Page 44 of My Turkish Fling
“I was thinking… It’s only nine o’clock. If you hadn’t interrupted our date, I might still be out. Maybe whoever was here knew I was going out. I don’t know how, but it’s possible, I think. And if they did, maybe they chose tonight for that reason, thinking I’d be out all night.”
Emir swallowed, nodding. “I thought about that, too. Someone who knew about your date but didn’t know about me. And then we walked in on him, and he had to flee. Maybe that’s why nothingis missing. He didn’t have time to take anything.”
“You think he would have broken in right before we arrived?”
I felt better about that option. I hated to think of someone spending an hour at my house, touching and sniffing my things. Was that person now sitting somewhere, sniffing my underwear? I fought the gagging reflex and swallowed the piece of bread in my mouth.
“But even then, if it was a burglar, they’d go for the low-hanging fruit, like your jewelry. You had gold necklaces hanging in that little tree on your dressing table. It would have taken him seconds to grab those. It makes no sense.” Emir slowly shook his head, the frown on his forehead deepening.
Unless they just went straight to the laundry hamper, I thought, my insides twisting. But there was still a chance I was wrong. Those panties would turn up, and I’d feel like a fool.
We ate in silence, both listening for any sounds out of the ordinary, but there was nothing going on, only the faint whirr of cicadas behind the window, like a static from a disconnected TV someone had left on. The night already felt cooler. I loved sleeping with my window open, and feeling that breeze, but how could I do that anymore? I’d have to close and lock every door and window.
“I know it’s late, but I need to do some exercise,” I said. “I’ll just get changed first. Do you mind if I take over the living room floor?”
He looked surprised. “Why do you ask? It’s your house. Or are you asking me to join you?”
I swallowed a lump. “I guess I’m asking you to stay close. I know that sounds stupid, but I’d feel better if—”
“Of course. I’ll be here.”
We cleaned up after our second dinner, and he settled on the couch with Gru and a thriller he found on my shelf. How could he read something like that after a day like this? I’d never understand men. They seemed to thrive on adrenaline, whereas I felt drained and shaky, desperate to return to my previous state of ignorant bliss, the time in the past when I’d never even considered the possibility of someone breaking into my house. But obviously, that option wasn’t available, and I’d have to adjust to the new reality. What would that reality look like when Emir returned to Turkey, and I was left here by myself?
Taking deep breaths to quell the shivers, I retreated to my bedroom, constantly looking over my shoulder as I organized my clothes and changed into a pair of slacks and a T-shirt. This didn’t change anything between me and Emir, I reminded myself. We had no future, and the harder I leaned on him to get through this, the harder I’d make this for both of us. I had to rely on myself. I had to be brave enough.
I hurried back to the living room, instantly feeling better when I found Emir exactly where I’d left him, seemingly engrossed in the book. But as I lowered myself to the floor, I felt his eyes on me.
I cast the exercise video from my phone to the TV, keeping the volume so low I could barely hear it. I was afraid the cheerful voice of the Pilates lady would drown out something else I needed to hear.
Would I ever feel relaxed again? Even though making my muscles burn helped, it didn’t soothe the roiling in my stomach.
I got up on shaking legs. “I don’t want to keep you up, but would you like to watch a movie with me? I’ll just take a quick shower.”
Emir’s eyes filled with understanding. “Are you nervous about going to sleep?”
That’s exactly what I was feeling, but I’d promised myself I wouldn’t do this.
“No. I’m just not that sleepy yet,” I said brightly, stifling a yawn.
I wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed, as long as it was next to Emir in a windowless room with a bolted door. Or just next to Emir. I needed him close enough to feel his vitals. I needed a living, breathing male handy with a weapon between me and the rest of the world.
So, I’d been reduced to this? I’d accused him of caveman behavior, and now I wanted to sleep in a cave, protected by a particularly tall and strong specimen of the male species who was holding a club.
Come on, Janie! You’re better than this.
“Actually… I’m starting to feel tired. I’ll just go to bed. Sleep tight!” I yawned for good measure and gave him one last smile before skipping to my end of the house.
He’d be in the same house. The doors were locked. Tomorrow, I’d get better locks. Dead bolts. Chains. A security camera at every entrance. I’d sell some of my useless junk to cover the cost. I only had to make it through this one night.
Chapter 21
Emir
How could she go to sleep after all this? I’d been sitting down for a good hour, but my pulse remained elevated. Although watching Janie bend over in a pair of white tights likely had something to do with it. I should have kept my eyes on the book, but I struggled to focus on the story, my mind split between fantasies of her naked body and scenarios of the break-in. Neither activity helped me relax, and by the time she finished her workout, I felt like going for a long run, but I didn’t want to leave her alone, even for a half an hour. Besides, I’d already done a run and a workout in the morning, which now seemed like a week ago.
As Janie headed to her bedroom, I grabbed the flashlight and got back outside, circling the house, checking every possible point of entry. I’d already closed every window and checked the locks. Thefront door did show some scratches that could have been made by a lock pick, but that was to be expected. I knew I hadn’t left the door unlocked. I’d found no scuff marks on the other doors, which suggested the thief hadn’t tried them first. Why the front door? The location was remote, with no neighbors watching, but it still felt too brazen. Why not even try the back door? That was usually the weakest link.
And why bother with lock picking? Why not just break the glass on one of the many sliding doors, flip the simple lock and let yourself in? It would have been a lot faster. After all, there was nobody around to hear the sound of breaking glass. Unless the intruder had planned to get in and out without being noticed. And in that case, what were they after? If they had stolen something, Janie would have noticed. She’d had a strange expression when checking her laundry hamper, but it might have been just the shock or sheer awkwardness of having to do it in front of me. If she said nothing was missing, I had to believe her.
