Page 97 of Sheltered By Love

“Anyone with a right mind and an ounce of modesty,” I growl.

He drops his arms and grins maniacally. “You weren’t there last night. A couple tried to stuff dollar bills down my pants. They wanted me to take it all off,” he says.

I start to laugh at how stupid that sounds when he sits upright. “They did pay. They always pay. And they always want more Bachelors. Every singleyear.”

Before I can grumble again, I twig to what he’s talking about.

“Every year,” I repeat.

Levi nods. “Just not for all twelve months.”

I choke out a laugh. “You think this is a good way to raise funds? You think women would pay?”

He shrugs. “Why wouldn’t they? It’s a tried and tested method. Firefighters and cops do it to fundraise, why not us?”

I’m about to argue against this but he just grins maniacally. “Jax would sell it on reputation alone. Think of how many ladies in the area would pay to see him get his kit off? And Garrett owes you. You might have to give him something for it though.”

His eyes meet mine and my phone is in my hand and I’m dialing before I think about it.

Garrett answers on the third ring. In the background, I can hear a lot of women all talking at once and several overwhelmed cops trying to deal with them.

“This better be good. Fifty-nine ticket holders want a refund and I’m still waiting for the Feds to come pick up the guys you and Felicity mangled.”

That makes me chuckle. “I was calling to see if you need some help?”

“You can’t help unless I deputize you,” he says.

I think about the maggots crawling around outside and I don’t even hesitate. “Deal,” I say.

Felicity

When I wake, blurry-eyed, and groggy, Zane’s gone, but he’s left a note on his pillow.

Had to take care of a few things, I’ll be back around five.

Still yawning, I shrug on a t-shirt and stumble into the bathroom to check on Roger.

He’s happy to see me and probably as desperate as I am to get outside.

Jaxson’s apartment has provided a welcome respite but at some point, I need to venture outside and face the world again.

Trusting that Zane would call to say I should stay hidden makes it a little easier to work up the courage to peep outside to see if the reporters have disbursed.

A few cars are still parked in the lot, but one is Jaxson’s van and another one seems to belong to a family walking along the shore.

I feed Roger, promise we’ll be home soon, scrub my face and teeth, then step into the shower.

As I wash my body, this morning repeats pleasantly in my mind dislodging the nerves I’m still feeling.

My grumpy Marine proved to be quite an attentive lover. Just when I thought he’d given all he had, he managed to hold out until I was certain he was trying to prove a point.

I’m still smiling when I dress, make some coffee, and hear a knock at the front door.

The smile slides from my face and I stop breathing as I wait for my visitor to announce themselves.

No one says anything making my anxiety return. I can’t call out or I’ll give myself away, so I stay where I am, and hope whoever it is goes away.

Jaxson’s phone rings, making me jump. I stare at it, heart thumping, and nerves returning tenfold as Jaxon’s deep voice rumbles through the apartment.

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