Page 26 of Tapped

His stare lingers on me, and for the first time I realize I’m standing here in nothing but a matching tank and sleep shorts. It’s pure silk, luxurious, and thin.

I’m also not wearing anything beneath it.

I cross my arms.

“You want me in the house.” It’s a statement, not a question.

My bottom lip trembles as I nod.

He gives me another chin lift and doesn’t take his eyes off me as he pulls his gun and holster from his hip. He moves to my family room, and I follow his every move as he sets his gun on the coffee table, followed by his badge. Then he unloads his pockets—keys, phone, wallet, a few loose bills and coins. I’m fascinated when a tube of lip balm lands on top of the messy pile.

Finally, he turns back to me and nods to the stairs at my back. “Go to bed, Evie. I’ll be right here.”

I pull in a deep breath and nod quickly as I exhale. I hurry straight to the front door and arm the security system, officially locking myself and Chase in with a stranger. I grab the gun that feels foreign in my hands and can’t wait to lock it back up.

I’m up two stairs when I turn back to see the enormous tattooed man settle on my sofa.

Nothing has ever looked more out of place in my house, yet, I can’t remember the last time I’ve felt this much relief.

It consumes me.

So much, a chill runs down my spine, but I can’t cross my arms again to mask my hardened nipples because of the damn gun that’s pointed at the floor.

“Thank you.”

Micah’s blue eyes angle back to me from across the vast space.

“I know my house is safe and monitored. But when I turned off all the lights tonight, my brain … it started to mess with me. Thank you for staying. It means a lot. The thought of something happening to Chase…”

“Get some sleep,” he demands as he reclines on my sofa. “You’ve had a shit day. Tomorrow you can tackle this with a clear head.”

I nod, grateful and relieved to have this strange man sitting in my house all night.

“Goodnight,” I call, for no other reason than I have no idea what else to say.

He doesn’t return my awkward farewell. His heavy stare doesn’t help me shake the chill from my ragged emotions. In fact, the combination feels like a science experiment gone wrong, and I might erupt at any time.

He’s right. I need sleep.

And I need to lock away this damn gun.

I turn to run up the stairs and away from the special agent.

8

HARDHEADED

Micah

There’s a banging on the door followed by three quick rings of the doorbell.

And since I doubt many hitmen announce their arrival, I assume it’s someone Evie knows or is expecting.

But I also don’t want to trip the alarm. If her system is half as good as she touts and her family is as influential as they came across during my investigation yesterday, the SWAT team will be here in no time.

It’s not even six in the morning. Who the hell would be banging on her door at this hour?

I slide my gun back onto my belt and go to the bottom of the stairs to call for her without yelling. “Evie.”

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