He sighed. “I would have called my father but my phone died and I thought I’d surprise him. But don’t worry, I’ll be out of your hair as soon as this caffeine kicks in.”
She was silent a long moment before giving a short nod. “Do you need help...um...dressing?”
Immediately an image of her helping him undress flashed into his mind and before he could stop it, his mouth curved. Seeing it, she rolled her eyes and went bright pink.
“You are such a...a guy,” she accused, turning away. “I have to get going. And since you’re my boss’s son, I’m not going to throw you out or call the cops. But I am going to assume you’ll be gone by the time I get back.”
He moved to the archway to watch her open the front door. “Lock up behind you,” she tossed over her shoulder and closed the door with an almost slam.
He found himself smiling for no reason other than he’d managed to get under her skin and lifted the mug in a cocky salute to the fact that he finally had what he wanted—blessed silence.
He enjoyed it for a few moments until his amusement faded. Turning, he rinsed out his mug and placed it in the dishwasher. Somehow all the air, all the life had been sucked out with her departure. It had never happened before—with anyone—which meant he needed to get out of there before she returned.
Before he was tempted to help her undress and find out if she was a figment of his overactive imagination or the real deal.
PAIGE HEADED FOR SID’S, telling herself that she was giving Dr. Bad Attitude exactly what he wanted—space. But the truth was she’d been grateful for the excuse to escape.
It was unnerving to have a man in her living space—especially one who made her want to growl and sigh at the same time. Who made her tingle in places that hadn’t tingled in far too long one minute, and stifle the urge to throw something at him the next.
She didn’t like it. Not one little bit. She’d learned early on that guys like him weren’t attracted to women like her. She was the eternal “cute girl” they treated like a little sister.
Wanting something—or someone—she couldn’t have reminded her too much of a past she’d thought she’d long outgrown.
She’d had everything until her mother had died. She lost both parents that day, her mother to ovarian cancer and her father to grief. He’d retreated into his work, leaving a devastated pre-teen to cope with her grief alone because her brothers were much older and didn’t do girly things like talk about their feelings.
As if grieving for the loss of the most important person in all their lives was somehow unmanly.
She’d tried and failed to keep the family together, as she’d promised her mom. One by one her brothers had left, Bryn, the oldest, to accept a position as assistant manager of a football team in San Diego, Eric for the SEALs program, and Quinn to the US Air Force, where he flew classified aircraft on top-secret missions.
Then her father had unexpectedly remarried and it had been like losing everything all over again. Her brothers had rarely visited and she’d suddenly felt like an unwanted reminder of her father’s pain.
To be honest, he hadn’t known what to do with her and he’d probably thought a new mother and step-siblings would help her cope with grief. But they hadn’t, and instead she’d retreated into her school work.
In her senior year salvation had come in the form of a full bursary to med school and everyone had seemed to heave a huge sigh of relief. With Paige gone there had been no need for her father to feel guilty every time he saw her.
She’d thought that by acing her exams she would get his approval, but despite finishing her degree early and at the top of her class, her father hadn’t even attended her graduation. Instead, he’d sent a gift and a note with his apologies that the family would be in Aruba.
Dammit, she’d always wanted to go to Aruba.
At least her three brothers had made it—Eric in fatigues on his way home from a mission and Quinn in full US Air Force uniform. They’d made her laugh with their antics and she’d scarcely felt her father’s absence.
Fine. She’d been devastated but she’d finally acknowledged that she was on her own. Her brothers had their own busy lives and their father...well, she could totally take care of herself.
Besides, it was safer not to let people close. It hurt too much when they left.
* * *
Francis Abigail Bryce was already in their booth, looking like a movie star in her dark blue paramedic jumpsuit. She’d ordered coffee and was sitting there with a faraway expression on her face. And because she looked just a little bit sad, Paige said the first thing that came to her mind as she slid into the booth opposite her.
“You do know that redheads are supposed to have freckles, don’t you?”
“And did you know that people who’ve beaten up late-night intruders with their awesome ninja skills aren’t supposed to look so fresh and perky the next day?” Frankie answered smartly, eyeing Paige with sharp green eyes. “Why do you?”
Paige grimaced. “You heard, huh?”
“That’s like saying have I heard the coastguard is in town,” Frankie snorted, and slid a latte across the table. “I was on duty last night when your call came through. If I hadn’t had an emergency I would have helped you bury the body.”
Paige grinned and lifted her latte in a toast. “You’re the best friend ever. But...” She paused to take a huge gulp, sighing in pleasure when the hot creamy liquid hit her stomach. “As it turned out, he wasn’t dead, just concussed. But breakfast first, I’m starving,” she said as the waitress approached.
Once the waitress left with their order, Frankie demanded a minute-by-minute account of her midnight adventure, laughing when Paige recounted Ty calling her a bossy little smartass and a faerie commando, and snorting indelicately at his manly reaction to pink tape.
“Men are idiots,” Frankie said dryly, “including Ty Reese, so don’t go getting any idiotic ideas about saving him.”
Paige rolled her eyes and waited as the waitress delivered their food. Tyler Reese needed saving about as much as a prowling mountain lion. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t curious about him.
Trying for casually offhand, she said, “So...you do know him?”
“Hmm,” Frankie murmured, looking amused.
“And?” Paige prompted a little impatiently, when her friend took another bite of omelet without replying. “Spill already before I hurt you.”
Frankie nearly choked. “Like you could,” she snorted, wiping her mouth with the napkin Paige shoved at her. “Ty’s right. With those huge exotic eyes and delicate face, you do look like a faerie. If you weren’t my best friend, I’d hate you.”
Paige snorted, “Yeah, right,” because Frankie was one of those exotically beautiful redheads. Smooth creamy skin, thick lustrous hair and...and darn...she looked a million dollars in a swimsuit.
“So...what do you know about him?”
Frankie studied Paige for a moment. “You mean other than he has a thing for stacked blonde Malibu beach babes?”
“Yeah.” Paige sighed, wondering at the rush of intense disappointment at the news. It was a ridiculous reaction to have about a guy who’d broken into her house and scared the heck out of her. Besides, guys like Tyler Reese had genetically built-in radar for beautiful blondes—or redheads—and having grown up with three brothers who’d dated endless lines