I sigh. Sebastian is a more pleasant topic, and I can’t tackle the insurance problem right now. “And then he asked me out for a drink. I told him to meet me in the VIP lounge of Daredevils. I went home to shower and change.” That was at around ten thirty. Were they already in the house when I was there? Hiding in the closet, watching me change? No, they broke down the door, so they couldn’t have been. Still, just the thought sends chills down my spine and I hug my blanket tighter to me. “We were at the club for a little over an hour and then he drove me home. I didn’t know that someone had broken in until we were at my front door. He ran in to check things out and I called the cops.”

Sebastian ran to check things out with a gun in his hand. A gun that he had tucked in his boot at the bar, and possibly all day while I worked on him. It startled me to see him with it. But I really don’t know anything about him, other than that he was a soldier and now he’s a bodyguard.

“Thank God he was there with you.” That’s what I love most about Dakota. It’s pretty obvious to anyone who knows me—and people who don’t—why I was bringing Sebastian, a guy I’d just met, home with me. But there isn’t a judgmental bone in Dakota’s body. It could be her spiritual inclinations, or her relaxed nature, but she has always been like that. And she’s always lived life with the expectation that no one should judge her, either. People do, because people are critical assholes, by and large—but the thing is, she doesn’t care, and she’s enjoyed life more because of it.

“Yeah. He was there with me last night. I’m not dumb enough to be counting on him to be there today, though,” I mutter.

My words end with a doorbell and Dakota’s know-it-all smile.

“Shit. He’s early.” I look down at myself, still in my boxers and tank top, my teeth not even brushed. “I need ten minutes. Can you stall him?”

She nods eagerly.

Okay, maybe unleashing Dakota on Sebastian at eight fifteen isn’t the best idea. He may still run. “But don’t start talking about all that weird aura stuff. You’ll freak him out. He’s . . . different. Very reserved.” I dart past her and toward the spare room that I slept in last night, slamming the door shut behind me. I don’t have a lot of choice in clothes—I can’t wear the corset dress I had on last night. All I managed to grab in the chaos were leggings and . . . I rifle through my bag and realize that I didn’t grab a shirt. I don’t have a shirt to wear.

I heave an annoyed sigh at myself. I’ll have to borrow something of Dakota’s.

She’s at least six inches taller than me, so this should be interesting.

I pass through the joint bathroom that connects the two bedrooms and walk directly into her closet. She wears a lot of maxi dresses that would drag around my feet, and likely not stay up to begin with, so my options are limited. Very limited. I manage to root out a rose-pink shirt—just about the last color I’d ever choose to wear in my life. It fits well enough, though its cropped length leaves nothing to the imagination thanks to my leggings.

Maybe Sebastian’s imagination needs help anyway.

I shift into the bathroom to do a quick makeover. Dakota’s bathroom is old and cramped, with original tile and poor lighting. I’d never rent this place but I know why she does. It’s charming and quirky, just like her.

And I’ve left her out there with Sebastian.

I throw on daytime makeup and run a brush through my hair. The sides are beginning to grow in. I haven’t decided if I want to shave them again or grow my hair out. Or just lop all my hair off. For now, I leave it down and brush the morning nastiness from my mouth.

When I reemerge, I can hear Dakota’s voice carrying from the greenhouse. I round the bend to find her holding up Sebastian’s T-shirt—charcoal gray, today—as she examines his work. “. . . Yes, the crows circling around her head, that very much signifies the sudden loss of her uncle, and the guilt that haunts her.”

I don’t know where she comes up with this shit. She didn’t even smoke a joint this morning.

“Hey!” I exclaim too loudly. Sebastian peers over his shoulder, his arm raised in the air to accommodate Dakota’s intrusion. He has a strange look on his face—part amusement, part annoyance, part unreadable. When his gaze drifts over my outfit, his expression warms a little.

And it warms my body along with it. It’s impossible for me not to react to this man’s attention. We were so close to ending up in my bed last night. As if falling asleep hasn’t been impossible already, add a break-in and complete trashing of the house, and I’m not entirely certain that I was ever fully unconscious last night.

Leaving me plenty of time to think about Sebastian.

He looks like he got about as much sleep as I did, his eyes tarnished with heavy circles. That he still showed up here to help me speaks volumes. It must be in his protective nature. Or he’s still hoping to get laid.

Maybe I’m too cynical.

Regardless, I wonder how long I have him for today, before he leaves.

I direct my focus to Dakota, though I can still feel Sebastian’s eyes on me. “I borrowed your shirt, just until I can get my clothes out of Ned’s. Hope that’s okay.”

Dakota merely winks, and I know it has nothing to do with borrowing her clothes.

“This is really nice work, Ivy. You should be so proud of yourself.”

As awkward as this is, I should probably check on Sebastian’s tattoo. “Did you follow my instructions?” I ask, moving in closer to inspect the swollen lines and pink skin around it. As expected only twelve hours later. But I can tell that he’s already washed off the ointment and coated it with fresh moisturizer.

“It took a while,” he says, lowering his arm. “We should probably get going so we get to your shop for nine, right?”

Dakota and I now seem to be ogling him without shame. I clear my throat. “Yeah. I don’t want the painters taking off.”

Dakota, who still has his shirt hiked up and bunched in her fist, lets it fall. She pats him on the shoulder. “Grab the spare key hanging by the door on your way out.”

I assume that instruction was for me, but who knows with her? “Will you be here later?”

“I’m heading into work soon, but I’ll be back before dinner.” Dakota opened a little store five minutes away, basically replicating the same one that her aunt owned in Sisters, which sold an eclectic collection of art and jewelry made of recycled and natural materials. As far as I can tell, it’s doing quite well, but that would make sense given this is California, and everyone’s about the environment and art.

“Oh, don’t let me forget, I want you to look at a design I did. I’m thinking of having you do one here.” She trails her fingertip down the top of her right shoulder.

I’ve done all of Dakota’s work, save for her first. “All right. I’ll make sure to bring my kit with me when I come back tonight.” To Sebastian, I ask, “Ready?”

He nods, taking quick steps to get in front of me and out the door, as if he’s eager to get away from Dakota as fast as possible.

“I thought you said you knew how to tell time?”

“I said I’m never late.”

“Thirty minutes early is almost as bad as being late.”

“That shirt looks nice on you,” he responds, ignoring my selfish complaint completely.

“Then enjoy it, because it’ll be the last time you see me in anything that resembles bubble gum,” I grumble, opening his passenger-side door. “Can you drop me off at my house after so I can get out of it?”

“Yeah. But I’ll be coming with you. You’re not going in there alone.”

“Is that so?” I roll my eyes, but I can’t ignore the small thrill that zips through my body. God, I think I’m attracted to this dominating side of him, and I hate it when guys try to tell me what to do. But when Sebastian does it, I don’t mind. It makes me feel safe. Maybe that’s because, for the first time in my life, I truly am not safe. “Do you think the burglary might not have been random?”