Chapter 8
Alex parked her clunker and was reluctant to get out. Eyeing the darkened area behind the house, she wondered for the millionth time what was so hard about changing a friggin light bulb. She’d asked her landlord about a dozen times and still, no light. She’d even considered changing it herself except it was high up on the back wall and for her to do it; she’d have to buy a ladder as well as a second pack of light bulbs because her scum landlord hadn’t used the pack she’d already purchased and given him. Knowing waiting wouldn’t make it any brighter or warmer, she hunched her shoulders against the cold and barreled out of her car and up the back stairs.
She was fishing her keys out of her pocket when a voice behind her had her screaming as she spun and instinctively attacked.
“Jesus Christ, Alex! Stop hitting me!”
Breath heaving, Alex pulled her arm back for another punch but held it as she stared in shock at Recker.
“Recker Rhodes?” she breathed.
When he rubbed his chest and nodded with a, “Yeah,” Alex’s brows speared down.
“Why in the hell are you sneaking up on me? Wait!” She shook her head. “How do you know where I live?” She looked down to where her car was parked and noted no other vehicle in the side lot. “Have you been following me?” She knew her tone sounded accusatory, but what the hell? How in the piss did Recker Rhodes know where she lived?
“I wasn’t following you. Well…I was,” he amended looking flustered in the little light that revealed his features. “Actually,” he looked down.
Alex’s eyes rounded as she looked at what was in his hands. Spinning back to her door, she grabbed the handle and noted that it spun uselessly. Oooooh, Recker Rhodes was in trouble!
Slowly, turning back to face him, Alex tried to control the rage that slowly crept up to land with fiery fury in her cheeks. Feigning calm, she knew her tone came out accusatory when she asked, “You broke into my apartment?”
The implications of what it would mean for him to see inside her place were mortifying. She knew how she lived, and she knew how it would look to others. She didn’t want Recker’s pity and she sure as shit didn’t want anyone, let alone his fine ass, seeing the inside of the pathetic room she called home.
Recker looked down at the new doorknob in his hand, still in the package.
She could tell he was debating something, so she ordered, “And don’t you dare lie to me!”
Heaving a weighty sigh, Recker actually had the good sense to back up one step before holding up his hands. “You gotta let me tell it all before you freak out.”
Alex’s eyes narrowed at him. Crossing her arms, she tapped her foot and waited.
“Yeah,” he finally admitted. “I was gonna go into your place, but I broke the doorknob and had to run to town to get a replacement.”
Relief hit so damn hard that she couldn’t help the sigh that escaped her. Slowly lowering her arms, she asked, “So you didn’t go in?” Shit! Why did the question come out sounding all hopeful?
“Nah,” Recker looked down at the doorknob in his hand. “Didn’t go in.”
Thank fuck! “Well good,” she snapped so he would think she was still pissed instead of relieved. “Now, tell me why you’re trying to break into my apartment.”
“You know why.” He lifted his head, and dark brows snapped down over those gorgeous baby blues. “I need to know if you’re hiding anything, Alex.”
“Hiding anything?” She huffed a laugh, jerking a thumb over her shoulder. “My place is literally three-hundred and fifty square feet. I couldn’t hide anything even if I wanted to.”
Recker looked from her to the door, and she shook her head hard. “Oh, no. I’m not inviting you in.” Reaching out, she flicked the packaged doorknob. “Especially not after this.” Honestly, she was relieved for the excuse. She didn’t want Recker or anyone seeing where and how she lived.
***
Recker felt like grit for lying to Alex, but he could scent her apprehension. Normally, he’d have been concerned that she was, in fact, hiding something, but the weighty perfume of her embarrassment had recognition firing. She was embarrassed at the prospect of Recker seeing her apartment.
Fuck, I’m so outta my element right now.
Still, he decided he’d better make a show of investigating her. Crossing his arms over his chest, he narrowed his eyes at her. “So, where have you been?”
Without hesitation, Alex rolled her eyes and answered honestly. “The bookstore.”
“The bookstore,” he scoffed trying to sound disbelieving. “For this long?”
