“Operation SPANK?” Nate asks, full of curiosity.
“I think what Lila and Gemma are trying to say is…” Chase’s green eyes are steady on mine. “We just want you to be safe, Phoebe. And you’re safest here. There’s video surveillance at all the doors and windows. State of the art tech.” His eyes soften. “As long as those men are out there, you’re a target.”
Damn. Why does he have to be so kind and chivalrous and logical?
I look at Gemma. “How do you win any arguments, with this guy?”
She shakes her head miserably. “I don’t.”
Chase grins. It’s a good grin. I know right then, I’m not going to get my way.
“Fine.” I collapse back onto the sofa with a huff. “I’ll stay. But I won’t be happy about it.”
Chase buries a laugh beneath a cough. Lila giggles outright. Gemma lays her head on my shoulder. When I catch Nate’s eyes, they’re crinkled up in amusement.
Bastard.
If I didn’t love him so much, I’d hate him.
Chapter Seventeen
People say God only gives us as much as we can handle.
I say, his holiness thought spiders were a good idea.
Point me toward a different authority.
Phoebe West, contemplating a higher power.
I can’t sleep.
I know it’s been days since I properly rested and my wounds need time to heal,yada yada yada, but it’s the middle of the day and no matter how tight I pull the light-blocking curtains, my body isn’t fooled. Plus, it doesn’t help that whenever I so much as look at Nate’s bed, memories of what we almost did there start playing in my mind like a movie. An X-rated, slow motion movie.
Gemma and Chase left for work a few hours ago, her to the gallery and him to Croft Industries.Damn power couple. They promised they’d be back to visit tomorrow.
Lila left to pick up Boo and bring him here, along with some clothes and my laptop. If Nate’s going to hold me hostage, I need basic supplies.
Speaking of my captor — he’s gone, too.
A few minutes after our friends filed out, he pulled on his boots and a black leather jacket, shoved a “for emergencies only” cellphone into my hands, and headed for the door.
“Where are you going?” I called after him.
He froze in the doorway, head turning over his shoulder so I could see his face in profile. “Hunting.”
With that, he set the security system to ALARM mode, slammed the door, and disappeared without another word.
Rude.
I’m under strict orders not to leave the loft under any circumstances. Hell, I wasn’t even allowed to let Lila and Boo in without an escort in the form of one of Nate’smen— the scary, commando-type dudes who work at Knox Investigations. I found this utterly ridiculous.
Lila, on the other hand, didn’t seem to mind spending time with Alden, the ripped blond with a crew cut and dimples, who escorted her to and from the loft. The dreamy smile on her face told me she’s already moved on from the heartbreak of Padraic.
Shocking, I know.
Boo was happy to see me, at least. We snuggled for a solid thirty seconds on the couch before he got tired of me and decided he’d rather sniff every square inch of the loft. Which means, for all intents and purposes, I’m alone again until Nate gets back.
God only knows how long hishuntingtrip will take.