Bella didn’t understand why talking about Ian’s bidding habits brought a storm of emotions across his face. When the doorbell rang, she still wanted to know why the topic upset him. She couldn't imagine why he wouldn't be happy about all the good deals he’d gotten over the past few months.

She reached for the door. On the other side stood a police officer around six-two—a couple inches shorter than Ian. The man had short dark brown hair. She couldn’t see his eyes behind the dark glasses.

“Are you Ms. Harper?” the officer asked.

She opened the door wider for the officer to come in. “Yes, and your name is…?”

Before he could reply, Ian said, “Hey, Max.”

The two men reached out their hands to do a manly handshake-hug. Bella’s ovaries were in overdrive, but she needed to get the vandalism noted and get back to work even though she had two hot men in her house.

The three gathered around the kitchen counter. “Now, Ms. Harper, my name is Officer Max Anders. Can you please tell me what happened?

“Please call me Bella.” She let out a sigh. “When I showed up after the auction, someone had spray-painted ‘Leave, bitch’ across the garage. I figured they were targeting the previous owners. Yesterday, when I arrived, someone had busted a window in the back of the house.” She had covered the broken window with plywood. In two days, a window installer was scheduled to fix it. “Then today, someone painted on the side of the house again. Officer, I’m sorry to bother you. I think they don’t know the house has a new owner.”

Ian and the officer gave each other a look she didn’t understand. “How long has the house been empty?” Anders asked.

She had no clue.

Ian said, “The previous family moved out two years ago. Their oldest daughter went missing. The family couldn’t live in the house anymore because it reminded them of their daughter. They bought the house during the housing boom. It’s been empty for two years. I don’t think they’re targeting the previous owners.”

How the hell did that man know so much about the house? She’d never looked into why the house was empty, only how much she could get for it. Damn. The man was sexy and smart. The more he was around, the more she wanted to spend time with him.

“How do you know so much about the previous owners?” she asked.

Ian shrugged. “I research all houses I might buy.”

“So this means the person is after you,” Officer Anders said. “Is there anyone you’ve upset or someone who might be mad at you?”

Her enemy list was a mile long. Thanks to her ex-boss, everyone in the San Antonio real estate business was her enemy. People she’d never even talked to hated her. Why wouldn’t people believe she had nothing to do with what her boss had done?

“I might have a few people in the real estate business who don’t like me,” she said.

The officer took notes. It was nice to know he took the situation seriously. She hadn’t reported the issue earlier because she hadn’t wanted to waste their time.

He looked up from his notepad. “Could you give me a list of people you think would come after you?”

“How about everyone in real estate?”

When Officer Anders looked confused, Ian explained, “Isabella was Mr. Ainsworth’s number two.”

He let out a whistle. “Ms. Harper, you need to add cameras, and you need to make sure you aren’t here alone.”

“Thank you for the recommendations,” Bella said. How would she pay for cameras and a bodyguard? She had one mission: to flip the house and make a profit so she could fund her next flip. One option would be to spend her time at the house instead of going home each night. That way, she would also get more work done on the house.

Officer Anders put his notepad in his pocket and asked to see the vandalism. The paint on the side of the house had dried. She wouldn’t be able to scrub it off. Fuck. She would have to repaint the side of the house. Officer Anders bent down and took pictures of the spray can then pulled out an evidence bag from his back pocket and put the can in it. He sealed the top of the bag with red tape.

Over the next few minutes, he took pictures of the house and documented the route the perp had taken. Bella already knew there wasn’t enough evidence to find whoever had done this, but with a police report filed, if the person came back, the police could charge them for the previous incidents.

Officer Anders left in his patrol car. Bella didn’t want the neighbors to complain about the graffiti on the side of the house, so she grabbed a roller and the paint. She expected Ian to leave with Officer Anders. Instead, he grabbed another roller and helped her paint the side of the house. They worked in silence, but her body hummed with how close he was to her. Every so often, her elbow would brush against him.

After cleaning up the rollers, Ian walked her to the front door. For the first time, he seemed nervous. “Isabe—”

“Please call me Bella.”

“Bella, will you have dinner with me Friday night?”

