Page 67 of I Accidentally Hired a Shadow Walker
The loud chime of the doorbell snatched away my hope of peace. I reached for my phone, wanting to check the security camera to see who it was, but I realized my phone was still in my office.
So, to the remorse of every molecule of my body, I pulled away from Raymond’s heat and slipped out of the bed.
On my way to the door, I grabbed my robe and wrapped it around myself. I should have checked the camera, I should have looked out the peephole, anything but swinging that damn door open like I had no sense. Because the moment it opened was the moment all sense slammed back into my head.
The shadow man is in your bed and you’re just opening the door? Your ass knows Jackie is in town! Who else would it be?
And there was my friend, standing on my porch. Her happy expression quickly shifted from excitement to see me to suspicion. I could see her investigator hat forming on her head as her eyes scanned my body, searching for clues.
In an effort to deflect her pending judgement, I looked around her, ready to comment on the weather. The passenger door of her rental swung open, and my heart plummeted into the pit of my stomach as the short, muscular monster hunter stepped out. Miguel.
Damnit! This can’t be happening!
“Did you bring the entire team with you?” I asked, trying to sound like I was joking and not panicking.
“Would it bother you if I had?” Jackie’s right eyebrow lifted—more data being collected in the case against me.
“Some notice would have been nice is all.” I pulled the robe tighter around me.
She lifted her phone and wagged it at me, and I had a flashback to Raymond standing on my porch. “I called you twice and sent you three texts about me coming.”
“Oh, I left my phone in the office last night.” I looked over my shoulder, more so to make sure Raymond wasn’t there than anything.
Please, just stay in bed! Or better yet, pop your shadow ass on up out of here!
“Either way, it’s just us. Thought we could go grab breakfast and talk over things. But…” She looked me up and down. “Now I have questions. For one, what have you been up to?”
“What do you mean?” I could feel the heat in my cheeks already giving away my secrets.
“Everything okay?” His heat was suddenly on my back.Raymond. I closed my eyes in shame as he spoke. Yes, she was going to give me shit about it.
“Um.” I opened my eyes to see Jackie’s lips twisted. She was holding it back. Thank the heavens!
“On second thought, we’re going to go grab breakfast and come back here.” She pointed two fingers at us. “Give you two some time to put clothes on. That work?”
“Thanks,” I said simply before stepping back to shut the door and cringing when I heard her laughter.
Never living this down!
“You couldn’t just stay in the room?” I smacked his shoulder. “I could have gotten rid of them without them knowing you were here.”
“Why? Are you embarrassed?” He slipped his hand around the back of my neck, pulling me closer to him. “Are you ashamed of me, Jericha?”
“No,” I pushed him back to get more space and let my heart slow down. “I just don’t put my business out there for the world to know.”
“That’s one of your best friends, right?” He frowned. “Jackie, I mean. I don’t know about the man, but I assumed you two were close. Women tell each other everything.”
“We do when we’re ready. I prefer to wait to tell my friends about the men I’ve been with, preferably until after I’m donewith them.”
“Are you done with me?” He held up his hands. “Let me know now, and I’ll leave.”
“Also, what wasthatabout last night?” I ignored his question and focused on my own.
“What about last night?”
“The extra hands!” I pointed at his hands still up. “You had more than two of them.”
“You liked that, huh?” He bit his lip seductively. “There’s a lot more I can do with my shadows.”
