His hand touched his temple, his finger coming away with blood.
The delicate glass hadn’t been substantial enough to do much harm, but it had left a nice cut. However, the fright he’d given her assuaged any feelings of guilt.
His jaw knotted. “What were you doing, taking on an intruder with some flimsy knickknack? You could’ve been killed.”
She bristled. “You can’t sneak into an occupied house and lecture me on safety measures.”
“I wasn’t sneaking, and I didn’t know it was occupied.”
“Well, maybe you could’ve knocked—or at least called! How’d you even get in?”
“They keep a key under the flowerpot.”
That would’ve been nice to know. “Well, you can put it right back and head to the nearest hotel. I hear the Sunny Daze is very nice.”
“All the hotels are going to be full, Sophie. There’s a storm on the way, remember?”
The storm. He was right. She could almost feel the walls closing in on her. She didn’t want to be trapped in this house with Aiden. This was supposed to be her time. Her empty nest. Even though, okay, it wasn’t exactly her nest.
But she could hardly send him out to sleep on the beach in the rain. She gritted her teeth. “How long?”
“I’ve already rebooked my flight. I’ll be out of your hair by noon tomorrow. You won’t even know I’m here.”
Ha. She’d know where he was every single second.
They stood glaring at each other, neither willing to give an inch.
She couldn’t believe him, barging in here in the middle of the night and scaring her half to death. Practically choking her. She rubbed her throat, aware that beneath the surface, some foolish part of her was glad he hadn’t left after all.
And that only made her grind her teeth.
As did the way his eyes softened as they drifted to her throat. “Did I hurt you?”
“I’m fine. You can take one of the rooms upstairs. And be sure to wash your own bedding before you leave.” She turned to go.
“Wait.” He grabbed her arm. “Don’t move.”
She followed his gaze to the glass fragments on the foyer floor.
“Be right back.” He passed her, the shards crunching under his shoes as he headed toward the kitchen.
Sophie pressed her palm to her chest, taking a minute to breathe. This couldn’t be happening. She was really sound asleep, and this was only a nightmare. But the sounds of him bumping around the kitchen were all too real, as was the adrenaline still coursing through her veins.
Aiden returned to the foyer, broom and dustpan in hand. Blood dripped from the cut at his temple as he swept up the shards. He retrieved her phone, which she must’ve dropped.
When he finished he set aside the tools. “We can vacuum in the morning.”
Sophie stiffened as he lifted her off her feet. “What are you—?”
He carried her to the area rug and set her down.
The contact was over before she knew it, but it left her even more shaken than before.
He grabbed a backpack she hadn’t noticed and slung it over his shoulder. “I’ll head upstairs. Good night.”
“Good night.” Sophie hurried back to her room and closed the door behind her. With shaking hands she plugged in her phone, settled in the bed beside her sleeping dog, and stared up at the darkened ceiling.
And she thought she’d had trouble sleeping before.
chapter six
Aiden’s eyes popped open to gray light filtering through the drapes. A quick scan of the room reminded him where he was. Who he was with.
He touched his temple. Last night’s run-in had actually happened. Sophie really had attempted to assault him with some figurine. He really had shoved her against the wall with brute force. He winced at the memory. He’d probably left bruises. He knew for a fact he’d scared her half to death.
Way to go, Maddox. Give her one more reason to hate you.
Yes, her presence at the house had been a surprise. But it hadn’t been a bad one. He had unfinished business with Sophie Lawson. Maybe God was giving him another chance to make peace with her. Real peace.
He checked his phone and it was only seven. He sent a text to Tiffany, letting her know his trip had been delayed. He’d met the woman when she’d been hired by the private airstrip they used for tandem jumps. He and Tiffany hit it off right away and had been talking for about three months. It was getting to be time to make their relationship exclusive, but Aiden hadn’t yet pulled the trigger.
He wasn’t sure why. She was adventurous and fun and easy to talk to. With her thick blonde hair and slim athletic build, she wasn’t exactly hard on the eyes either. Why wasn’t he more eager to take things to the next level? He shook away the question. He had enough worries at the moment.
Aiden listened for sounds downstairs. Nothing but silence. That wasn’t unexpected, given the hour and the time they’d gone to bed.
He checked the website for the Charleston airport. Still closed but expected to open “soon.” Then he checked his weather app, hoping for more good news—but what he saw there weighted his chest like a lead brick.
* * *
At the sound of a whine and the feel Pippa’s tongue licking her cheek, Sophie opened her eyes.
“What?” Sophie croaked. “It’s too early.”
The faint light coming through the curtain’s slit promised it was still early, but a quick check of her phone refuted the notion. After eleven? She hadn’t slept this late in years. Everything from the night before came rushing back. The scare, Aiden’s appearance. He was here.
She fell back against her pillows, her nose detecting familiar and tempting aromas: coffee and bacon. Someone had been up awhile—and apparently helped himself to her groceries.
Like it or not, she would have to face him once again. But he’d be gone in less than an hour. And it would take her half that time to shower and get dressed.
She took a moment to check her texts. Jenna and Grant had arrived safely in the Bahamas. She sent a quick response and moved toward the shower, her muscles aching from last night’s short but brutal battle.
Stupid Aiden.
She helped Pippa onto the floor. Usually she let out the dog first thing, but Pippa had had a potty break late last night. And Sophie wasn’t facing Aiden without clean hair and a bare minimum of makeup.
“Give me a minute to shower, and we’ll go outside.”
Pippa cocked her head, eyes twinkling and tail wagging at her favorite word.
“Who’s a good girl? Huh? My little Pippa is, yes she is.”
The Yorkie followed her into the bathroom and occupied herself by sniffing every nook and cranny while Sophie showered. After toweling off and dressing in shorts and a T-shirt, she dried her hair straight and applied foundation and mascara. By the time she finished it was eleven thirty.
She looked down at Pippa. “See, that didn’t take long. And now we only have thirty minutes with our unwelcome guest. Isn’t that right?”
At the sounds coming from the kitchen her pulse found a new gear. She paused before opening the door, steeling herself against Aiden’s innate appeal. “Let’s get this over with.”
Pippa squeezed through the door before Sophie had it fully opened. The dog lifted her nose, and her ears twitched toward the sounds coming from the kitchen.