Page 32 of Bracing The Storm

“Why don’t you have a look? You seem to be good at checking things out.” His eyes shimmer with challenge and the hint of a smile from before turns into a lopsided grin.

Oh, for crying out loud!

He’s downright gorgeous when he does that. I open my mouth to retaliate, but my brain seems unable to come up with a retort to put him in his place as mortification washes over me.

He noticed me looking! Worse yet, his ego has just turned so big you can probably spy it from outer space.

“I—” I shake my head grimly.

Laughing, he places the box on the dresser and heads out. That’s when my wits finally return. I hurry out the door, calling after him, “I wasn’t checking out anything in particular.”

“You were and you know it,” he yells back from around the corner.

His arrogance infuriates me so much there’s no way in hell I’d ever admit to anything. “There wasn’t anything worth checking out,” I yell back. “And next time you decide to take a stroll around my house, wear some clothes for fuck’s sake!”

Silence.

That shut him up big time.

I take a deep breath, proud of myself. Patrick might be a head taller than me and twice my size, but I have the upper hand. A moment later, his laughing face pops around the corner, his eyes twinkling. “Why? Can’t take your eyes off me?”

“What?” I shake my head, confused. “I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.”

“You don’t get it?” Patrick asks, waiting for the penny to drop. That’s supposed to tell me something, but for the life of me I can’t figure it out. He’s looking at me like I’m an alien who’s just landed on earth. I stare back, still clueless. He frowns. “Nothing? Doesn’t ring any bells? It’s the title of a popular song. Can’t Take My Eyes Off You by Frankie Valli, a famous musician covered to death by various artists.”

“Who?”

He heaves an exasperated sigh. “You can’t be serious, woman. How can you not knowthat?”

“I’m not into music,” I say dryly.

He gapes at me. “Everyone likes music.”

“I don’t,” I say.

“None whatsoever?”

I shake my head in response.

“How can you not be into music?” Patrick asks.

“I’m just not. I told you I value peace and quiet. I like silence. Let’s leave it at that.” I’m not going to open my heart to a stranger and reveal the sad story behind my dislike of music when I haven’t even shared it with Mia. He wouldn’t understand. No one would.

Patrick looks at me like I’ve mortally offended him and mutters, “This isn’t going to work out. I can’t be roommate withthat.”

“I wasn’t offering. Don’t let the door bite you in the ass on your way out.” I head back to my bedroom, making sure to slam the door behind me. For some reason, the fact he would snub me for not liking music hurts but I can’t change it.

Chapter Ten

“Your secret admirer sure knows what women want.” Mia’s appreciative tone echoes through the speaker as I slowly hover the cell phone camera over the contents of the package, lingering on the expensive white box. Inside is a high-end bottle of bubble bath and body oil bedded on a generous pile of dried rose petals. I might not be familiar with luxury items, but even I can tell this isn’t cheap.

I sway the cell phone screen back onto me. “I don’t have a secret admirer.”

“Anothergift box? Looks like a secret admirer to me,” my best friend says.

She might have a point but the idea doesn’t sit well with me. These days, I don’t like drawing attention to myself. If I could just become invisible to the whole world I would. Being invisible might sound boring to some, but it’s safe. Following my own advice would have saved me a lot of trouble barely a year ago.

“Who do you think it is?” Mia asks, drawing my attention back to her.

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