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For all intents and purposes, the apartment building appeared to be a nice, decent place to live. There was nothing he could see that should have made his highly developed instincts stand up and take notice, and yet they had.
They’d been paying close attention since last night.
Devon had lied to him. Not about anything major. At least, he didn’t think that was the case. But when he’d asked if she was okay, she’d said yes.
Blake knew what Devon sounded like when she was tired. He knew when she was annoyed. Over the last six months, he’d learned what the intriguing woman sounded like when she was amused, pissed off, or three cups of coffee past reasonable.
Last night, she’d sounded scared.
He’d let her. Mostly because pushing Devon when she wasn’t ready was the fastest way he knew to push her away. He’d earned her trust and refused to bulldoze through it.
So he’d let it go.
But then, once their phone call had ended, he’d opened the file she sent. It hadn’t taken long for his new plan for their pizza and movie night to form.
Blake knocked again.
A muffled sound came from somewhere inside. The silence that followed made him frown.
“Dev?” he called out from his side of the door.
The deadbolt turned. A second lock followed. Then another.
Blake’s jaw tightened as he clenched his back teeth. He’d known about the extra security. Devon had mentioned some of it over the past six months.
But knowing and hearing each lock disengage were two very different things.
I hate that she doesn’t feel safe in her own home.
The door opened three inches before the gold chain caught. One hazel eye appeared in the narrow gap. A beat later, it widened.
Blake smiled. “Hi.”
The door slammed shut, making him blink. For one deeply confusing second, he wondered if he’d just flown cross-country to have a door shut in his face.
The chain slid free. The door flew open, and suddenly, Devon was standing before him in the flesh.
Her long, blonde hair was loose around her shoulders. Faded jeans hugged her curves in all the right places. Her soft gray shirt looked casual and comfy. Her adorable feet were bare.
In a word, the woman was—
Beautiful.
And . . . mad?
“What the hell are you doing here?”
Okay, so not exactly the greeting he’d been expecting.
Blake lifted the boxes in his hand. “I brought dinner.”
Her kissable mouth dropped open. “You’re here.” She blinked. “In St. Louis.”
“Well, yeah.” He shrugged. “I mean, this is where you live . . .”
He let his sarcastic comment trail.
“Blake.” She stared at him.
