She sounded so sleep-addled, that all I wanted was to pull her into my arms and kiss away her concerns. But that wouldn't stop the pounding – or head off any trouble if the knocker had ill-intentions.
I was already yanking on my jeans. "Whatever it is, I'll handle it. Don't worry."
"Hold up, I'll come with you."
The hell she would."Nope."
"What do you mean, nope?"
"It's the middle of the night."
"You don't know that for sure."
"Either way, you're not opening that door."
She huffed in the shadows. "Butyouare?"
"It depends on who it is."
She gave a little groan. "Oh, crap, I bet it's Tessa."
Inmybook, that would begoodnews compared to who else it could be. I reached for the tent zipper and yanked it open. "I'll let you know."
"Griff – "
"I mean it."
"But what if itisTessa?" she persisted. "It would be a million times better ifIanswered."
"And a million times worse if it's not."
"But who else could it be?"
"That's what I'm gonna find out."
Maisie threw off the sleeping bag and fumbled for her slacks.No panties.But hey, I was in the same boat. It's not like I'd stopped to find my briefs.
In the dim light, I could barely make out Maisie's form, topless and tempting as she shimmied on her pants. But this was no time for a distraction. And the wayIsaw it, the fact that she was shirtless actually worked in my favor.
There was no way she'd be answering the door likethat.
It was time to get a move on.I bolted from the tent and made for the connecting door, not bothering to track down my shirt, which had been flung to who-knows-where.
I eased open the connecting door and took a good, long look at the front room, which still had all the lights blazing.No surprise there.In the commotion of last night, we hadn't stopped to turn them off.
Hell, we hadn't stopped for a lot of things.
Outside, it was dark except for the dim glow of street lights and not much else. So itwasthe middle of the night.
On the door, the visitor was still pounding like they had a warrant. I strode forward, heading not for the door itself, but for the front window, where I could get a decent look before deciding what to do.
I was halfway there when the knocking stopped, and a face appeared on the other side of the glass, peering close with her hands cupped around her eyes.
Yup, it was Maisie's roommate, alright – or asIknew her, Raisin Girl.
I stopped short as our gazes locked. Her eyes widened for half a beat before they narrowed with obvious suspicion. Through the glass, she hollered out, "What have you done to Maisie?"
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