Chapter 5
I’d never felt an urge to kick another human being as I did just then, not even when I’d discovered Chad had been cheating with our boss. It was bad enough I had to force my gaze away from Ray to confirm Chad’s identity, but—
Holy shit!
A wild surge of emotions seized my body and took me on the wildest roller-coaster ride of my life.
I couldn’t tell if it was fury, shock, or arousal that caused a flood of adrenaline to short-circuit my system.
My hands shook, and my legs trembled with restless energy as if an army of ants marched under my skin.
Should I flee, fight, or fuck? I stole a glance in Ray’s direction to confirm I hadn’t imagined his presence.
Yep, he was still standing beside me, rocking the bluest eyes to ever blue.
Nope. Not going there.
Not when the other jerk who’d rejected my affection showed up at my job and attacked my beloved Sadie.
And that was the moment the executive-functioning part of my brain decided on which emotion to latch onto and the appropriate physical response.
I drew my leg back to deliver a powerful kick, but Ray’s big hand landed on my forearm and gently squeezed, pulling my attention back to him.
Vintage-blue-jean eyes made my heart do cartwheels and tripped my brain from fight mode into fuck.
My gaze dropped to the wet shirt clinging to Ray’s powerful body.
Too bad the fabric was black and not white.
As shitty as my day was, I could use a wet T-shirt contest to boost my mood.
Ray’s pecs were stunning enough without his sexy nipples winking at me.
And damn. Was that an eight-pack? Six wasn’t good enough for this guy?
The urge to throw myself into Ray’s arms and rub against him like a cat in heat was overwhelming.
“You don’t want to do that,” Ray said, his voice gruff and deliciously bossy. The combo did nothing to cool my arousal.
“Oh, but I really, really do.” Whose husky voice was that? Not mine. Clearing my throat, just in case, I added, “It’s been an awful day, and it would make me feel better.” But I no longer meant kicking Chad.
Ray’s dark eyebrow shot up, and something sparked in his blue depths. Arousal? Encouragement? “He’s not worth it.”
Ugh, we were back to Chad. I took a deep breath and exhaled my frustration. “Fine. I won’t kick him, but you owe me.”
Ray’s lips curved into a smile, and it looked like he was going to respond, until my idiot ex chose that moment to insert himself into our conversation.
“Damn, Kit, you’re even more pathetic than I realized if you’re slumming it with this meathead,” Chad jeered.
Fury obliterated my infatuation haze, and I turned a hostile glare on Chad.
I didn’t give a shit what he thought about me, but how dare he degrade Ray.
“You’re not in any position to insult or judge anyone.
And I do mean literally,” I said, gesturing to where he lay on his stomach with his hands zip-tied behind his back.
“You wanted my attention, asshole, and now you’ve got it. ”
Chad scoffed. “Don’t flatter yourself.”
I could’ve pointed out that he’d called my parents’ house looking for me, so he had indeed wanted my attention, but airing our dirty laundry in front of the residents and Ray wasn’t high on my list. “How’d you even know I worked here?
” I’d blocked him on all my social media accounts and made them private.
No one in my family would’ve told him where I worked, and we no longer shared a friend circle.
Chad pinched his lips together so tightly they turned white, but the answer came to me without his help.
“You fucking followed me here!” I blurted.
Chad rolled his eyes, and I thought he was going to deny it, until his lips curved into an ugly sneer. “Still not very observant, are you? I used your cluelessness to my advantage. Again.”
Reminding me of how I’d blindly trusted Chad while he’d carried out a long-term affair wasn’t the wisest thing to do while trussed up and defenseless.
Ray tightened his grip and stepped closer, as if prepared to physically restrain me if necessary.
I wasn’t going to kick my ex-loser boyfriend, but Chad didn’t know that.
My chest swelled with pride as Chad’s expression morphed into worry as he realized he’d gone too far.
Leaning in, Ray lowered his voice and said, “He’s still not worth it.
” Warm breath tickled my ear and sent a shiver down my spine, making it hard to focus on the rest of the words that followed.
“I caught the guy vandalizing your car, and he just admitted to stalking you in front of witnesses. Cops are on the way. Let the law handle him.”
I had every intention of doing just that, but why not have a little fun on such a shitty day? I turned to Ray, loving how close he stood to me. Hell, our chests almost touched. “You’ll owe me twice,” I teased.