The question shocked her. Ian was handsome and successful. What would he want with her? It had been years since she’d been on a date. When she was working for Mr. Ainsworth, she focused on her career. For the past six months, she’d tried to resurrect her career. But she would be dumb not to say yes to the sexy, hot man who stood at her doorstep.

“Yes,” she squeaked out.

He pulled his phone from his pocket. “Can I have your number? I’ll text you closer to Friday so we can make plans.”

She rambled off her digits, and she could hear her phone ring from inside the house. Excitement coursed through her veins. Too bad Friday was four days away.

He leaned in and wrapped his arms around her. She leaned into him and enjoyed the feel of his hard muscles. Ian smelled of sawdust and outdoors. The hug ended too soon.

“Go inside, and lock the door. If you see anything else, call me right away. Don’t forget what Officer Anders said: get cameras, and make sure your contractor is here with you at all times.”

Bella didn’t plan to tell him she didn’t have a contractor. She would do the work herself. She didn’t plan on getting cameras either.

She nodded and walked inside. Once the deadbolt clicked, she heard his steps leave the front porch. She didn’t even have time to process the morning when her cell phone rang from the other room.

She picked up the phone and saw that the caller was Ava. “You won’t believe who just left my house,” Bella told her.

Ava didn’t miss a beat. “I bet it was a hunky ex-SEAL you drool over all the time.”

“How did you know?”

It was a stupid question. Bella didn’t have many friends, and the only person who would surprise her was Ian.

“That’s the only person who rattles your solid exterior,” Ava said. “But he puts you on edge in a good way. Did he ask you out?”

Bella was still in shock from being asked out. “Yes. I can’t believe he asked me out. He showed up to see the house and then scared away the person who vandalized it.” She heard Ava inhale on the other end of the phone. “After the officer left the house, Ian helped me clean up and asked me out Friday night.”

“Hold on. Someone vandalized your new house?”

“It’s fine. Ian made me call the cops, and we put a police report in. Officer Anders was really nice and documented everything.”

“Officer Max Anders?” Ava asked.

“Yeah, why?”

“If you’d come over to the house last night like I asked, you would have met him. He is one of Ethan’s close friends. I know he did a good job. What I don’t understand is why you didn’t tell me yesterday when I was helping you. Is that why the back window is boarded up? I figured that had been done when the house sat empty.”

Ava had shown up Sunday morning and helped her paint. Bella hadn’t told her friend about the issues with vandalism because she didn’t want to worry her. Before Ava left at noon, she invited Bella to come over for a barbeque. Bella had planned to go, but her body had ached from the four straight days of hard labor, so she’d gone to bed instead.

“I thought it was someone going after the previous owners, so I didn’t want to bother the police, but whoever it is knows it’s me.”

“You need to be safe,” Ava said.

She needed to keep the house safe from whoever this person was. “I’m staying at the house,” Bella said.

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

“Ian left me his number. I’ll call him if I need help.”

“I still think you need to be more careful.”

Bella loved how her friend worried about her. But she would do this flip on her own. She reached for the roller. “Enough about me. How are you?”

“I originally called to make you feel guilty for not showing up yesterday and ask if you wanted to come out with everyone Friday. Since you clearly have plans for Friday, you have a pass, but you need to call me on Sunday and give me all the details.”

“It’s just dinner,” Bella warned. “I know you want me to be happy like you, but don’t get your hopes up. He’s out of my league.”

“You are beautiful. No one is out of your league.”

There was no point in arguing with her. “Okay,” Bella said. “I promise to call you on Sunday and let you know how it goes.”

“I’m holding you to that. Are you sure you’re safe in that house by yourself?”

“It’s simple vandalism. It’s not like an ax murderer showed up to the house or someone sliced my tires. It’s windows and some paint. I’m fine.”

“Okay. Don’t forget to call.”

“Talk to you Sunday,” Bella said. “Bye.”

Bella painted the living room after she got off the phone with Ava. She hadn’t realized how late it was until she heard her phone beep. It was close to ten o’clock, but what sent her heart rate up was the text from Ian: Good night, Bella. Call if you need anything.

Her fingers trembled as she texted back: Good night.

She tossed and turned all night with images of Ian. When he’d given her a hug goodbye, her body had buzzed. She could imagine what it would be like to have her legs wrapped around his body.