Page 61 of Instinct & New Identity

I slid off him momentarily asImoved my hands from his face to my hips and pulled at the strings of the bikini, releasing them and lifting the bikini above the water for him to see.

“Christ, woman,” he said, his voice sounding strained. “Getback over here.Now.”

“So bossy,”Iteased.

I yelped as he grabbed my hips and pulled me back down to straddle him.Then, his mouth was on mine.Itwas a hard kiss, full of heat and hunger.Istroked his chest and shoulders as he ravaged my mouth.

Abruptly, his lips left mine, andImay or may not have whimpered at the loss.Hegrabbed his phone from beside the hot tub, which had both buzzed and chirped several times.

“Grab your towel and get in the house,” he commanded.Gonewas the playfulVincefrom seconds ago.

“What?”Iasked, confused about his sudden change in demeanor.

“Get in the house now.Someone’son the property.Cameraalerts just pinged on my phone,” he said as he lifted me off him and pushed me toward the towels.

I grabbed the first towelIcould reach and tried to cover up as well asIcould in haste.Panicrising in me,Idashed into the house, racing back to the bedroom to put on some clothes.

Vince was right behind me, putting his clothes on as well, then grabbed his gun from the nightstand.

“Stay here, keep your phone in your hand, and do not leave the house,” he instructed before he exited the room, closing the door behind him.

Yeah, that wasn’t going to happen.Ifinished putting my clothes back on as quickly asIcould then made my way out of the bedroom, both tense and distressed about the abrupt end to our evening.

24

VINCE

AsIleft the bedroom,Ipulled up the security camera footage on my phone and saw the red truck that had pulled into the driveway was now stopped about a hundred yards back from the house.Imade my way into the kitchen to grab the spare gun my dad kept under the kitchen sink.Ihad my own butItook the other just in case.Iheard the bedroom door open and silently groaned, knowingCathadn’t listened to a damn wordI’dsaid about staying put.

“What do you see?” she asked quietly over my shoulder.

I turned the phone so she could see. “There’sa red truck stopped a little way up.Noone has gotten out yet, though.”

“Do you think they’re lost and just turned down the wrong driveway?” she asked.

“Do you remember the gate we came through on the way in?”Ireminded her. “Thisperson either broke in or knew the code.”

“Should we turn the lights out so they don’t think anyone is here?”

“Even though the truck was back down the road a bit, whoever’s in it would still be able to see not only my vehicle, but the house from where they’re located, so turning the lights off at this point wouldn’t matter,”Iexplained.

I couldn’t see inside the vehicle, but from the side camera,Icould now see the back license plate of the car.

“Grab your phone and callArcherfor me,”Itold her. “Putit on speaker-phone.”

I stared at my phone with the security cameras in view while she called my cousin.

Archer answered immediately. “Cat, everything okay?”

“We’ve got a trespasser,”Isaid beforeCatcould answer. “Canyou pull up my dad’s cameras and give me a second set of eyes?Alsoneed you to run the plates.”

“On it,” he responded.

I waited a few moments for him to pull up the cameras on his phone and assess the situation.

“Your camera on the front porch went black for a bit and just recently came back on.Youknow that?”

“That was me.Neededprivacy on the deck for a bit, butIjust turned them back on,”Itold him then looked over atCatto see her blushing as she looked at me.

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