Page 19 of Possessive Greek Chef

“Hello,” I answer.

“Hey, baby. I was thinking about you.”

“I was thinking about you, too, but then I fell asleep.”

“Well, sorry it isn’t more stimulating to think about me.”

“That’s not it. I took a walk earlier, and I got a really creepy feeling. I felt like someone was watching me. I think all your talk about keeping me safe gave me the jitters.”

“I’m locking up right now. I’m coming over.”

“You don’t have to do that. I’m okay, I promise you that I am. I just spooked myself for no reason.”

“You can’t say that for sure. When I taught self-defense classes, the first thing I told my students was that they should trust their gut feelings. Your body has a way of sensing danger before your eyes and ears provide the evidence.”

“That doesn’t make me feel any better.”

“Me neither. That’s why I’m coming over. I’ll see you in thirty minutes. Until then, keep your door locked.”

“Okay,” I end the call feeling like a silly, little girl. I shouldn’t have said anything about it. Now, I’ve made him worry. I want to see him but not because he’s concerned for my safety.

* * *

“Stop acting crazy,”I scold myself when Atticus knocks and my heart pounds like I’m the sacrificial virgin in a horror movie.

I slide the chair out of the way and open the door for him. He scoops me up by the waist and kisses me.

“Your heart is racing. Did something else happen?” he asks.

“No, I’m just being stupid. I knew you were coming, but I freaked out for a second when you knocked.”

“And nothing happened to make you uneasy? You didn’t see anyone watching you or hear footsteps behind you? Nothing?”

“No. Like I said, I think my imagination ran away with me. That’s all.”

“Well, I’m here. First thing tomorrow, I’m changing your lock. I don’t want you going out for walks in the dark anymore either. Daylight only. Got it?”

I nod and collapse into his arms. As embarrassed as I am, I’m still glad he’s here.

“I smell like the kitchen. We got swamped tonight and I had to back up the chefs. Let me use your shower and then we can head to bed.”

“I’ll get you a towel,” I grin.

“You can join me if you’d like,” he squeezes me.

“You haven’t seen the shower in this place. You’ll be lucky to fit in there alone.”

He shakes his head and says, “Not exactly a place fit for my princess.”

10

UNSEEN DANGER

ATTICUS

As I pull up to Aria’s apartment, I notice a man standing in the shadows on the other side of the street. He appears to be looking at her building, so I swerve to a stop and jump out of the car. The man sees me and gets into a running car that’s parked beside him.

“Hey,” I shout. “Hold on. I want to talk to you.”

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