Sheltered(17)

I chase him down the long hallway as he darts around a corner and down a flight of stairs. I follow him in a panic trying to catch him, but he’s too quick. Just when I’m almost close enough, and I’m about to scoop him up, he darts to a crack between two massive doors and slips inside. I make a grab for him but he’s already through. The movement causes one of the doors to slowly open.

“Bear, get back here,” I whisper again, not wanting to wake anyone who might be asleep.

I’ve never seen his ass move so fast before, and of course he’s doing it right now.

I push the door open a little more and step inside. There’s a light on, and I spot him right away. He’s on a large wooden desk, lying on top of it like he’s been doing it for years; as if he owns the damn thing.

Thunder cracks loudly again, and the lights in the room flicker before going out. My hand flies over my mouth and I try to stop myself from screaming as my eyes move to the only other source of light in the room. There’s a fire lit in the fireplace, and I freeze when I notice someone standing in front of it.

A man is standing there with one hand braced on the mantle. His back is to me, and his size is intimidating. Not to mention he isn’t wearing a shirt. He’s only wearing a pair of slacks that hang low on his hips. I can even make out the place just above his ass, and suddenly my lips are dry. I lick them as my eyes roam over his broad back, thinking about how every thick inch of him is muscled.

When I realize I’m starting to drool, my cheeks heat. I can’t believe I’m stunned into shock by the way he looks. I should have my mind on other more important things at the moment. Like where the hell am I, and how did I get here. I look down at the shirt I’m wearing and wonder if it’s his shirt. I also wonder who owns all the clothes upstairs and where she is. That sure looked like a master bedroom to me, and I don’t want to get caught checking out her man.

“Cricket,” he says.

His deep, strong voice fills the silent room and it sends a warm chill down my back. I know he’s called me by that name before because it sounds familiar.

He pushes off the mantle, and the muscles in his back flex. Jesus, is this guy an advertisement for Bowflex? I didn’t think he could look any bigger, but from the front he’s like Thor.

When his eyes land on me, I feel completely naked. My palms sweat, and I try not to stammer as I see this big, muscled, hammer-wielding god before me.

“Where am I?” I ask, proud of myself that I was able to string a couple of words together.

Thunder strikes again, only it’s louder this time. I don’t have time to cover my mouth as it makes me jump and I let out a little scream.

He moves to me, faster than one would expect with how big he is. And before I can comprehend what he’s doing, he’s wrapping me in his arms to comfort me. That deep, rich smell fills my lungs again, and I know for sure now this shirt is his. So is the bed I woke up in.

I look up into his bright green eyes, and everything comes back to me.

“You’re home,” he says, as he places a kiss on my forehead.





Chapter 8





Fritz





“Where is she?” Lilith snaps, and I can see the anger and frustration in her eyes. I’ve let her down. Just like I let my parents down. The thought sets me on edge.

“I don’t know. She couldn’t have gone far. I went by her apartment this morning, but she wasn’t there.” I check my phone again, but she still hasn’t read my texts from last night. I try to reassure Lilith. I don’t want her to think I’ve fucked up completely.

“How could you be so fucking stupid? I told you to make sure she was gone for the day before you came in my office.” Lilith places her hands on her narrow waist.

“I know. I’m sorry,” I say, reaching out to touch her hand. She jerks hers back like she can’t stand the thought of me. “What’s the big deal? She’s gone. Let her go. It was time to end things anyway.”

Lilith turns around and gives me a death stare, and I take a step back from her, realizing she is even more mad than I thought. I don’t understand how she didn’t get upset that I had to pretend to be with Blair. You’d think she would have been jealous and that she’d now be glad Blair is gone from our lives. We can come up with a new plan.

“You have put this entire operation in jeopardy,” she says, crossing her arms over her chest. “It took years for you to find her then get her to work here. We don’t have the time to find someone new. Do you know how difficult it was to find someone so isolated and easy to manipulate? She was the perfect person for this job and you had to go and fuck it up!”

She shouts the last part at me and suddenly I’m afraid that I may have screwed things up beyond repair. I try to think fast so I can fix this.

“I’ll make it right. I promise. I’ll come up with something.”

Lilith rolls her eyes and lets out a long breath. “Jesus, how could I get involved with an idiot like you?” she asks, but I don’t answer. I can fix this, show her I can handle things.

“You’re not going to kick me out of your guest house, are you?” I ask, wondering where the hell I would go. My family disowned me years ago, and I’m flat broke until more money starts coming in from the stolen art.