Page 70 of Baited

“I know,” she growled, then paused. Her tongue moved over the dryness at the insides of her cheeks. “Anyway, I was wondering if I could stay with you a couple of nights? I’ve been staying with Ethan since I found that snake in my bed. There’s no way in hell I’m sleeping in my bedroom. I’ll need to make other arrangements, but for tonight I’ll sleep in the spare room.” Maybe he’d move quicker if he thought she’d only be in the house a limited time.

The top of her head burned. The camera’s eye was on her, and he could be watching every breath. She had to end the call before she slipped up.

“Thanks, sorry to call so late. Let’s chat tomorrow.” She said good-bye and pretended to hang up. She stood from the bed, her fingers slipped under the strap of her dress, then stopped. No way in hell she was undressing in here. She pulled a pair of underwear and a T-shirt from the dresser against the wall, and left the room, closing the door tightly behind her.

Ethan stepped back as she slid past him and shut the door. She dropped her armload of items on the bed and ran her hands through her hair. A knot tightened at the base of her neck, shooting pain down her shoulders.

Ethan closed in on her and pulled her against his chest, his head rested on the top of hers. “You okay?” His voice was strong and sturdy, the lifeline in a tumultuous sea of emotions.

She let his body hold her weight, and her eyes closed against the black material of his shirt. Her breath came out in a long, slow sigh. “I’m fine. I can’t believe someone’s been watching me and listening. My god…”

His palm rested on the back of her neck, his fingers worked at the tense muscles. “Sorry I scared you like that when you came in, but I needed to tell you where the bugs were.”

She nodded. “It’s okay. He can’t hear us in here, right? You’re sure?”

“Positive. The bugs won’t pick up this far. You did great, by the way.”

His voice rose with amusement.

She tilted her head back to face him. His blue eyes were stormy, almost gray. “How many are there?”

“Just the three I mentioned.”

“One is above my bed?”

His jaw hardened beneath the plains of his face. “Yeah, the camera.”

“When is this going to be over?” She dropped her forehead back to his chest. The heat from his skin radiated through the material, the gentle rhythm of his heartbeat against her.

His hands fell to the small of her back and his lips pressed to her hair. “Soon, babe. I promise.”

Her shoulders slumped. She straightened away from him, pulled her cell phone from her purse, and plugged the charger into the outlet near the bed. “Are you coming to bed?” Desire curled around her belly, drawing it tight. But exhaustion settled into her bones. Her mouth opened on a yawn.

Ethan nodded and unbuttoned his pants.

She quickly changed and crawled into the bed. He stripped down and slid in next to her. His heat drew her, and she molded her body to his, her cheek rested on his shoulder, her palm over his heart and her bare thigh drawn over his lightly hairy one. Shallow breaths blew through his nose as he curled his arm around her, his hand resting on her hip.

Her eyes burned with fatigue, but her mind wouldn’t stop churning. She cracked her eye open and looked up at Ethan. His eyes were shut, his breathing slow and regular.

“Ethan?” she whispered into the darkness.

His hand flexed on her hip and his eyes remained shut. “Mmm?”

“I’m so tired, but I can’t stop thinking about who it could be.”

His breath rumbled through his chest against her ear and he shifted to look down at her. “You need to sleep, babe.”

“I know, but I can’t right now. Do you have a primary suspect?”

He snorted. “I have a lot of them. Someone would’ve had to have had access to your place. Anyone else besides Hanna’s parents have a key?” His knuckles dragged over her spine and her muscles unraveled.

“No, I can’t see Hanna giving a key to anyone.”

He moved his hand and trailed it up her back to toy with her hair. “Her parents could have someone managing the property or hell, even a handyman with a key.”

She pushed herself up and gazed down at him. The moonlight streamed in through the window, illuminating the steely gray in his eyes. “She does use a handyman. I’m pretty sure he’s the same one who changed the locks.”

Ethan sat up, and Riley spilled into his lap, the blankets pooled around them. She pushed up and scooted onto her knees.

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