Page 16 of Safe Haven
An Amazon of a woman walks in, and I strain my neck to look up at her face.
“Christ, you’re tall.” I’m beyond caring about manners at this point.
“No.”
I frown at her one-word greeting.
“I didn’t ask you anything.”
She rolls her eyes and starts listing things she must hear on a daily basis.
“No, it’s not hotter up here. No, I can’t tell it’s raining first. No, it’s not nice to be able to see over people. No, I will not let you ride on my shoulders.” She points at her fingers as she counts them out.
“Fuck, people want to ride your shoulders?” That seems a little extreme.
“Women more than men, but yes. I look like a jungle gym to them, I guess. The guys are usually intimidated by me or think I’m a man.” I cross my arms and study her closely.
She may be tall and built like a Mack truck, but she’s all curves.
“Fucking idiots. I’m Haven, welcome to my house. This idiot is Diesel. No matter how much he acts like he’s starving, do not feed him. Never leave him in the house alone without putting him in his kennel, or he’ll be on the eleven o’clock news.” I glance over my shoulder at him and catch him yawning.
“Understood. When you wake up, let me know. I’ve got my piercing kit with me.” I groan but nod.
I’d been able to forget all about the body doubling for a few minutes, but now it’s back in the forefront of my brain. I stomp back to my bed and throw myself over my dog.
“Being human is hard, Diesel. You wanna trade?” He licks my face and lets up a pitiful whine that makes me love him even more.
“Love you too, you big, nasty asshole. No more destroying my house.” I scratch behind his ears and place a kiss on his nose.
“Let’s get some sleep.”
BEEP BEEP BEEP
BEEP BEEP BEEP
I peel my eyes open to the sound of my phone. I search blindly in the dark for it.
Fuck it all! It feels like I just closed my eyes a few moments ago.
I find it tucked under my pillow, and the harsh light from my cell phone makes me wince as I try to focus on the time displayed on the too-bright screen.
“Ugh, four in the morning? Really. What the fuck is wrong with people?” I turned the ringer off and opened the text thread from the police department.
They use a secure server to alert all emergency personnel to crime scene requests, and luckily, I’m still on call until six this morning.
“Knock, knock. Everything alright?” I jump at Nightshade’s voice, having forgotten she was here.
“Yeah, I gotta go to work.” I stand and stretch.
“It’s not even dawn.” I yawn as I walk into my bathroom.
“Murders don’t keep normal business hours.” I pee, then brush my teeth, while the woman in charge of my security watches me closely.
“Listen, if you’re going to be all up in my vagina later to give me this piercing, I should probably know your real name.” I look from her to my closet.
Fuck I forgot to pick up my dry cleaning.
One glance at my laundry basket tells me sweats are also out of the question. Well, if I time it right, I can just go into the office after. Decision made, I grabbed a skirt suit and blouse.
