Hans undoes whatever he did to tie up my dress so the skirt falls back down, covering me up.
Carefully, testing out the soreness between my legs and a foreign soreness in my rear, I turn to face Hans.
It’s still too dark, but with the garage door open behind him, I can make out his outline against the slightly brighter night outside.
His hands gently close around my wrists, where they were tied, and I wonder if bears can see in the dark.
His fingers brush over my tender skin.
“Did I tie it too tight?” His tone is full of concern, and it’s such a contrast from the man who just filled me so full a few moments ago.
I have to wet my lips to reply. “No, it’s… I liked it.”
He makes a sound low in his chest, and the whole of what just happened finally sinks in.
My mouth pulls into a smile.
I can’t believe I just had sex with my hot neighbor… In his garage.
“Good thing no one else lives on this street,” I joke, wondering how loud I was and how far sound travels.
Hans’s silhouette turns to look out the garage. “We’ll close the door next time.”
Next time.
CHAPTER 40
Hans
Next time.
No matter how stupid or dangerous it is, I know there will be a next time. I won’t be able to stop myself.
I slowly release her hands. “Get some sleep, Butterfly. We have an early morning.”
She takes one tentative step, then another.
My chest fills with something hot as I watch her uneven gait as she makes her way to the mouth of the garage.
Cassandra stops and looks back through the dark at me. “Night, Grizzly Bear.”
Not able to stop myself, I let out a low growl.
Her mouth breaks into the widest smile, and it hits me right in the heart.
Then she hurries away, with a quick stop at my truck to snag her purse.
CHAPTER 41
Cassie
Stepping through my front door, I glance up at the sun-shaped clock hanging on the wall above my little workstation and sigh. I should’ve packed before I left for dinner, but I’m a procrastinator at heart, so it’s no surprise I didn’t. So now I need to pack before I drop onto my bed and relive everything that just happened.
As I climb the stairs, my muscles twinge.
It’s been a bit since I’ve slept with anyone, but I have. I’m not a virgin. But that—I try my best to clench my pelvic floor muscles as I hurry up the last few steps—was the hottest thing I’ve ever experienced.
Turning, I head straight into my bathroom.
The shower turns on with a hiss of water, and I let it warm up while I strip off what remains of my clothing.
I glance out the bathroom door, toward my bedroom, toward the windows that look out over Hans’s house.
Is he showering me off his body right now? Or is he already in that comfortable bed of his, falling asleep?
CHAPTER 42
Hans
The sensor reads my palm, and the door to my safe room unlocks.
I ignore the monitors, step past the wall of firearms, and pull open the closet at the back of the room.
It takes me a second to find it, but the spoof laptop is where I left it. Slender ceramic knives exactly where I left them, hidden within.
If shit gets loud, I’ll be able to get a gun off someone. But I like having my own weapons at the ready.
CHAPTER 43
Cassie
One peek out my front window shows my neighbor’s house already alight with life.
When my alarm went off at four, the only thing that kept me from snoozing through it was the fact that I’d be starting my day with Hans.
Hoisting my work-branded backpack onto my shoulders, I look around the living room. “Okay, bye! I’ll be back on Friday,” I tell my house, then flip off the light and open my front door.
And then I scream because a man is standing on my front step.
“Who were you talking to?” Hans’s deep voice is loud in the early morning quiet. But to be fair, my shriek was probably louder.
I press both hands over my heart. “What the hell, Hans?”
He takes a step closer.
I’m still blocking the doorway, but he looks over my head into my house. “Who were you talking to, Cassandra?”
“What—” I realize he must’ve heard me saying goodbye.
I don’t really want to answer him, but I think I’m starting to know Hans well enough to know he’s not going to just let it go.
Hands still over my heart, I admit, “I was talking to my house.”
He tips his head down so he can look into my eyes. “Pardon?”
I press my lips together.