Page 6 of Concealed

Gabe’s badge along with his calm, steady temperament ensured that he wouldn’t lose his shit and end up in jail when I told him why I needed to run. An arrest warrant is exactly what would have happened to my blood brother if I got him involved.

No one else knows where I am.

And they can’t find out.

The grainy pictures Gabe sent me of Wyatt did not do justice to the man –holy hotness. But despite temporarily living with the definition of male perfection, I can’t get close to him.

So much has happened so quickly, but a sexy roommate isn’t going to change my plans. I just need a safe place to catch my breath, and then I’ll get a place of my own as soon as possible.

That won’t be super easy without a job or much money to my name, but I managed to get away. That means something because so many women don’t.

And I can figure out the rest of my life, too.

Iwillfigure it out.

We walk toward the front door of an end-unit townhouse situated so close to the beach that the roar of waves crashing on the shore is our welcoming committee. At least it will be peaceful while I’m invisible, and there are certainly worse places – and views – to have.

Views.

Wyatt is at least a foot taller than me and totally jacked under the uniform that looks custom-made for him. The way the sleeves bunch at his biceps and the visible lines of his muscular chest and back through the dark blue button-down shirt scream, strength.

Sure, it’s sexy, but it’s also…

Intimidating.

It has me thinking about where the closest exits are and if I can get to them quickly. It has me avoiding walking past anywhere he could box me in and trap me. And it has me keeping enough distance from him that even his long, sinewy arms can’t reach me.

I was never supposed to beone of those girlsand yet, here I am.

When we enter Wyatt’s place, he gestures at all the stacked cardboard boxes.

“Everything is a mess because I just got here yesterday. Luckily, the place came furnished, but I haven’t put anything where it goes. Hell, I don’t even know where it goes yet.”

He shoots me an adorably rueful smile while running a hand through his hair, knocking the wind out of me.

Okay, the picturesreallydidn’t do this guy justice.

I try to smile, but my lips don’t get the signal from my brain. Realizing I’m all alone with him – a strange man, even if he is Gabe’s old partner – has me shaking so badly that my teeth chatter.

When my stomach rolls, I have to bite my lip to keep from crying. The adrenaline from this morning is starting to wear off, and now I just feel like an empty shell.

Wyatt, thankfully, gives me some space, and he walks toward a gun safe to stow his weapon and remove everything else from his duty belt.

“I made sure to set this station up as my first priority. Locking everything away is part of my coming home ritual,” he explains, as though to reassure me.

And it does, kind of.

“How was your first day?” I ask, looking down at the ground. My voice is so wobbly that I can hardly understand myself.

I can tell he’s facing me now because his gaze is like a weighted blanket, but I don’t look up from the hardwood floors.

Jesus.

What the hell happened to me?

I’ve completely forgotten how to have a normal conversation.

“Are you okay?” he asks softly. “Is it too cold or… bright… in here for you?”

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