She still doesn’t move right away. “Thank you for the office supplies too. I love daisies.”
“I noticed.”
The corner of her mouth lifts, and then she turns away.
It was almost a smile. Progress.
I get to work taking out the pump and checking for leaks inside the heater, making sure none of the vents are blocked, while she moves around the rest of the space, dusting, sweeping, checking that the bathroom is stocked with mini shampoo and whatnot.
I try to focus on the task at hand and not her presence fluttering around the room behind me, but it’s like I’m eternally aware of her movements, her breathing patterns, every little sound she makes.
Which is why when she starts clearing out the closet—this one has a slightly larger walk-in area with a dresser pushed to the back—I’m immediately tuned in to her sudden stillness.
I stand up, already stepping toward the closet where she disappeared, when there’s a strange chittering sound then growling.
Finley screams, the sound piercing and terrified.
She races out of the closet, still shrieking, and heads straight for me.
ChapterNine
Finley
Isprint toward Archer and collide with him in the center of the room.
My heart is thundering in my ears, my entire body is shaking. I grip his shoulders, trying to climb him in my panic.
“What is it?” His arms wrap around me, solid and secure and grounding. His voice is a calm rumble, and I couldn’t let go of him right now even if my life depended on it.
“There’s something in there.” I raise one trembling hand toward the closet.
“A mouse or something?”
“No.” I shake my head. “It was bigger than that. A lot bigger.” I shudder, and his arms tighten around me.
“What did it look like?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t have the light on, so it was a little hard to see. It was big. Like a rabid dog or something. Should we call animal control?”
He moves away from me to check it out.
I grip his shirt. “Wait, no. We should leave.”
“Let me take a look. Just stay over here.”
I stand behind him, not releasing my grip on his clothes. I stare down at his ass. Damn, that’s nice. It actually calms me down, ogling Archer’s butt. It’s a magic ass.
He peeks carefully into the closet. “I don’t see anything.”
“Something was in there. I swear it.”
His head tilts down at the ground. “There’s a bunch of trash in here.”
“Yes! I was picking it up and heading toward the dresser—there seems to be more over there—and that’s when I saw it, and it attacked me.” I shudder again.
He glances at me over his shoulder. “Attacked you?”
“Okay, fine, it stared at me, made some godawful noise, and then disappeared behind the dresser when I started screaming.”