Page 18 of Bewitched By the Djinn
Six
I’m dragged from fitful slumber by the unmistakable sound of mischief.
Kevin and Jackie sneak by my bedroom, except they are as good at walking quietly as a horde of stampeding elephants. No to mention they keep shushing each other to be quiet.
“Do you think he’s in the office?” Kevin’s whisper is always louder than his normal speaking voice.
Jackie is only a decibel under him. “Duh, Cassie left the key in the lock.”
“So he’s stuck in there?”
“I guess.”
“What if he has to pee?”
The words sink in and I lurch up in bed. My door is cracked open. I left it that way so I would wake if our overnight guest made any moves, although if he got far enough away, apparently I would be overcome with violent agony, so that in and of itself is a decent alarm system.
I just didn’t want him creeping around our house while everyone was asleep. Despite Mimi’s assurances that he spoke true, there are too many ways to sneak around her lie-detection abilities. I know, I’ve done it myself.
I heave myself out of bed and into the doorway.
Sure enough, Jackie and Kevin are outside the door to my office, Kevin with one hand on the knob.
“Hey.”
They both jump, turning guilty eyes my way.
The scent of syrup and bacon drifts from downstairs. “Smells like breakfast is ready. Go wash up.”
They trudge past me toward the stairs. “The water’s still cold,” Kevin tosses over his shoulder.
Shit. “Cold showers are good for you.” Or so I’ve heard.
I’ll call someone later. I’ll figure out how to pay for it later too. My to-do list stacks up in my mind like a mountain of bricks.
Take care of this Bennet guy and help find his sister so I can get him out of my house, call someone about the water heater, work an actual job that pays money for said water heater... It won’t be enough to solve all the other catastrophes, known and unknown, but it’s a start.
Once the kids are out of earshot, I pad over to the office door and hesitate before turning the key.
Maybe locking him in was excessive, but he agreed to the confinement, which went a long way toward easing my concerns about a strange man in my home. A strange man from another dimension, no less.
I knock gently and then push open the door.
Bennet is splayed out on the couch, his legs hanging over the edge. His broad shoulders are too wide and his legs are too long for the blanket tossed over him, exposing the soles of his feet and the upper part of his chest. His bare chest.
A slender chain hangs around his neck, a delicate gold ring dangling from the end of it. Whose ring is that? A wife’s? A lover’s? He didn’t mention leaving behind a family in Aetheria, but then why would he? Although, if he were married she would have the ring on her finger and not around his neck.
Also . . . is he completely naked?
I glance around the room and finally land on his clothes, folded in a neat pile on the chair in the corner.
My attention drifts back to Bennet.
He’s all long limbs and lean muscles. His dark blond hair is rumpled from sleep, one strand hanging over his forehead and making my fingers itch to push it back. His face is soft with sleep, contrasting with the strong jawline covered in stubble.
I need to wake him, but I can’t get my feet to move.
This would be a lot easier if he looked like a hobgoblin instead of an Adonis.
