Chapter 20
Holt
I watch her form make its way to the couch.
Those fucking leggings will be the death of me.
She thinks she is hiding herself under that overly large hoodie, but I can see her shapely legs.
The very bottom of those luscious ass cheeks are slightly exposed, and it is making me half hard.
My eyes narrow again, wondering if she got that hoodie from an ex-boyfriend.
It definitely looked like it belonged to a man at one time.
I take a deep breath. I need to reign my shit in right now.
The urge to tear the sweatshirt off of her and throw it into the fire is simmering just under the surface.
I turn my attention back to the cheese. Watching her wield the knife was making me nervous.
I know I won’t be able to protect her all the time, but when I can step in I will.
She has turned the television on to some true crime show.
I chuckle softly. The woman with PTSD, who was recently held up at gun point, continues to watch true crime.
She is definitely a mess— good thing I like getting dirty.
I bring over the platter with her self proclaimed “girl dinner” and set it on the coffee table.
“Eat,” I tell her. She looks at me and raises her eyebrows. Just when I think she is going to challenge me, she reaches over and grabs some grapes. I nod and go back to get my drink. The actual food should be ready in a few minutes, so I decide to join her on the couch.
“The cameras are up outside, I’ll put the app on your phone tonight so that you can look at them whenever you want,” I explain to her.
I reach over and grab some cheese and a cracker.
I watch her curiously. She nods at me and takes another gulp of her wine.
I hand her a cracker. Her eyes narrow at me as she reaches out to take it from me. As she does that, she speaks.
“Thanks, let me know what I owe you. If I can’t pay for it all up front, I’ll pay in installments,” she explains. She obviously doesn’t understand. I’ll be thrilled to spell it out for her soon. I can’t contain my laugh.
“Sure, I’ll let you know,” I can’t keep a straight face, but her form of payment and mine will be extremely different.
“What’s so funny,” she asks. Again, not understanding. She will understand, when she understands that she is mine. I change the subject.
“Piper, we need to talk about what happened today,” she sighs as the words come out of my mouth. Her head is already shaking.
“I don’t know what is happening,” she mutters. “I have been over it in my head hundreds of times, and I’m no closer to an answer than I was earlier today.”
“It’s okay,” I soothe. I put my hand on her thigh and squeeze it gently. She tenses but doesn’t pull away, so I leave my hand in place. The urge to float my hand upwards is practically killing me.
“Maybe Carter will be able to dig something up on one of your customers,” I respond. “Have you had any new customers lately,” I ask her. She shakes her head no and opens her mouth to speak.
“If I have they haven’t made an impression, I honestly don’t know everyone that comes in. This is a tourist town, Holt. I have my regulars, of course, but a fair amount of my customer base are visitors.”
What she is saying makes sense, but it doesn’t give me any peace of mind. In fact it just worries me more.
“I get that,” I respond. I’m trying not to push. Someone that is stressed out will not be able to help in any investigation.
“We will wait until we hear from Carter,” the timer on the oven goes off, prompting me to stand.
“Let me help,” Piper says as she moves to stand. I shake my head and hold up my hand. She looks so tired.
“I’ll get it, give me your glass,” I say. It is almost empty, and I plan on refilling it. The second glass will help her relax. She hands it over easily. I assemble our plates and make my way back to her. I am on a mission for Piper to let her guard down.