Free Protecting Her Heart (Seals Security Book 3) by Michelle Woods

steadying it when she would have dropped it. Laney offered him a tender smile that made Evie’s heart ache a little because the affection in it was so obvious.
    Rory took her hand, grinning as she said, “Hi, nice to meet you.”
    “Nice to meet you too. I’m Laney, this is Craig and that’s Tina. Oh, and my brother’s downstairs by the moving truck. He would have come up with us but he had a phone call that he had to take so he’ll be up in a minute,” Laney was saying.
    Evie was surprised Luke was here. She felt her heart pick up speed and she wanted to hide in her room until Luke left. It felt different knowing he was here in the building about to come up to her apartment. She had enough fantasies of molesting the poor man at the office to deal with already so adding ones of him in her apartment wasn’t a good idea. She felt a flutter in her belly and tried hard to shove it down because she didn’t need to keep thinking about her boss in a sexual way, for cripes sake. Trying to cover the nervous energy filling her, she headed to the kitchen to grab the keys from the counter. She stood there for a moment after she entered and took a deep breath, trying to get her feelings under control.
    “What’s taking you so long?” Rory demanded and Evie let out a sigh; her friend really was annoying sometimes. With a little huff, Evie grabbed the keys and headed back toward the door with a bright smile plastered on her face.
    “Geez, you’re impatient. I was just admiring the kitchen again,” Evie told Rory to cover her quaking insides as she handed the keys to Craig. She wasn’t sure she wanted to hand them over now that she knew Luke was here but she knew if she refused she’d have to explain why. That wasn’t something she was willing to do, at least not in this lifetime.
    “Well I don’t want them to change their minds and not lug all that furniture we were going to have to struggle all day to get up here. I was even considering calling Robby,” Rory said, rolling her eyes. Robby was Rory’s ex-boyfriend. Evie thought them breaking up was a good thing because Robby was an asshole.
    “Glad they showed up then because I hate that jerk,” Evie told her.
    Rory stuck her tongue out at her and she blew her a kiss to be a smart ass. Everyone still at the door laughed at the teasing.
    “We’ll get started. You girls can open the boxes when we get them up here,” Craig said, kissing Laney’s cheek before heading towards the elevator with Alex and Tom behind him.
    “Let’s open up a bottle of this wine in that kitchen you were admiring,” Tina said, hooking her arm into Evie’s and dragging her towards it. Laney laughed as she followed them with Rory bringing up the rear.
    “Shouldn’t we help the guys bring stuff up?” Evie asked, earning an eye roll from Tina.
    “Heck no, why do you think we brought them? It wasn’t so we could work, that’s for sure,” Tina said, shaking her head sadly as if Evie had disappointed her.
    “Yeah, that’s true. Wait a minute. I don’t see your husband here. Where’s Brent? He was supposed to be here to help too,” Laney complained as they entered the kitchen. She set the basket down on the counter and pulled out a bottle of wine while Tina opened the cups.
    “He will be. He had to stop by his parents’ because Cole ended up in jail again and this time it might be for up to three years for possession. His mom is really upset. He’s never been caught with drugs before. Most of the times he was locked up it was because he was high and did something stupid or he stole something to get money but it was never bad enough to keep him locked up for more than six months. This time it looks like he isn’t going to be able to get out of it.” Tina grimaced as she explained her husband’s absence.
    Evie was surprised she was talking about something so personal in front of her and Rory but Tina didn’t seem to be fazed by it at all. Glancing at Rory, she saw the pained