Page 54 of Sweet Temptation

“Fine. No more key in the bushes.” I gave the empty can another little shake for effect.

Then I turned on my heel and took my precious coffee can back in the house, where I tossed it in the recycling bin.

Damn, I didn’t like him winning that one.

While Ronan was still outside, I heard a vehicle in my driveway. It was a work van. I watched from a window as Ronan greeted Maddox and the other guy who got out. They shook hands and talked in the driveway for a bit, looking up at my house and pointing at various parts of it.

Then Ronan brought the guys into the house. I pretended to be doing something in the kitchen, for some reason. I went over to meet Maddox’s co-worker when Ronan introduced him to me.

Then Ronan showed the guys around, without my help, while I eavesdropped, listening to them discuss the security concerns in my house.

Apparently, Ronan had many.

They headed into the garage and I headed upstairs to change out of my yoga clothes.

It was incredibly aggravating how men kept making decisions about my life and my home without even consulting me, then pretty much telling me how it was gonna be. Like I didn’t even get a vote.

First Brody. Jude. Ronan. Now Maddox and some random stranger.

I was trying, really trying, to see it the way Elle did. To take her advice and Jessa’s. And Ashley’s.

But I wasn’t Elle or Jessa or Ash, and this shit was grating me.

I decided to call Brody to complain, and made the mistake of picking up my phone.

I had messages. Oh, did I have messages.

I hadn’t checked them since this morning, because I was dreading the influx of concern. I didn’t even want to know how far the news of the Great Stalker Incident had already spread.

I took a quick look through my notifications.

Elle had checked in with me again. Ash had checked in, and there was a concerned message from his girlfriend, Danica, which meant he’d told her what happened. There was also one from Xander’s girlfriend, Courteney, which meant he’d told her, too.

Fabulous.

By this time tomorrow, maybe it would be all over the web so every person on Earth could message me about it.

I sent a quick reply to Danica and Courteney, then called Brody. Somehow, he eased me back to calm, using his soothing dad voice. Yup, he had a new parental tone too, and it sounded very much like Elle’s.

Also aggravating, but decidedly effective.

“Just let them do their jobs,” he said, like he was soothing a baby back to sleep. “We can discuss it later.”

I got off the phone with him feeling marginally better… then truly wondering if “later” meant “never.”

Chapter Eight

Summer

I headed down from my bedroom after my post-yoga shower with my hair in a loose bun on top of my head. I was freshly dressed in comfy loungewear—soft leggings, an off-shoulder T-shirt, and my favorite fluffy slippers—and ready to head to work. It was already mid-afternoon, yet my workday was just about to begin.

Maddox and his co-worker had been moving from room to room, basically counting windows, mumbling to each other and making notes, as far as I could tell. They were polite and professional about it, not to mention quick. They were now in the basement, according to the distant voices I heard.

I stopped as I walked into the living room. Ronan was just walking in the front door; he’d been poking around out in the yard again. I’d seen him from the upstairs window, inspecting my fence and typing on his phone or taking pics or something.

This was deeply unfortunate. Because if he was about to add “handy with lumber and tools” to his growing list of attractive qualities, this whole situation was just gonna get waaay more frustrating.

For me.

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