Page 48 of Crash and Burn

“I had two younger sisters and a single mother in grad school … in Chicago. I got really handy at a really young age.”

She could feel her eyebrows climbing. That was not the answer she’d expected. She’d just assumed he was from around here. So she asked what she hoped was a good question. “What was she in grad school for?”

“Her MBA.” The pride in his voice said everything and Maggie smiled back at him.

As they wrapped up the installations on the first two doors, Maggie put her hand to her head and swore. “I havefiveexternal doors. I forgot about the upstairs balcony door!”

Her aunt’s office had a balcony that opened over the porch in the back. She didn’t use it much … or ever. So she’d forgotten. But it did provide access into the house and it was keyed to the old locks.

The five of them began talking over each other, trying to decide what to do. Sebastian hadn’t even bought a new lock for that door, because she’d forgotten it. She was apologizing and the men were debating.

“No oneshouldbe able to get up there, right?” Ronan asked her.

“They’d have to climb the posts to do it, yes. But if anyone did, the lock would be easily opened with the old key,” she told him.

“If your prowler used to live here, he might know about the door and even an easy way up to it,” Luke pointed out.

Even now, lying in bed with five new locks, it scared her to think that someone else knew other ways into her home …

They didn’t want to leave it. So Ronan had run to the store to get another kit and it made another hour of work. So she’d bought everyone pizza.

Sebastian had asked for a substitute for his shift the next day. Maggie had told him not to—she had new locks after all—but she’d still been grateful when he refused.

He was here. Across the hall.

Was he finally someone she could count on?

Rex hadn’t betrayed her like Ryan and Celeste had. He hadn’t ruined her memories like her father insisting that a little betrayal didn’t really hurt a marriage. Aunt Abbie had remained a shining beacon in Maggie’s memory when everything else had fallen apart. Maybe that was why moving to Redemption and moving into Abbie’s home had seemed so appealing at the time. But even here, Rex had used her. She didn’t have real friends, not yet. But would she ever fit in?

Aside from the man across the hallway, she was alone, and it was a stunningly sobering thought.

Though she pushed that awful thought away, her mind turned to the chaste kiss goodnight in the hall. She’d been shy again, not knowing what he expected or what might make their budding relationship blow up in her face.

Though the touch of his mouth to hers had rocked her world again, they'd gone through separate doors. At the time, Maggie had stupidly believed she would fall asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Now, she'd been staring at the ceiling and the temptation to cross the hallway and see if Sebastian was awake was getting stronger. But there was no way to sneak through this house, so she stayed put. Besides, Sebastian had been tired, she didn’t want to wake him.

Would she be going to him because she wantedhim? Or would it just be so she wasn’t so alone?

Maggie wanted to believe she was better than that, but her whole world had blown apart by her own inability to see others for who they really were. And now she was here, and it had been several months and nothing was really fixed.

She didn't know how much longer she lay there, wide awake and trying to ignore the sad and awful thoughts in her brain before she heard the door open across the hallway.

It was clearly Sebastian. She listened intently as his footsteps wandered down the front steps. And after that she lost track of where he went. Possibly the kitchen, maybe getting a glass of milk or something.

She waited for him to come back and it didn’t take long before she heard him padding softly through the living room.

It wasn’t a conscious decision, but when he hit the bottom of the stairs, she was waiting at the top.

Chapter Forty

She watched as Sebastian paused at the bottom of the steps. His gaze slowly lifted and even in the dim light she could see the heat there.

Then again, she was wearing yet another stupid nightshirt—this one had Bugs Bunny on it—and maybe he could see up it from where he stood. She’d worn it specifically to keep herself from crossing the hallway and seducing him. Surely, she couldn’t tempt a man in a Loony Toons nightshirt? But the look in his eyes said she could.

Slowly, he began climbing the stairs. He was wearing only plaid pajama pants and everything she’d wanted to see and touch before was on display. Well, noteverything. The steps squeaked, protesting as he put weight on them, and the sound itself was suddenly sexy.

When he finally stood one step below her, and almost on eye level, she swallowed. Was she really going to do this?

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