Page 19 of New Nebraska Home

The chores were done, and there was no one to call. There was nothing that demanded my attention.

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had a moment of peace that felt guilt-free.

Without further ado, I took full advantage. Quietly, almost as if I was sneaking, I made my way upstairs to my room and locked the door. My Kindle was sitting on my nightstand fully charged and I had a to-be-read list that seemed to be never-ending.

I laid on my bed and opened up my Kindle, scrolling past the books about vampires and bloodlust, or any other supernatural creature. I didn’t have it in me. After supernatural creatures had become common knowledge, all of those books seemed less like fantasy and more like a dangerous possibility. Having a master vampire, a water elemental, and now a shifter living under my roof, all gorgeous, all kind, and dripping in testosterone and sex appeal, didn’t make those books more appealing. It made them dangerous. To my heart, if I had to be honest. Suddenly the fictional men didn’t look like actors I found appealing. They looked like the men downstairs.

So, I picked up the one romance genre which still seemed like a far-off fantasy in a made-up world. Billionaire romance. There was something very appealing about being with a man who could make all of my money troubles disappear. I laughed at my fleeting little fantasy and went to the bathroom to run a nice, cool bath. It had been so humid lately. A private oasis of revitalizing, vanilla-scented bubbles and a little alone time with a wealthy book boyfriend would be damn near heavenly

I climbed in the bath, letting the soothing water wash away the heat and stickiness, and tried to read. It didn’t matter what book, or how well it was written, I couldn’t focus.

It seemed like every other page, my mind wandered back to how it felt to be in Callum’s arms, how his body was so warm and magnetic. The red around his eyes. I thought that the red, especially when it deepened up close, would scare me. But it didn’t. It seemed to intensify as he talked about blood. I desperately wanted to know if it was lust or bloodlust that made his eyes deepen.

If Brock hadn’t an interrupted us, I was sure he was about to kiss me. Did I want that? At that moment, I absolutely wanted it. It was more than that, I craved it. The last—and only—time I’d really made out with a guy and had sex, it’d been so underwhelming. From the first kiss, he’d probed and sucked clumsily, like a teen boy bounding after his first conquest. I knew any experience with Cal would be so much more satisfying. But getting involved with my tenant, especially when I didn’t know his relationship status, was stupid. I relied on him for his rent and if it were to go badly, who knew what could happen?

I should have been grateful to Brock for interrupting us. When he saw us like that, he was definitely surprised, but I couldn’t read his reaction. Was he jealous? Were he and Callum getting into a fight now because Callum was unfaithful? I really hoped not. That wasn’t the kind of woman I wanted to be. There were enough divisive forces at work in Nebraska these days. Adding to that, by damaging others’ relationships, was something I was keen to avoid at all costs.

Then there was Malik. Callum may have been right. It may have been stupid to offer Malik the other room for rent. I’d at least had quick background checks done on Callum and Brock before they moved in, although honestly, who knew how accurate those were with supernatural people? Especially vampires. I had assumed that they’d had several identities over the centuries. And I didn’t even know the first thing about water elementals. Still, that email from the company had made me feel a little bit more reassured, and I didn’t have that with Malik.

It didn’t matter. I told myself that I trusted him because Leif trusted him, but was that even true? Of course, I trusted Leif’s judgment. He had never been wrong.

But that little voice in the back of my head said that wasn’t why I invited him. It was because he was so tall, with broad shoulders and tattoos that I wanted to explore with my hands and my mouth. I wanted to know where that ink led, and to see the complete picture. If I was being really honest, I wanted to do a lot more than just see the artwork that decorated his deep tanned skin.

This was pointless. I was supposed to be in here taking a moment for myself, reading a book, and instead I was upstairs lusting over my tenants. What kind of woman lusted over three men at the same time? Especially when two of them may have been in a relationship. What was wrong with me? What would my grandma say if she knew I was getting all hot and bothered by three men who were practically strangers?

Actually, knowing my grandmother, she would have taken one look at all three of them and probably high-fived me. What would normal people’s grandmothers think of a woman who was lusting after three men who lived under her roof?

It didn’t matter. I needed to get up and get dinner on or something. Stealing away a little time for myself to get lost in a romance novel was one thing. Stealing away time to perv on my tenants was something completely different. I got out of the tub, took my time drying myself off and was about to get dressed when I heard glass shattering, followed by what sounded like Leif shrieking, and then tires squealing outside.

I grabbed the black silk robe that hung from my bathroom door, wrapped it around my still dripping wet body, and ran downstairs.

My mind was racing with everything that could have and probably did go wrong. Was Leif wrong about Malik? Did he kidnap my sweet baby brother? Did those people from the grocery store come back and start something?

I ran down the stairs, my wet feet nearly slipping on the hardwood floors a few times. The entire time images of Brock and Callum unconscious on the floor or in handcuffs while Malik or a mob stole my baby brother kept flashing in my head.

When I turned the corner, about to run down the last few stairs, warm tan arms wrapped around me and held me to a firm chest that smelled like the ocean.

“Whoa, hold on, sweetheart, you can’t come in here without shoes right now.”

“Leif,” I screamed. “Where is he? Where is my brother?” I kicked my feet back and clawed at the arms banded around me. My heart was racing and my back was covered in a cold sweat. I didn’t know who had me and I didn’t care. I only cared about finding Leif.

“Lizzy?” Leif walked into the living room, holding Malik’s hand. He looked down at my brother with such care, and I immediately felt a wave of shame that I’d suspected Malik of being wrapped up in anything wrong.

Relief swept over me, and I almost collapsed on the floor, bringing Brock, who was still holding me down with me. Instead, he scooped me up in his arms and carried me across the living room, where I could see shards of broken glass covering the floor.

“What happened?” I asked as Brock sat me down and I wrapped my arms around Leif, hugging him for a moment before I held him back so I could inspect him for wounds.

“I’m okay, Lizzy.” Leif said. “It just scared me, but it didn’t hit me.”

“What didn’t hit you, kiddo?”

“The brick.” He shrugged like it was the most normal thing in the world.

“Hey buddy, why don’t you go up to your room for a bit and let us talk to your sister, yeah?” Malik said.

Leif just nodded and twitched his pointed ears before running upstairs.

“What happened?” I asked again.

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