Page 71 of Secret Crush

A few seconds later, Rafe came from the garage as security came out of the house. She stayed next to the cheese plate from earlier that made it somehow seem they were there for a dinner party. Alice's heart rate spiked at the thought she might have just been an idiot. Someone might be in her house. She swallowed, but then security spoke first, "No one is here, sir."

She released a huge breath. But then a car arrived outside and a team of security went out to greet the new arrival. She hugged her waist as she waited.

John nodded at the security officer without speaking. Who would be outside, now?

Rafe returned to join them. "I didn't find anything in the garage or attic. I'm going outside to check the grounds."

John smiled. "Thanks."

The police were supposed to collect fingerprints and clothing molecules to be brought back to a lab. That's what she saw on every cop show as procedure, but Rafe had no evidence bags. She stroked her throat. Then she held her breath as the door opened and two men carrying new panes of glass came in. Afraid, she stepped behind John, who reached behind her and rubbed the base of her spine. "It's okay. They will replace everything."

Over his shoulder, she peered at the two new men. "This is crazy."

His massage helped calm her. He asked, "Why?"

"Nothing on the farm gets fixed this fast when it breaks. Normally we have to patch things up and then when we have the time we head to the store to buy whatever we need to put everything back together as best we can."

His eyes closed while he took in her every word. At least her heart didn't race quite so much. He said, "I've never done that."

Sometimes his life seemed so strange. "What about when your bike chain went off the track?"

John shrugged. "I never thought about how it was fixed."

"John, your world is very weird to me sometimes. Next you'll tell me you've never ordered off the dollar menu."

A smile broke out on his face like he'd dared something exciting. "I was on stakeouts, though I usually had delivery from restaurants I approved of, but I went for fast food once, last year. I'm still not a fan."

Once, last year, were words that spoke volumes about his life. She shook her head.

The glass repairmen were noisy but fast and slammed their car doors before driving away. Alice jumped but tried to stay calm. Not every noise had to scare her. Whoever broke the window was gone now. There was no evidence of a break-in. Could've been a ball from a kid next door, but she didn't believe that. There had to be a rational explanation.

John locked the front door, showed her a number combination to set a new security code and then let his shoulders slump. Alice gazed around the empty house. Everyone was gone and they were alone, again.

Her blood boiled. What if the intruder came back? Her mind swirled as she massaged her chest. She walked closer to John and hoped a conversation would stop the fear building. "What happened today?"

His eyebrows arched. "Someone tried to break in."

The wrong answer. Perhaps she hadn't formed her question right. Her body trembled. There had to be another reason, but John spoke to her fear. She swayed on her feet. "And we're staying here?"

Without asking, he took her hands. "You saw how security worked. I didn't call anyone and we had the cops and Morgan security within minutes. Do you have a better place in mind?"

Unsure, her mind raced. "No."

His presence was like a rock. "Then here is good."

If she stayed next to him, she might feel safe. Maybe. She tilted her head "People don't usually want to murder me, unless you count Jennifer the one time in high school I went out with Rafe."

The spark between them fizzled. "You went out with Rafe? I don't remember any of this in school."

He sounded jealous so she quickly reassured him with a squeeze of his fingers. "It was one date. We decided we would be friends, so it wasn't a big deal. Jennifer and Rafe were once inseparable, though his younger sister, Caro, was always complaining about her. She works for your brother as his maid."

The spark of heat grew again as he smiled. "You make light of situations, a lot, but I don't remember much of anyone, except you."

Now was the time to ask. Her heart skipped a beat as she hoped for an immediate yes. "It's part of my charm. Can I sleep with you tonight?"

His lips pressed together. Not good. A shiver went up her spine. Worry that she'd ruined everything swept through her.

"What about taking it slow?"

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