Page 64 of Missiletoe
He frowned, but his answer was still polite and professional. “The fire is out, but there’s a lot of smoke damage. I hope you have renter’s insurance.”
I did, so I nodded.
Mom would have a litter of kittens if I didn’t. I come from a long line of caretakers, and my mom is one of the best.
What was taking Vix so long?
“It will be a few minutes before you can go inside. The fire wasn’t big, but we still need to air the place out before you can go in safely. I guess you’re stuck with me until then. Don’t worry, I’m great company. I’ve been told my dad jokes are top-notch.” Once again, Mike laughed.
It was a little annoying.
For the first time, I really paid attention to him. I had been busy when I’d met him at the shelter several months ago, and last night my focus had been completely taken by Vix, the fire, and Sylvia. I’d barely even recognized him then. If he hadn’t been dressed as a fireman, I might not have known who he was.
Mike was uncomfortable to look at for some reason. I couldn’t tell if he had heavy shadows or not because there was so much residual smoke coming from my apartment that I couldn’t see which was which. But something was off about him.
It was different than anything I was used to. It wasn’t a serial killer vibe like Baz had, or the overbearing feral energy Gareth radiated. Honestly, I couldn’t be certain there was anything wrong with Mike, or if the feeling was from my epically bad mood, so I let it go.
For once, I wasn’t feeling like my usual laid-back self. I’d had two fires in my life in less than a day, and I’d left my defenseless bunny alone in my truck.I should go get himhad become a litany of words in the back of my mind set on an endless loop.
I didn’t want to be like Gareth and restrict Vix’s freedom, but man, I could empathize with Gareth now. Vix was precious beyond words and as defenseless as a person could get.
I suffered through one and a half of Mike’s dad jokes before saying, “I’ll be right back.”
I made to head for the stairs but stopped when a fluffy head of red curls appeared. It was followed by a second, similar head of curls.
“Paris, you have a stalker, so I brought backup!” Vix flung himself at me, and I caught him in my arms, swinging him around to absorb the impact.
All my grumpy feelings faded, and I was all smiles once again.
“Stalker?” I asked.
“Yes, the accelerant used today was the same as the one from last night.” Vix looked down at his phone once more. “Only this time whoever was responsible broke in instead of setting a fire outside. They are escalating their attacks. You need a bodyguard.”
“And I’m your man,” Baz said, doing a little spin. I caught a glimpse of four different blades in his clothing as he spun before his clothes settled and hid them from sight once more.
“How do you know about the accelerant?” Mike demanded with a scowl. “We just found out about it.”
Vix gave him a shrug but otherwise ignored Mike. All of his attention was on me. “From now on, Baz is sticking to you like glue until we find this guy. Don’t try to have sex with him though, Baz. Paris is off limits.”
“Not even once?” Baz put on a distressed face. I could tell Baz was teasing Vix, but it went right over my bunny’s head.
“Not even once. He’s off limits,” Vix paused and sent a nasty glare in Mike's direction. “Toeveryone.”
Mike snorted. “Whatever, shorty.”
I didn’t see why Vix had a problem with Mike. He hadn’t even been there for the dad jokes.
“I don’t need a bodyguard, bunny.”
“Bunny?” This was Mike. He sounded like someone had shoved a stick up his butt.
“Yes, you really fucking do.” This was Vix, and he said it at the same time as Baz, using the same inflection and intensity.
“I told Baz what happened.”
“And I told him Gareth already knew.”
“Which means Gareth likes you!”
