free country?” What was this guy? Twelve? “Stalking is against the law. Maybe you’d like to take a trip down to the station and find out how goddamned free you’ll be then.”
“Luke. I’ll handle this.”
This no-nonsense Claire was new to him, and he liked her. Liked her a lot. He stood his ground, though, arms loose by his sides, ready to move if Donald decided to stay stupid.
“And you,” she said, turning on the ex. “You have no business being here, and you need to leave. Now.”
“But what about...”
“There are no buts, Donald. I have nothing to say to you. I told you I’ll call my lawyer. My lawyer will call your lawyer. Now get out.”
Luke had to hand it to her. A lot of women would have fallen apart under the circumstances, but not Claire. Her demeanor was calm and collected, her voice firm, even a bit forceful. She wasn’t backing down, and she wasn’t taking no for an answer. Still, he slowly reached around his back to where he’d stashed his gun. The action wasn’t lost on Donald, who held up both hands, palms out, and stepped away.
“Okay, okay. I’m going, but this isn’t over,” he said, backing toward the door, apparently not ballsy enough to turn his back on them. Good call.
“I want this place on the market, Claire. Soon. And I want that book back.”
“Out!” Claire’s voice was a little sharper.
Donald opened the door, but he didn’t leave. “You really a cop?” he asked.
“Yeah, I am.”
“You got a badge?”
“It’s in my jacket, in the bedroom.” You want a pissing contest? Bring it on, buddy. “Tell you what. You want me to produce my badge, I get to read you your rights.”
“That’s bullshit.” Now that Donald was out of the apartment, he seemed a little less intimidated and a lot more full of himself.
Luke dealt with guys like this all the time. Arrogant, never willing to acknowledge they were in the wrong, always wanting the last word. Short of locking them up, there was only one way to handle them. He shut the door in Donald’s face and flipped the dead bolt home with a sharp click. Not that a dead bolt could keep out someone with keys, but Luke was reasonably confident the guy wasn’t dumb enough to come back.
“You okay?” he asked, turning to face Claire.
Her bottom lip quivered a little and she shook her head.
“Come here.” He drew her into his arms and held her, happy to offer comfort but feeling like an ass because now he was mostly ticked that Donald’s appearance had blown his chances with her. Her breath was warm against his shoulder, her hair soft beneath his hand as he stroked the back of her head.
After a minute or two her body relaxed and she slipped her arms around his waist, letting the robe fall open as she did. He didn’t need to look down to know that before she’d put on the robe, she’d shed the bra he’d unfastened earlier.
He hooked her chin with a finger and tipped her face up, needing to get a read on what she wanted from him. He didn’t like what he saw.
“I’m so sorry,” she said. “He’s never done anything like this before.”
Luke wasn’t so sure. Stalkers usually worked their way up to the kind of brazen behavior they’d seen tonight. If he had to guess, he’d say Donald had been at this for a while.
“You’re sure he’s never been in here? Maybe when you’re not home?”
Her eyes filled with concern. “I...I don’t know. I just assumed he wouldn’t. None of his things are here.”
You’re here. While Donald figured there was nothing wrong with hooking up with a new woman, he clearly had an issue with Claire moving on. Probably best not to upset her with that just now.
“I think you should change the lock.” He was kind of surprised she hadn’t already done that, but she had always wanted to believe the best in people.
“I’ll call a locksmith first thing in the morning. Otherwise I’ll never get any sleep.”
“Speaking of sleep, it’s getting late.” He brushed her hair back and lightly kissed her forehead. “You should get some rest. If it’ll help, I’ll spend the night on the sofa.”
“I’d like you to stay,” she said, demonstrating that need by sliding her hands over his hips and angling herself against him. “But not out here.”
For the second time that evening, she laced her fingers with his and led him into the bedroom. Oh, yeah. He really was a lucky devil. If anyone interrupted them this time, he just might shoot first and ask questions later.
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