Alex was back to being all fiery again when she demanded, “How long have you been out here?”
“I drove by a few times, but your car was never here, so…”
“How do you know where I live again, and how do you know what my car looks like.”
Recker gave her a hard look. “It’s all in your application.”
“Oh.” Alex’s forehead relaxed.
“So you were at the bookstore this whole time?” he redirected.
“Yeah. It’s warm and has good books and free coffee.”
Alex dipped her head with the last admission, and it had Recker remembering how bare her cupboards and fridge had been. He wanted to bring it up, but couldn’t since he’d lied and said he hadn’t been in her apartment.
“So,” she prodded.
“So what?” what he asked.
“You gonna stand on my porch all night, Recker Rhodes?”
“Nah,” he shook his head with a grin before holding up the package in his hand. “I’m gonna replace your doorknob, let you get some rest, and show back up tomorrow like a normal person would and knock on this damn door to see if you’ll let me interview you some more.”
He liked the way her eyes lit up when he said that. Maybe he liked it too much because his smile slipped as he reminded himself that she was just a job. Nothing more, nothing less.
Jerking his chin to the door, he ordered, “Go on inside now, it’s cold.” His eyes dipped to her threadbare coat. “And you ain’t dressed right for the weather.”
She opened her mouth like she wanted to argue and he knew that she did. Damn woman didn’t know how to let anything just ride. To her credit though, she snapped her jaw shut and pulled her door open, sliding her body half inside before stopping to say, “No peeking inside either.”
“Woman, I ain’t gonna peek in your place. Besides, if I wanted to see in…”
She cut him off with a haughty, “A, you’d break in while I was at the bookstore, and B, buy a new doorknob to cover it up?”
That earned her a real laugh as he nodded sheepishly, “Touché.”
Alex was smiling at him too and goddamn if it didn’t affect him. She was all perfect teeth and twinkling eyes that said she hadn’t had a reason to be happy in a long time. She sobered a little under his scrutiny. He realized he’d stopped laughing and was staring at her like he wanted to fucking devour her. Swallowing hard, he realized it wasn’t far off the mark.
“Ok,” she dipped her head. “Goodnight, Recker Rhodes.”
Groaning he let his head fall back on his shoulders. “Just Recker,” he breathed up at the sky.
Alex giggled and disappeared into her apartment, and the whole time Recker fixed her doorknob he wondered what she was doing on the other side of the slim plank of wood separating them from each other.
His imagination ran wild, and while he could hear her moving around, he imagined she was inside stripping out of her day clothes and sliding into something to sleep in. In his head, it was a sexy red negligee that was practically see-through. He imagined her lying back on her cot, red-tipped nails pulling the hem of her nightie up her smooth, thick thighs.
He bit his lower lip when his dick went hard but kept right on fantasizing.
Alex peeled the sheer fabric higher and higher until she was just about to expose herself.
Hell, his mouth was watering now, and he was practically panting.
“Recker?”
Alex’s voice had his head whipping up from where he kneeled in front of the door.
“You almost done?”
He looked at the doorknob and then back up, “Uh…yeah. Just about.”
“Good,” she smiled wanly. “Cuz it’s cold.”
Fuck! He’d forgotten all about how cold her apartment had been even though it was early spring. Honestly, in Montana, things didn’t really heat up until mid-June, which guaranteed that Alex wasn’t running around inside in a flimsy negligee. Hell, she probably slept in thermal pants and sweater with thick wool socks on her feet.
Opening his mouth to ask her about her space heater, he just as quickly slammed it shut when he remembered he wasn’t supposed to know about her heating…or rather, lack of heating situation.
“Two more minutes and I’ll be outta your hair.”
“K,” she flashed a reluctant smile. “Thanks.”
When she disappeared this time, he worked quickly to get the doorknob on before pulling the door closed, making sure it was locked, and then scanning the area before letting a raven explode from him. He had to get away from Alex because she was fucking with his head and that’s exactly what an enemy infiltrator would try to do.
Stay focused, he self-admonished beating his wings like hell to get away from the soft sound of Alex’s voice as she pulled her door open and called out to him.