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“A busted laptop.”
As he finally walked entirely into the kitchen, the same tension was there but I sensed he had even more on his mind.
He lifted his head, studying me intently for a few seconds before heading to one of the cabinets, yanking out a glass.
“Well, when my brilliant employer hands over my first paycheck for all the hard work I’ve been doing, I’ll go purchase another one.” Damn him for inching too close.
“We’ll see about that.” He smiled but glanced out the window a few seconds later. When he reached for bourbon, I knew something was wrong. He’d indulged in gin, a glass of wine here and there. My instinct told me that whatever he was fighting, whether past demons or a new enemy, was about ready to burst onto the scene.
“What happened? Is something wrong?” I asked, watching as he poured the glass almost full.
“Nothing for you to be concerned about. Just a disturbing phone call but one that might prove helpful.”
He’d been secretive, the light in his eyes only there when we talked about the book. Something was going on.
“I wish you’d trust me.”
“I do trust you, Sara. However, there are some things happening in my world that I need to handle. I don’t want you leaving the house at this point. Can you do that for me?”
“Is there some danger you’re not telling me about?”
“It’s complicated.”
While I could tell he was more stressed than normal, that didn’t mean I was going to let this go. “You forget your world affects mine.”
“Yes, my little fawn, but you have no understanding of what is required at times.”
As usual, I wanted to argue with him, but whatever he was dealing with I simply wasn’t privy to. Yes, the man was dangerous. I didn’t need my friend to tell me that. “Why have you forbidden me to leave the house?”
“Because it’s not safe.”
“Why?”
“We’ve been through this.”
“I know. Your enemies. Well, guess what? I’m your employee, not your slave. I have friends, places to go, people to see. Josie annoyed me to no end tonight, but I do deserve to have a life outside of here.”
The brooding man remained quiet and I almost sprang on him like a wildcat.
“Maybe you couldn’t care less about the big, bad world out there, but I do enjoy going out every so often, even though I’m having a blast writing this book. I like watching movies, especially horror flicks that get my blood pumping. I like to do so while eating popcorn with a cholesterol spiking amount of butter and parmesan cheese. Junk food isn’t the worst thing in the world, not that you would know, given every ounce of your body is muscled like some bodybuilder engaged in regular competitions. Occasionally, I enjoy going crazy like, oh, I don’t know, going dancing or a car ride to nowhere in particular. I get that you’re possessive. I understand you are trying to keep me safe from the unknown boogeyman, but I won’t be kept in a cage.”
“I’m not keeping you in a cage, Sara, but I am indeed trying to keep you safe. People like Josie will often slither from the woodwork when backed by falsehoods and doctored information.”
Shit. He’d overheard far too much of my conversation.
“I do agree with you but that doesn’t change the fact you’re a stick in the mud.”
“I am, huh?”
“Yes, you are.” As I folded my arms across my chest, giving him a hard look, his expression at least shifted to one of amusement. “Do you even know how to have fun?”
“Of course I do.”
“Okay. Tell me the last thing you’ve done for fun.”
“I had a beer with one of my buddies.”
“Shocking. I’m surprised you have any friends given your sullen moods.” Okay, I was pushing him as hard as he enjoyed doing to me, but I figured at this point, what did I have to lose? Was he going to spank me because I’d challenged him?
