I hurried to the door and peeked through the peephole. “You’ve gotta be shitting me.”
Standing in the hallway, looking annoyingly fit in a black t-shirt that was spectacularly stretched tight across his broad shoulders and jeans that hugged his muscular thighs with an expression that suggested he wasn’t going anywhere, was the man I’d been trying desperately to forget.
Again.
I banged my forehead against the door in frustration. Maybe if I stayed real quiet, he’d go away.
And then another round of knocking started. “Open the door, Cora. I can hear you in there.”
I groaned, knowing he was too stubborn to give up. Sucking in a deep breath, I schooled my features and yanked open the door, not bothering to hide my annoyance.
“What do you want, Chief?” I asked, deliberately blocking the entrance with my body. Not that it would stop him if he decided to push past me, but the gesture was symbolic.This was my space, and he wasn’t invited.
His eyes did a slow sweep from my bare feet up to the messy bun on top of my head then back down, lingering a beat too long on my legs. “Stop staring, creep!”
“Nice to see you too, baby.”
Before I could stop him, he placed a hand on the door and pushed forward. I had no choice but to step back or get bulldozed over.
“Seriously? You can’t just barge in here!” I don’t know why I was wasting my breath. He was already inside, taking in the suspended shelves in my living room that were filled with vintage knick knacks, the half-refinished coffee table (I was going to finish it eventually), and my nest of blankets on the couch.
“Have you eaten dinner yet?” he asked, completely ignoring my outburst.
I crossed my arms over my chest, acutely aware that I wasn’t wearing a bra. “Did you miss the part where I didn’t invite you in?”
Chief turned to face me, his expression maddeningly calm. “Cora, have you had dinner or not?”
“No,” I admitted reluctantly, my stomach choosing that exact moment to growl traitorously. “But that’s not the?—”
Ignoring me completely, he pulled out his phone, his thumbs tapping across the screen. After a moment, he looked up at me expectantly. “What do you want from Fast Freddy’s?”
I stared at him, feeling like I’d somehow stepped into an alternate reality where Chief and I were on speaking terms and he regularly showed up at my apartment wanting to feed me.
“Babe, what do you want? I’m starving.” He raised an eyebrow, waiting for me to give him my order.
I rolled my eyes, knowing I was fighting a losing battle. “Double cheeseburger, no onions, extra pickles, and sweet potato fries,” I said, then added, “Tell your minion not to forget the Freddy sauce for my fries.”
A hint of a smile played at the corner of his mouth as he typed out the order. “Anything else?”
“Yeah. An explanation for why you’re in my apartment.”
He ignored that too, finishing his text before shoving the phone back in his pocket. Without invitation, he walked over to my couch and dropped down onto it, making himself completely at home in my personal space.
I didn’t know what the hell he was playing at, but once my dinner got here, I was kicking his ass out.
Annoyed, I stalked over and reclaimed my spot at the opposite end, grabbing the remote and pressing play. The movie resumed with Val spotting the new intern out in the distance and remembering it was a girl the school had sent this time.
“Tremors,” Chief said, his deep voice rumbling through the small space between us. “Haven’t seen this in forever.”
I tried desperately to focus on the movie, but it was physically impossible with him sitting so close. He smelled like something woodsy that I liked way too much. It was aggravatingly distracting.
“What are you really doing here, Chief?” I finally asked, unable to take it anymore. I hit pause again and spun around on my butt to face him fully. I wanted answers.
He met my gaze, his expression shifting to something more serious. “I told you earlier. Some shit is going down that I can’t tell you about. Club business.”
“That’s the most unhelpful explanation ever,” I said, throwing my hands up. “What kind of trouble? And why do I need you camping out on my couch to protect me from it?”
He drew in a deep breath as if it would help him find some patience. “The kind of trouble that means you shouldn’t be alone right now.”