“Good to know.” I laugh as we head out the front doors of the theater. Halfway across the parking lot, the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end and I look around for the source of my unease. I shake off the feeling and open the door when I don’t notice anyone or anything that would make me uncomfortable.

“You okay?” Brie asks as I buckle my seat belt.

“Yeah, just a weird feeling.” A shiver slides down my spine.

“Weird feeling?”

“I think it’s just the parking lot and what happened. Ya know?”

“I didn’t even think. I should have remembered,” she says, looking worried.

“It’s okay. I’m okay.” I rest my hand over hers. “Trust me, I’m fine. It’s just going to take time.”

“I’m going to call Monday and set up your appointment.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?” she asks, surprised by my easy agreement.

“I know I need to talk about it. I’m not looking forward to it, but I know I need to talk about what happened.”

“I’m here for you. Whatever you need, I’m here for you and so is Ken.”

“I know,” I agree with a shaky breath.

“Let’s get you home.” She puts the key in the ignition then starts up her car. When we pull out of the parking space, I swear I feel eyes on me and look around but don’t see anyone. I try to push the feeling aside, but until I get home and into my house, that feeling only seems to grow more intense.

Chapter 5

Cobi

WITH A PIZZA BOX tucked between my bicep and hand, and a case of beer in my grasp, I make my way up toward Hadley’s front door. When I see that all the lights in her place are once again on, my jaw tightens. I hate that she’s living in fear. I hate that she’s afraid to even be in her own home alone. I hate it worse that there is nothing I can really do but be here for her until she talks everything out and finds a way to move past what she went through. Knowing I can’t protect her from her own mind makes me feel helpless, a feeling I’ve never felt before.

Then again, she seems to bring a lot of feelings out of me that I have never felt in the past. Protective, possessive, and a little crazy with lust. When I’m not with her, I’m thinking about her, and when I’m with her, I’m thinking about all the things I want to be doing to her. Not only is she sweet, but she’s the sexiest woman I have ever met, with brains and a smart mouth that seems to leave me panting after her like a lost dog.

When I reach her front door, I ring the bell and wait while looking through the glass at the side. I watch her approach, and my cock twitches behind my zipper. Normally when I come over, she’s already dressed for bed, but tonight she’s dressed, wearing tight jeans that are destroyed from ankle to thigh, showing skin sporadically, with a tight tank top that leaves little to the imagination. As her eyes meet mine through the glass, I watch a million emotions filter through her gaze—lust, confusion, and apprehension, the strongest of the three.

“Hey,” I greet. Before she can open her mouth to reply, I dip my head and brush my lips against hers. Fuck, her lips are soft, so fucking soft I want to spend weeks or maybe years exploring their texture. Even though I want to, I don’t stop to study the look on her face after I’ve kissed her. Instead, I head for her kitchen, which is open to her small living room, and drop the pizza on the counter. When I turn, I find that she’s still standing at the door with it wide open, her eyes on me, looking dazed.

“Honey, you might wanna close that.” Jumping suddenly, she slams the door closed quickly and shakes her head like she’s trying to right her thoughts, and I fight back a smile. “Got us a half extra cheese, half everything, ’cause I didn’t know what you liked,” I tell her as she starts toward me.

“I like it all,” she says. “Though, extra cheese is always a win in my book.”

“Good to know.” I watch her as she gets closer to me and can tell she’s nervous—something she hasn’t been the two times I’ve been here before. “How was today?”

She lets out a breath then shakes her head. “Good, if you don’t count Brie bringing you up nonstop.”

“She likes me,” I state with a shrug.

“Yeah,” she agrees, looking annoyed. My smile turns into a grin and she drops her eyes to my mouth briefly. “Then again, she hasn’t been around you when you’re annoying. My guess, when that happens, her feelings toward you will change.”

“We’ll see,” I mutter, opening the lid on the box on the counter. “Hungry?”

“I wasn’t, but now I am,” she says, eyeing the pizza before she grabs plates from one of the cupboards. I open a beer for myself and offer her one, but she shakes her head. I place four slices of pizza on my plate then watch her place three on hers before grabbing a bottle of water and heading toward the couch. I follow her and take a seat as she picks up the remote and turns on the TV.

“How was your day?”

At her quietly spoken question, I turn my head to look at her and fight the urge to drag her closer and kiss her again. “My mom’s getting ready for a big yard sale and wanted to go through things in one of the storage lockers she owns. Dad knew she’d have him dragging everything out, so he asked me to help.” At her confused look, I fill in the blanks. “My mom owns a store in town and she never throws anything away, even things that should be tossed, she holds on to them. She’s been saying for years she’s going to have a yard sale.”

“Better late than never.” She laughs, and hearing her beautiful laughter for the first time, I know I want to hear it every day for the rest of my life.

“It’s been ten years, baby.”

“Well then, I want to know when she plans on having it. Maybe she will be selling collectables.”

I grin at that then shove another bite of pizza into my mouth. “Anyway, I like spending time with my old man, so it was good to do that.”

“Is it just you and your parents, or do you have any siblings?”

At her question, I finish another bite from one of my slices, swallowing before answering. “One sister, her name is Hannah. She’s a flight attendant. She lives in France, and most of her flights are international. She comes home a few times a year.”

“Wow, so she speaks French?”

“No, not well anyway.” I chuckle. “And she failed French in high school and got by on the edge of her teeth in college.”

“That must be interesting for her.”

“It is, but she loves it, and having been to visit her a few times over the years, I get why she’s insisted on staying there.”

“You’ve been to France?” Her voice fills with awe and her eyes light up.

“To Paris.” I take a pull from my beer. “I’ve never traveled outside of the city when I’ve gone. Then again, with so much history in the city, it would take years to experience it all, so I haven’t felt gypped.”

“It’s on my bucket list.” She smiles, leaning closer, her eyes filling with excitement. “One day, I want to stand under the Eiffel Tower and watch it light up. Then I want to sit under it and eat a crêpe or twelve from one of the local vendors I’ve researched.”

“I’ve had the crêpes myself and can tell you from firsthand experience the Nutella ones are the best. Then again, the lemon and sugar ones are nothing to sneeze at.”

“I can’t wait to experience them for myself,” she mumbles before taking a bite from one of her slices.

“What about you? Do you have any siblings?”

At my question, I watch her frame freeze and her muscles tighten. “Nope, it’s just me.”

“What about your parents?”

Her eyes meet mine and something that looks like apprehension fills them. “My parents....” She presses her lips together then looks away briefly. “I don’t see them much. They… um… they are kind of busy doing their own thing.”

Reading the look on her face, I let it go and don’t question what she means. I know her parents were not in her hospital room the night she was there and that they haven’t been around since she’s been home, at least not when I’ve been around. Judging by the way her body has tensed at my question, I know whatever happened between her and her parents isn’t good. I also know I need to tread lightly where they’re concerned.