and smoothed a lock of hair behind her ear. Then she turned and headed for the stairs without another word. Cole stood there watching her ass and legs until he couldn’t see her anymore before shaking himself and heading for the kitchen to see what she had that he could throw together for breakfast.

He knew down to the bottom of his soul that he was getting the better end of the deal when it came to this relationship, but he’d given her a chance to back off, and she hadn’t taken it.

Sarah Butler was his. Period.





Chapter Ten

Sarah nervously twined her fingers together at the same table at Ace Security that she’d sat behind a few weeks earlier. The morning had gone well, even though she’d been packing up her life to move on to something new and somewhat scary. Cole had kept her from getting too emotional, and he’d actually made the process fun. She got to tell him all the funny stories she could remember about Mike and Jackson, and it had been cathartic.

The trip to sign the background-check paperwork at the apartment complex had been quick and easy, and the manager had been very nice. He’d also told her that a three-bedroom apartment would be available in the not-so-distant future. The family currently living there was moving to Tennessee. She told him she’d have to think about it, but later, Cole had encouraged her to take it when the time came.

Three bedrooms seemed too big, and having a larger monthly payment was daunting after not having one for so long, but there’d been something in Cole’s eyes that made her not reject the idea outright.

And even now, hours later, Sarah swore she could still feel his lips on hers. When he’d surprised her and kissed her that morning, it had felt right. Everything inside her had tingled, and she’d felt as if she’d come home when she was in his arms. So she couldn’t help but think about sharing the bigger apartment with Cole. Which was crazy. Moving in with him so soon seemed insane. But she couldn’t shake the idea. It was a conversation to have at a later date.

At the moment, she was nervous as hell to hear what Logan and his team had found on Owen.

“How are you today, Sarah?” Logan asked.

“I’m good. I have three days off before I go back to work, and Cole helped me make a dent in the stuff in my house, so it should be able to go on the market soon. The timing is good, because as soon as the background check goes through on the new apartment here in town, I can move in.” She mentally groaned. She hadn’t meant to overshare, but there was something about Logan that made her really jumpy.

He grinned as if he could read her mind. “That’s all good news.”

She nodded. “Yeah. I’m hoping that whatever you guys have to tell me will be the cherry on top of the good-news sundae I’m having today.” She wanted to take the words back the second they were out. No wonder everyone thought she was always so freaking nice. She said stupid stuff like that all the time.

And by the way the smile disappeared off Logan’s face as soon as she spoke, she knew things weren’t going to go the way she’d hoped.

“Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to find out as much as we’d like,” Logan said, then looked at Blake.