Page 14 of Trust Again

“No! You don’t have to drop everything for my sake. It’s perfectly okay if only one of you gets me. Please don’t make a big thing about it.”

“But I feel weird about you being in that house with all those creepy guys,” Allie insisted.

“Allie, come on. I’m a hundred times safer sitting here on this toilet seat than you were last time you were here. Please don’t interrupt dinner for my sake,” I begged. It was bad enough to embarrass myself in front of Spencer. Allie’s evening shouldn’t be ruined just because I was a lousy undercover agent.

There was a brief silence. “Are you absolutely sure?”

“Of course! Tell Spencer I’ll text him about what room I’m in.”

It took another ten minutes for me to convince her that I was not in mortal danger.

After we hung up, I felt both relieved and nervous to know that Spencer was on his way.

To calm myself, I took a book from my bag and flipped to the last chapter. But I couldn’t concentrate.

It felt like it took forever, but eventually I heard heavy steps heading in my direction. Please let it be Spencer, not Brix, I thought.

“Dawn?”

“Spence?”

“I’m going to kill that bastard,” he said. Suddenly, I heard the chair being dragged away and the door flew open.

Spencer was standing there; a wave of relief washed over me.

“You’re the best,” the words flew from me. “Thank you so much.” It was all I could do not to throw my arms around his neck.

“You’re going to have to tell me the story behind this,” was his response. His cheeks were flushed and his eyes angry.

My eyes traveled across his shoulders, down his arms to those hands.

No.

I slammed the file in my brain shut.Stay strong.After holding out for an entire week, managing to ban such thoughts from my mind, I wasn’t about to cave now, just because he’d rolled up his sleeves, and I couldn’t take my eyes off his arms and hands. I looked away and cleared my throat.

“Thanks for getting me out,” I cleared my throat. “But I promised Sawyer I’d get something she left here, so I can’t go home yet.”

“You think I’m going to leave you here alone? You’ve got to be kidding, Dawn.”

Looking down at my feet, I avoided his gaze. But I couldn’t help noticing that he’d stepped toward me.

“Sawyer lost her necklace. I’m not entirely sure which room it’s in,” I said, glancing behind him to the hall. “But it’s got to be here somewhere.”

“Good, I’ll help you,” he said.

“Okay. Thanks.” Could this get any more embarrassing?

I walked past him and opened the door across from the bathroom. It was the room where Brix had caught me. I pushed the door open and flipped on the light switch. Spencer followed me and closed the door silently behind him.

“What kind of asshole steals girls’ jewelry?” I asked, surveying the messy room.

“Someone who wants to earn a little something on the side?” Spencer answered, close behind me.

So close, that his breath tickled my neck. Telltale goose bumps crept over my arms. I tried to move forward, but he grasped my hand and spun me in a circle to face him.

“Why are you avoiding me?” he whispered.

My eyes closed. His hand was sure and solid on mine; his body was radiating such warmth that my knees grew weak.

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