Page 61 of Rival for Rent

Whatever the reason, I let him steer me upstairs to the guest room. It was mostly empty except for the bed—an unpainted wood frame from IKEA, covered in a Pokémon comforter.

I tilted my head. “Pokémon?”

“What happened to not judging me?” Kai asked.

“That was about your sex tape,” I said with a tired grin. “I made no promises about Pokémon.”

I didn’t plan on sleeping. I figured I’d rest my eyes for half an hour, then get up and lie to Kai that I wasn’t tired. But the second I lay down, the mattress sucked me in. It was infinitely better than the couch. Bella jumped up andwhoomfeddown next to me, pressing her warm back against mine.

Just a short nap, I thought—then passed out cold.

When I woke up, I had no idea what time it was. I felt groggy and dehydrated, and disoriented by how deeply I’d slept. I stumbled to the door and spotted Kai at his desk, typing away.

“Morning, sleepyhead,” he said. “Or should I say afternoon? It’s after one.”

Damn. I’d meant to nap, not hibernate. And I still felt like I could sleep for another twelve hours. But instead, I nodded and made my way downstairs. I needed to move, to keep my hands busy, so I started baking.

When Kai came downstairs at the end of the day and saw the apple pie and raspberry sandwich cookies cooling on the counter, he blinked like I’d summoned them out of thin air.

“Do we really need more carbs?” he asked, sounding half appalled. “We still have all the leftovers from the party.”

“You can bring these into the office,” I said with a shrug. I didn’t care what he did with them. I just needed the distraction.

“I’m not sure when I’ll be in the office next,” he said. “If I need to keep working from home while you catch up on sleep.”

I rolled my eyes. “We can go in tomorrow. If I need to sleep, I’ll do it on your office couch. Scout’s honor.”

“Were you a Boy Scout?” he asked, tilting his head.

“It’s a figure of speech.” I glanced out the sliding doors. “I should probably get back in the car.”

Kai followed my gaze. “It’s still light out.”

“Exactly. I want to get settled before our stalker shows up.”

Kai shivered and hugged himself. “I felt more exposed last night, with you outside the house than in it. Is that dumb?”

“Not dumb,” I said. “But I’m right out front. I’ve got my phone. If anything happens, you can call.”

“I’ve never realized how open my backyard is,” he said, still staring out.

“In a way, that’s a good thing,” I told him. “No cover for someone to hide behind. But I’ve been meaning to ask—have you thought about landscaping?”

He blinked at me. “Landscaping? Why?”

I shrugged. “Like you said. It’s a little barren. You could plant a tree, some shrubs, put in a bench or a water feature. Wouldn’t have to be expensive. I could do it for you.”

“So now you’re not my bodyguard, you’re my bodyguard-slash-chef-slash-gardener?”

I snorted. “I like working with my hands. Plants relax me.”

“So if I stop you from baking, I’ll wake up one morning to find you installing a waterfall outside?”

“Not necessarily a waterfall,” I said. “Could be a pond. Maybe a creek system. I’d run everything by you first, obviously—”

“I was kidding, Mason.”

“Oh.” I felt my face heat. “Okay. Nevermind then.” I looked at the front door. “Well, like I said, I should go.”

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