Page 108 of Ozzie

A tap at the window causes me to jump up. There’s no way John would tap at the window. Or would he just to mess with her? He has no reason to expect anyone in here with her.

“What is it?” she asks.

I move the curtain and spot a bird sitting on the branch next to the window. It taps the window again. “A bird.”

“Come back to bed,” she says.

The bird flies away. And as I watch it, I don’t feel relieved. No, I’m on guard. John might be out there watching, and I need to be ready if he strikes.

CHAPTER 31

Piper

I can’t stop smilingafter everything that happened last night. After the best sex I’ve ever had in my life, Ozzie held me all night long. When I woke up, I found him in the kitchen making us breakfast. Since we’d skipped dinner, I’m starving.

It’s hard to believe that we are finally here. Part of me is scared I’ll wake up and find this was all a dream.

Ozzie glances at me. “I love seeing that smile on your face.”

I lean back in my chair. “I want to keep it there, but this almost feels unreal. I’m afraid I’m going to wake up, or Durango will storm in here and ruin everything.”

He walks over to me and kisses my forehead before he pinches me.

“Ouch!” I yelp.

He grins. “Not dreaming.” He returns to the stovetop and finishes cooking the eggs. He plates them and sits down at the table.

“Have you heard from Durango?” he asks.

“No, I didn’t think you guys could reach out when on an assignment.”

“We’re not supposed to, but I could see Durango checking on you.”

I take a bite of the eggs. They are so fluffy and creamy. “These are so good. What did you do?”

He grins. “I added a little milk. Glad you like them.” His smile falls. “Since we don’t know when Durango’s returning, we need to be more careful.”

I still as my fork is halfway to my mouth. “What do you mean, be careful? I thought he was on board with us now.”

“Well, on board and walking in on us are two different things.”

“I get it. The other night, when Willow was here, I was worried that I’d end up hearing more than I wanted to, but I don’t think she stayed the night.”

He winces. “I can’t believe I forgot about Willow. I went home and showered before coming here, but she must not have been there. Did Durango tell her what happened to me?”

I might be a little happier than I should that he forgot about Willow. Dammit, I wish she had been a little nicer to me. She wasn’t rude, but some of her comments didn’t sit right.

“Hey, do you need more sleep?”

I blink a few times and realize I’m staring into space. “No, I’m fine. As for Willow, yes, Durango told her you were on an assignment and out of town for a while. Until Durango left on assignment, she was coming over here every evening.”

He nods and digs back into his food.

“I’m not sure I like her,” I blurt out before I can think better of it.

His gaze returns to mine. “Did something happen?”

I take a deep breath. “No, it’s just how she talks to me like I’m a little kid. She always seems to bring up how young I am. No one else does that.”

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