“You better open this door, you lumberjack serial killer, or I’ll blow it open,” I hear Tinsel yell. “I know you’ve got her in there.”
Shit, she must have seen my car parked out front.
“You’re not blowing anything open,” Jack tells her.
“I could make a bomb. I’d need to use your phone to google it, though.”
I hear the front door swing open a second later. “You’re trespassing,” Clause snaps, and I jump from the bed and run out to the living room before a fight can break out.
“I can’t see. Get your hands off my face,” Tinsel shouts.
When I get to the front door, I elbow my way past Clause to see Jack and Tinsel. Jack’s got his hand over her eyes, and his other arm is wrapped around her waist to keep her from going anywhere.
“Put on a shirt.” Jack glares at Clause.
“Oh shit. What time is it?” It's bright outside.
“It’s I-thought-you’d-been-murdered o’clock!” Tinsel snaps.
“Crap. Okay, okay.” I have to get to the bakery. I hope the staff opened on their own, or everyone is going to be wondering where I was and what I was up to. Clause would be the talk of the town, and I don’t think he’d like that because he’s private. I rush back into the house to find my clothes and quickly get dressed, but I hear banging on the door again.
“Did you lock them out?” I ask as I grab my purse and see my phone is dead.
“Yes,” Clause says, pulling a shirt on.
I pull on my boots and almost fall over, but Clause catches me. “Thanks.” He puts me on my feet, and I lick my lips, still feeling him there. “So I guess—”
“Open this door!” Tinsel shouts, cutting me off.
“You know I’m alive!” I shout back.
“Did she yell at me?” I can hear her muffled question from the other side of the door. “She never yells. What did he do to her?”
What has Clause done to me? I don’t want to leave, but he’s not asking me to stay, and I have a bakery I need to check on.
“I should go,” I say, and Clause only nods before walking over to the front door.
“You don’t have to come tonight,” he says as he opens the door, and his words shock me. He doesn’t want me to? I want to ask him, but Jack and Tinsel are staring at us, and Clause is looking anywhere but at me.
“Okay” is all I can get out.
“Hey,” Tinsel calls after me as I hurry past her and over to my car.
“I have to get to the bakery,” I tell her because I want to get out of here. Still, Tinsel rushes over before I can get into my car.
“Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” she asks, and I blink quickly so I don’t cry. “If he—”
“It was me. I threw myself at him,” I whisper so Jack and Clause can’t hear. Tinsel’s eyebrows rise in surprise. Normally I’d relish shocking her but not this time. Not right now. “I have to go.”
Tinsel purses her lips but steps back so I can open my car door and get the hell out of here. As much as I want to leave, I’m scared I’ll never be back.