Page 9 of Never In My Wildest Dreams
Also, a dangerous man wouldn’t have waited for her to step aside. He wouldn’t go out of his way to make her feel comfortable. But mostly, she didn’t see any other choice but to let him sleep here. So, she gave him a tentative nod.
His stern demeanor didn’t change, but the slight twitch around his eyes clued her in to how relieved he was. Turning, he left her alone in the bedroom that had given her so much peace these last few months.
But now that the terror had downgraded to a milder fear, her instincts were coming back online. Because it wasn’t the body wash, shoes, safe, or the brand of duvet that told her this guy wasn’t a threat. It was her gut. Having worked in an industry filled with predators—hell, she’d been propositioned as a tween—her spidey senses were on point.
“Hey.” The man reappeared in the doorway. “How’d you get in here anyway? There are only two keys, and I have them both.”
Her gaze cut away. Because that drove it home. “I broke in.”
He folded his arms across his chest. “Come again?”
“No, no. It’s not like that. My mana—”Oops.If he knew she had a manager, he’d ask questions. And if he didn’t already know who she was, she wasn’t about to reveal her identity. “I needed a place to go, so a friend rented this cabin. She told me where the key was, but I couldn’t find it. So, I broke the window.” She tipped her head toward the kitchen.
“Huh.” He pulled a set of keys out of his pocket. “Look at that. I didn’t have to break into my own cabin at all. I wonder who should get the bed?” Still, he walked away. She could hear him flopping down on the couch and arranging the coat over himself. “I’m going to have sweet dreams about my cigar cutter that’s in the second drawer to the left of the stove and my stash of Pappy Van Winkle bourbon in the top cabinet over the refrigerator. Both of which I’ll be enjoying tomorrow afternoon in front of a roaring fire.” He exhaled with satisfaction. “Alone.”
Okay, fine. He was the owner.
“Hey, Hellcat?” he called.
She poked her head out of the bedroom. “What?”
“What address did your friend give you?”
“I don’t remember. It was nearly three months ago.”
“You’ve been living in my house for three months?” He popped up. “Did you drink my bourbon?”
“No, of course not. I didn’t use anything that looked like the owner’s personal stash. Just the toilet paper, napkins, and paper towels. Stuff like that.”
He looked horrified. “We have no toilet paper?”
“Relax. Your throne’s intact. I’ve bought more.” In fact, she’d stockpiled it. The fewer deliveries, the less chance someone would figure out who she was.
“Thank you for acknowledging that it is, in fact,mythrone.” Lying back down, he closed his eyes, his features relaxing.
It might be a weird observation to make at the moment, but the man was gorgeous. And unbelievably well-built. Even in the sweater, she’d noticed his bulging biceps. Also, judging from his clothes and that fancy watch on his wrist, he was well-off. “I’m open to the suggestion I might’ve got the wrong address.”
“It’s not hard to do out here.”
Oh. She’d expected a snarky comeback. She wasn’t prepared for him to benice.
“The cabins are far and few between here in the Tetons.” He rolled onto his side, hiking up his knees and resting his cheek on his hand. “Now, go to sleep.”
“Okay, but you keep your hands off me now.” She said it like a joke, but really…
Are you kidding me?How am I supposed to fall asleep with a strange man in the cabin?
“Yeah, there won’t be any of that.” He settled deeper into the leather cushion. “You’re not my type.”
He…
What?
Did he just say I’m not his type?
Of course, he was seeing her at her worst. It was the middle of the night, he’d startled her out of a deep sleep, and she was wearing oversized clothes. Not to mention the coffee stain on her sweatshirt. But she wasn’t an unattractive woman. She was friendly.
Well, maybe a little less friendly after the hits she’d taken this year.
