Free In-Between Work and Play (The Jocelyn Frost Series Book 1) by Relina Skye

much just sit in their patrol
cars all day.”
    “That’s not what
I mean.  Joce, I brought you back here around four.  It’s almost seven.  If I
were one of those predators who kidnaps unsuspecting women, I could have easily
done any number of things to you by now.”  His lips became rigid as his jaw
tensed. 
    I didn’t want to
think about that, but my mind played several scenarios at once anyway.  Three
hours was a long time.  I could have been raped, drained, and tossed in a
dumpster.
    “Look,” his jaw
relaxed, “I didn’t mean to upset you.”  His fingertips gently stroked my
yellowing, bruised bicep.
    I mustered a
tiny smile. “I’m not upset.  I’m just a little bit embarrassed, that’s all. I
know it’s nearly impossible to wake me after I’ve fallen asleep.  I even slept
through a bomb once.  It’s a long story, but yeah, I’m glad you didn’t leave me
face-planted in that book.”
    Dex’s jaw
dropped open.
    “I know, crazy,
right?”  He continued to stare at me.  “The, uh… explosion was so huge, it
broke a ton of windows and cracked a few foundations.”  Why was he looking at
me like that?  For the love of Odin, he must have thought I was one French fry
short of a Happy Meal.
    “Crazy doesn’t
begin to describe last night.”  His brows knitted together. “You don’t remember
me trying to wake you or anything after that?”
    I thought about
it, but the last thing I could recall was reading some passage about the
fundamentals of the female reproductive system in Norse Runes.  “Nope.  Sorry,
I must have been in full zombie mode.  Sometimes, I sleepwalk with my eyes
open, too.”

Chapter
Nine
     
    I never found
out what Dex learned last night.  His phone rang barely a minute after we
started to eat.  I tried to stick around for a few extra minutes, but my cell
phone appointment book announced that I had a client scheduled for nine.  Damn
it, I could not believe I forgot about that appointment.  So, there was no
choice, I had to go.
    It only took me
fifteen minutes to walk home from Dex’s Victorian, but I still needed to
shower, dress, and get to work in less than an hour. 
    I loved my job,
I really did, but this uncertainty swirling around my post-observation review
was nearly driving me to seek professional help.  Not that I would have told a
co-worker, but still, it would have been nice to unload all my fears on someone.   And, it’s not like I was close
enough to anyone to call him or her a friend.  Yes, I had acquaintances, but
there was no one in my life I could bare my soul to.
    Heading straight
into my en-suite, I loaded my iPod into the sound system before jumping into
the shower, blasting the music as loud as my neighbors would permit.
    Once I showered
and shaved, I left the steam-filled room to get dressed in my walk-in.  A loud
noise drew my attention toward the front of the condo.  An uneasy feeling
settled like a ball of lead in the pit of my stomach.  Wrapping the towel
around my body, I left the frail safety of the closet to check out the other
rooms. 
    It was probably
just my neighbor across the hall, playing with her soccer ball.  She kicked it
through the wall more times than I could count. 
    Easing out the
door that leads from the bedroom into the hallway, I held my breath.  This was
so stupid.  Why did I feel so scared? 
    It wasn’t until
I was practically standing in the living room that I saw the front door was
open. 
    “Jocelyn?”  A
familiar voice drew my attention away from the door.  Lucinda Whisk’s mouth
formed into the shape of an “o.”
    “What are you
doing here?  I didn’t think I ordered anything.”  I adjusted the towel.
    “No, you’re
right.  I must have the wrong apartment.  You should really remember to lock
your door.”  Her eyes darted past me toward the exit.  I could have sworn that
I twisted the lock.  Something did not add up.
    The door crashed
into the wall. 
    “Stay away