Page 23 of Tenderfoot

He was cut off at a hammering on my front door.

I sensed him tense as I saw his shadowed head turn that way before mine did.

I then felt the return of his attention and gave mine to him.

“Who’s pounding on your door at five a.m.?” he asked.

“As you well know, I don’t have much to recommend me, including clairvoyance.”

That was when I felt his body tighten, heard (and also felt, and it was way nice) his low growl, and then he rolled off me and the bed.

“Stay there, we’re not done,” he ordered, still kinda growly, and it was still way nice.

Lord, save me.

He then stalked out of my room.

I saw the light come on down the hall and it was at this moment I realized this was my house.

So why was I letting him order me around and open my front door?

I scrambled out of bed and was hustling down the hall when I heard Shanti say, “Holy shit. You sure don’t let grass grow.”

I hit the living room and saw Shanti was in a pair of killer harem pants under a long tunic, and her hair was still up in her silk sleep bonnet.

She looked like an ad for harem pants. Or tunics. Or sleeping bonnets.

“Trust you to be adorable at five in the morning,” she said to me.

“I need those harem pants,” I told her.

“I’ll hook you up,” she replied.

“Yay. Thanks,” I said.

Javi entered the conversation.

“I thought I told you to stay in bed.”

Shanti leaned back a little, her eyes got big, and she hummed, “Mm-hmm.”

My gaze sliced to Javi. “You don’t get to tell me what to do in my own house.”

“Shanti could have been anybody,” he stated.

“She wasn’t anybody. She was Shanti,” I returned.

“You didn’t know that,” he replied.

“You didn’t either.”

“Yeah, but I can break a motherfucker’s neck with one twist if they bring trouble to your door. Can you do that?” he fired back.

I could not, nor did I ever wish to try.

Stymied in this particular conversational thread, I glared at him.

“I didn’t think so,” he said.

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