Page 54 of High Intensity

“Right. There’s good reason why law enforcement felt it necessary to put a protective detail on you. You’re lucky it’s a job I’ve done a time or two, and I was happy to volunteer.”

That earns me a smile. “You were, were you?”

“Absolutely.” I cup the side of her face in my hand and lean in to kiss her smiling mouth. “I don’t know about you,” I mumble against her lips. “But I think an early night is in order.”

“Mmm, that sounds like a plan, but first I’ve gotta let the guys out one more time.”

While she takes care of the dogs, I quickly place a call to Wellspring to make sure Mom is settled in. Then I start turning off lights and making sure the house is secure, before I follow Jillian down the hall.

She’s already stripping off her clothes when I walk in, and for a moment I just stand here and watch.

“You’re still dressed,” she observes.

“I know, I’m busy enjoying the show.”

She crooks her finger and beckons me over. “Come here and I can help you get naked.”

I walk over and reach for her, but she swats my hands away.

“My turn,” she insists, her hands making quick work of my belt and jeans.

I have to lock my knees and suck in a lungful of air when she drops down on her knees, frees my cock, and in one smooth move slides me into the wet heat of her mouth.

I’m not sure I can take another breath, but what a glorious way to go this would be.

Jillian’s body is still draped over me when I startle awake sometime during the night.

I’m not sure what time it is—it’s still dark out—so I grab for my phone, which is plugged into the charger. The screen shows two fifteen, and I notice my phone is only at thirty-five percent battery capacity.

Maybe I didn’t plug it in properly.

I follow the cord to the outlet to make sure.

Weird.

Gently rolling Jillian off me, I lift my head to glance at the digital clock on her nightstand to find the display dark. Then I reach for the lamp and flick it on.

Nothing.

I’m immediately on alert, my ears prick up, trying to catch any sounds, but the house is quiet. Almost too quiet. I listen fora few beats when I hear what sounds like a soft click. To my surprise, there is no reaction from the dogs. When I got up to go to the bathroom around midnight, one of them was whining by the back door, and I let the pack out for a pee. I know every one of them came back inside.

And that’s when the adrenaline starts pumping for real.

Sixteen

Jillian

My eyes snap open when a large hand presses down over my mouth.

Even in the dark I recognize Wolff’s face just inches from mine, his index finger pressed against his lips.

“Quiet. Someone’s here,” he whispers barely audibly.

Now I’m wide awake. He takes his hand from my mouth and backs off, so I can sit up. He’s just wearing a pair of jeans and reaches for his gun on the nightstand.

Then I hear it; the soft creak of the loose floorboard by the front door. Emo sometimes lies on the mat in the front hallway, but I don’t hear the telltale sound of the tags on her collar rattling when she moves.

In fact, I can’t hear the dogs at all. If someone is in my house, why aren’t the dogs alerting?

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