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He glanced at his watch. “Right, it’s nearly five. Here’s what’s going to happen. You get up. Don’t get dressed since you’ll be back in bed soon. I’m going to order us some take-out and while we’re waiting for it to come, I’ll put the new dead locks on your front and back doors. You can rest on the sofa.”

Okay, she got that he was a man who was used to taking charge but there were a few things there that she had to address.

He had already turned away and left the room by the time she ordered her thoughts though, so she had no choice but to get up. Then her bladder let her know she urgently needed the toilet. She set Bun-bun down on the bed. Crap. She couldn’t believe that Kent Jensen had seen her sleeping with a stuffed toy. At least he hadn’t said anything. Maybe he was choosing to ignore it. He was a good guy. She wrapped a robe around herself and strode into the bathroom. She used the facilities and cleaned her teeth because they felt kind of scummy. The last thing she needed to be was the girl who slept with a stuffed rabbit and had smelly breath.

When she was feeling a bit more alert, she walked out to find him at her front door. “Are you sure you don’t want a bag of peas for your nose?”

He glanced up at her with a grin. “Baby, I was a Navy SEAL, I run a security company filled with bad asses. I am a bad ass. I promise that a whack on the nose from a little bit of a thing like you barely even stung.”

“You’re a bad ass?” Her lips twitched at the term.

He gave her a firm look. “Bad. Ass.”

“All right then. So do bad asses always put new locks on the doors of women they hardly know?”

“They do when said woman comes to the aid of their sister,” he told her. “You planning on arguing with me?”

She thought that over. She was still tired. She was hungry. She had a headache. She was annoyed at him for coming into her house and waking her up, but she also found it kind of sweet that he had been worried about her.

“I don’t think I have the energy,” she said honestly.

He watched her for a moment longer then his eyes melted into deep pools of deliciousness. It was all she could do not to dissolve in a pile of goo at his feet “Go sit down, sweetheart. Turn the T.V. on and zone out for a bit. I got this.”

She stared at him. “Would you like me to order dinner?”

“I’ll do it. Anything you’re allergic to or don’t like?” he asked.

“Only things I don’t like are artichokes, raw fish and lemons.”

His lips twitched. “Well, I promise that I will keep those things off our pizza.”

“Pizza. Yum. I like meat lovers.” She bounced up and down in excitement.

He gave her a strange look. And his voice was tender when he replied. “Meat lovers it is, then. Go on. I got this.”

Yeah, he had this. She watched him for a minute longer, after all she wasn’t exactly used to a hot guy whose jeans molded to his spectacular ass. Things that he didn’t accept anything in return for.

He’s doing all this because you helped his sister.

It would be nice if it was because he liked her. But she’d take what she could get. She walked into the kitchen and put on some coffee. Then yawning, she strode into the living room and switched on the T.V., searching for something to watch. It wasn’t long before she was sipping coffee liberally laced with hazelnut creamer and watching The Bachelor.

“Oh man, what is he doing?” she muttered.

“What are you watching?”

She sat up with a gasp, coffee spilling over the edge of her cup. Luckily, it wasn’t that hot. Kent walked around the sofa and crouched in front of her. He grabbed the mug from her, looked at her hand. “Are you burned?”

“No, it was pretty much cold,” she told him. “Sorry, I didn’t hear you walk up behind me. Umm, I’ll just go clean up.” She scooted forward and thankfully, he stood and moved out of the way. She kept her gaze down as she hurried into the kitchen to wash the coffee off her hand. She wiped at the spill on her top. Could she get more klutzy?

“Was that decaf coffee?” he asked.

“No.” She gaped at him. “What’s the point of coffee without the kick of caffeine?”

He brought the cup to his mouth and tasted what was left in the mug. For some reason that felt awfully intimate. Her body throbbed in reaction.

Stop it, Abby. He’s here because you helped Eden. Nothing else.

He grimaced. “Not sure I’d even call that coffee. What flavor is that?”