Page 23 of Blindsided By the Enforcer

She looks at me like she wants to say something but then she snaps her mouth shut. Instead, she gives me a bright smile and something inside my chest expands. After we eat, she shows me to my room. It isn’t fancy but it’s spacious and has a queen-size bed in the middle and old, cottage-style furniture. There is an ensuite attached to the room and Annie shows me where the towels are.

“Damn, let me go grab some sheets from the linen closet,” she says since the bed isn’t made.

She leaves and I check my phone for messages. Mom texted, of course, to make sure I got here safely, so I text her back since I don’t want her worrying.

“I’ll just make the bed,” she offers.

“You don’t have to. I can do it,” I assure. This is very awkward. I barely know the girl. I’ve been grilled by her father. I’m staying in her family home, and tomorrow I’ll be celebrating Christmas with her family and friends.

“Don’t be silly. You’re a guest, Cade. I appreciate you obliging my father,” she says as she gets to work on the fitted sheet. I walk around the bed to help her with the other side.

“I mean, you did help me out with my parents, so I’d say we’re even,” I reply.

She leans over to tuck the corner of the flat sheet. I see right down her top. Damn, her breasts are full. Thinking of the way they pressed against my body when we made out at Fair Shot makes my mouth water.

“Cade?” she asks, catching me taking a peek.

“Sorry, got distracted.” I blink.

We finish with the bed and move to put the pillowcases on the pillows. She brought down an old-style quilt and said something about her grandmother loving to make quilts.

“It’s really nice,” I tell her.

“Thanks.” She smiles. “I miss my grandparents around here.”

“It sounds nice to have had the extended family around. I don’t see my mom’s parents often because they live in Korea. Dad only has his father, I mean my grandfather, but he isn’t really in touch.”

“No family is perfect, Cade. We all have our quirks,” she replies.

She’s like a fresh burst of sunshine.

“And you haven’t met Mom yet. Don’t pass judgement on mine until you do,” she warns.

“Is she worse than meeting Sally?” I ask, hoping to get a frame of reference.

“That depends,” she says, not helping me.

“You know I’m going to have nightmares about Sally tonight,” I confess.

She licks her lips. I walk over to her with the intent of giving her a hug. It feels like the right thing to do after she’s fed me and given me a nice place to sleep.

I lean in and she’s confused at first. When I hug her, she fits perfectly in my arms.

“What’s the hug for?” she asks, looking up at me.

She’s so close I take in her lips and the intricate features of her face. I didn’t have a chance to do that at Fair Shot because she came up to me so unexpectedly that night.

“It’s a thank-you hug,” I say.

Her lips part and tug up. I take in the smattering of freckles on her cheeks and her deep-blue eyes. My stomach tightens.

“Well, you’re welcome,” she replies and she licks her lips. We stare into each other’s eyes for a beat. I could swear her breath hitches. But she pulls out of my embrace.

“Have a good night, Cade,” she calls on her way out the door.

“You too.”

She walks out the door. I take a breath, allowing the pent-up tension to leave me, but it holds as my body remains heated and an excited feeling courses through my veins. I like Annie, which means I am screwed, because Annie Caufield is the perfect fake girlfriend, and I’m completely attracted to her.

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