A pink blush bloomed across Ray’s cheeks, and he’d just opened his mouth to respond when an authoritative male voice interrupted and demanded someone turn off the music.
That was probably my job, but it would’ve required me to pull my arm free from Ray’s grip when that was the last thing I wanted.
Luckily, someone else obeyed the command, and the only thumping on the silent pool deck came from my heart.
“Can someone tell me what the hell happened here?” Ugh. The bossy voice again. “Who’s in charge?”
Couldn’t he see I was busy doing…what? Making a fool of myself? That thought was the bucket of ice water my dazed brain needed to seize control of the situation. Retracting my arm, I turned and addressed the stern-faced officer scanning the small crowd.
“I’m your huckleberry.” It was the worst time to recite my favorite Val Kilmer quote, so that’s of course what rolled off my tongue.
An amused snort came from someone behind me, and I suspected it was the flirty security guard who’d arrived second on the scene. Second on the scene? I’d have to remember that phrasing when I wrote up an incident report for management.
“Actually, in this instance, I believe I’m your point of contact.” Ray’s voice was low but assertive, maybe something he used in the bedroom when instructing a lover to—
“And you are?” asked the officer.
“Rayden James with RAVEN Securities,” he replied before gesturing to the flirty security guard. “This is my partner Archer Stone.”
There was another round of handshakes before the men continued talking. The cop likely gave his name, but damned if I heard anything after learning Ray’s full name. Rayden James. It sure sounded like someone who would chase down a crowbar-wielding maniac after catching him in the act of vandalism.
“This is all Kit’s fault!” Chad yelled. “He ruined my life.”
“No one asked for your input yet,” the cop said.
I really should’ve paid attention when he gave his name. I dropped my gaze to the shiny metal nameplate pinned on his chest. “Thank you, Officer Romero.”
The cop turned his dark gaze on me, though his expression was a tad kinder when he said, “Not you yet either. I’ll get a victim’s statement in just a moment.”
“Victim?” Chad sneered. “Kit’s got that role down to an art.”
Ray, my super-sexy hero, crouched down in front of Chad and leveled him with the deadliest look I’d ever seen.
Even Wild West gunslingers would quake when facing off against him.
“Not a damn word out of you until Officer Romero asks for your input. Got it?” Ray pitched his voice low and menacing to match his deadly glower.
Chad was many things, reckless and stupid topping the list, but his cockroach-level survival instincts kicked in to save him once again. He clamped his mouth shut and nodded.
Romero’s stern, unsmiling mouth briefly twitched at the corners before he resumed control. Removing a small notebook and pen from his pocket, the officer said, “Mr. James, we’ll start with your observations since you witnessed the crime in the act.”
Ray stood up but kept his gaze on Chad as he relayed the incident in a concise, authoritative voice while using tactical phrases to describe what he witnessed.
The impersonal jargon made me forget Ray was talking about me until he described the damage inflicted on my sweet Sadie.
She didn’t deserve to go out like that. “Then the perpetrator fled the scene to evade capture, and I gave chase.”
“And you got assaulted with a crowbar,” I said before I could stop myself.
Hattie, one of the ladies from my water aerobics class, stepped forward.
“It’s true.” Her dark scowl stood out in stark contrast to the sunny yellow swim cap she wore on her head.
It was the retro style with three-dimensional flowers all over it, and they shook with mirroring outrage when Hattie pointed a finger at Chad.
“He aimed for the hunk’s head but missed.
” Then she smiled charmingly at Ray. “Those are some quick reflexes you have there.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
Mr. Murphy, a retired seaman, stepped forward and saluted. “We all saw it, Captain.”
Officer Romero glanced up from taking notes and scanned the cluster of residents in their various stages of dress.
The modest participants had donned their swim cover-ups or put on T-shirts, but the bolder among the crowd hadn’t bothered.
Some really leaned into letting it all hang out, and I loved them all the more for their zero-fucks attitude.
“And you’ll all give statements to what you witnessed?” Romero asked them.
A chorus of “yes, sir” and “absolutely” answered him.
Romero nodded and scanned the surrounding area. “Do you mind hanging out at the patio tables until I wrap up here? Then I’ll collect your statements.”
Most of the residents complied easily, but there were a few reluctant stragglers who moved much slower than I knew they could.