Take a Chance by Lavender Daye

at
the new lock in surprise. “There’s no key?”
    The locksmith smiled. “You’ll need a four or
five digit code to open the lock. Do you have one in mind?”
    When she nodded, he touched two numbers and
asked her to put in her numbers. “If you want to add or change the
numbers, the instructions are in the box.”
    “ Wow. High tech locks. I’ve
moved uptown.”
    Steve chuckled and told her, “You’ve always
been uptown, doll. He’s putting the same type lock on the other two
doors.”
    “ Thanks.”
    “ You’ll be safe
tonight.”
    She hoped that meant he was staying the
night, but she couldn’t be sure. Steve Gladston wasn’t an easy man
to read.
    The locksmith stepped back and gathered his
tools. “Where’s the back door?”
    Steve shut and locked the front entrance and
Dena headed for the door into the backyard. Half of it was glass,
and she could only imagine Steve’s reaction at the lack of
security. He must have realized she was at her wit’s end because he
let it go, dragging her back to the kitchen.
    She dropped into a chair and he put water in
the kettle on the stove. “Where do you keep your teabags?” When she
leaned forward, he added, “No, don’t get up, Dena, just point.”
    Who was this man and where had he been all
her life?
    She pointed to the pantry and propped an
elbow on the little round table in her kitchen. Fascinated by the
man in her kitchen, she watched the muscles move under his clothes
while he reached for the mug and added the bag of tea. So not what
she’d imagined for the after dinner portion of this date.
    What if she’d been home when the break in
happened? A shiver ran down her spine and his voice stopped it.
“Don’t go there, Dena. What ifs won’t do any good. Trust me.”
    Steve put the cup in her hand and wrapped his
warmth around her fingers for a minute. “Drink.”
    “ Mr. Gladston, all three
locks are set and ready for her to code in her number.”
     
    * * * *
     
    Steve got to his feet and shook the man’s
hand. “Thanks, Donny. Come by my office in the morning and I’ll
have some cash for you.” He walked the man to the front door and
handed him a fifty for coming out so quickly. Then he went back to
Dena and asked for her code, instructing her to keep drinking her
tea while he set the locks.
    She looked sweet and needy at the kitchen
table, holding the mug like a lifeline. The night had been a rough
one for her. His just-the-facts conversation about sex, his
hands-off policy at dinner, and now a break in and ransack. Damn
fine date night he’d given her.
    He fought the urge to pick her up and carry
her to her bed. To hell with training, she needed a good fuck to
take her mind off the B & E.
    Or not.
    He cursed under his breath, glad he’d had her
out on the town. If she’d been home alone, the night might’ve had a
much different ending.
    The new locks would help, and he’d continue
with the self-defense lessons. No one would touch her, with one
very clear exception.
    He’d have his hands all over her.
    Steve wiped down the counters while she
sipped her tea, then took the cup and set it in the sink. With a
tug, he pulled her into his arms and wrapped his body heat around
her.
    “ I’m going to take care of
you tonight, and I’ll be gone in the morning before you
wake.”
    “ You can stay for
breakfast,” she whispered, barely a breath across his chest, but
this wasn’t a night he’d take advantage of.
    With one arm tight around her waist, he
walked her into her bedroom and turned down the bedcovers. “Do you
want a bath before bed?”
    Eyes slumberous, she shook her head. The
night’s shot of adrenaline was seeping out of her and the tea was
enhancing the effect. With one more push, she’d sleep soundly and
wake up refreshed and thinking of him.
    He turned her around in his arms and eased
the zipper down her back, revealing satin skin in a long glide past
her skimpy lingerie. Damn, what a beauty. Letting the dress fall to
the