"Walking Cash."
"Really? At one in the morning?"
"Technically, it's one-thirty," he said with a laugh. "But neither one of us were tired, so I figured I'd burn off some energy."
Oh, boy.If I hadmyway, we would be burning off the rest of Drake's energy in a different way. After the shower, I'd thrown on my comfiest bathrobe to wear while drying off. But Icouldbe wearing something a whole lot sexier in thirty seconds flat.
And Drake – he could be wearing nothing at all – ornearlynothing if I factored in protection. With a wicked smile, I asked, "If I say I'm happy to hear that, does that make me a bad person?"
He chuckled. "Not as bad as me."
I dashed into the bathroom to retrieve a condom from my secret stash. "Why you?"
"Because I want you to join us, but I'd be selfish to ask."
"Why?"
"Because it's late, and you're probably exhausted."
"Notthatexhausted," I said as I pulled out the silver packet and returned to the bedroom, planning to tuck it discreetly under a pillow. "If you want the truth, I was calling to invite you over." I almost giggled. "Like, for a slumber party, with clothing optional."
Drake's voice warmed with interest. "Oh, yeah?"
"Definitely. I mean, if youwantto. My bedroom's near the back patio door, and you could—" I broke off at the sound of a thud somewhere in the back yard. It sounded close.Tooclose.
Drake's response was immediate. "What's wrong?"
"I heard something." My pulse was jumping now. "By any chance, was that you?"
"Where?"
I glanced toward the noise and said a silent prayer of thanks that I'd already shut the window blinds. "I think…just outside my bedroom window?"
His tone became urgent. "You mean someone's outside?"
"Maybe." I forced a nervous laugh. "Or maybe it's just raccoons or something." The words had barely left my mouth when I heard the distinct sound of a cough. I froze.Male? Female?I couldn’t say for sure either way, but it was definitely human. "Oh, crap."
"What?"
I whispered into the phone, "Someone's definitely outside my window."
"Hang on," he said. "I'll be there in a minute."
Chapter 42
Drake
Screw the sidewalk.Cash and I ditched the usual route and started cutting across yards, looking to reach Gwen before something bad happened.
On the phone, she sounded perplexed. "Wait, are you running?"
"Hell, yeah, I'm running," I teased. "You think I'm gonnawalkto your rescue?" Even though my tone was light, this was no joke.
As for Cash, he looked happy as hell to be bolting through the snow with his floppy ears flying behind him. But he was no attack dog, and I preferred to keep him out of this – if nothing else, to preserve the element of surprise.
From the next street over, I finally spotted the rear of the house where Gwen was staying. From a distance, a quick scan revealed nothing unusual, but that didn't mean I was unconcerned.
On the phone, Gwen was saying, "Whoever it was, I'm pretty sure they're gone. I mean, I haven't heard anything new, sothat'sgood, right?"
