Free Carter Reed by Tijan Page A

himself away and was gone within seconds. I was left in a mess behind him.
    Was that all he was doing this for? For AJ?
    My phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw it was a text from Amanda. Ben keeps walking in circles. He can’t understand any of this. We ordered a pizza and he pulled a knife on the kid. Or he tried. It fell and almost sliced his toes. He’s a bumbling idiot. What did you leave me with?
    I grinned. Make him go for a walk tomorrow. It would do him good, Mals too. Good luck. Hide the knives.
    Now you tell me. Hope you’re ok wherever you are.
    I struggled for a second. My hands shook, but then I took a deep breath. Everything would be fine. I knew it. I am. You too. Take care of Mals for me.
    Will do.
    After I looked at the new phone Carter left for me, I texted her the number and said I’d be using that number from now on. When she said that she had programmed it in and would give it to Mallory, I relaxed a little. She hadn’t questioned it. I’d been worried about that, but Amanda and Mallory hadn’t questioned a lot of what I had done over the last week. They trusted me. That was the truth. They knew I would take care of them, and I had.
    I looked around my new home.
    I shook my head. This was my new life, at least for now. With that final thought, I grabbed my bag and went in search of my bedroom. My priorities were to shower and then get a good night of sleep. Everything could go back to a normal routine.
    But as I went into the master bedroom and saw the king-sized bed in front of me, I just wondered what my new normal routine would be. I didn’t think it would be anything like my old life.

My first night was spent in a restless sleep. I didn’t know when Carter would come back. I didn’t know what he expected of me. Did he expect something more? Was I in his home for a reason, other than to keep me safe? I had closed my bedroom door, but when he got home I didn’t know if he would come to me. Or maybe I wasn’t there for that? Every time I thought I heard something, I jerked awake and my heart would start hammering in my chest. Then nothing would happen, so I would relax back in bed.
    The last time I looked at the clock it was nearing five in the morning. When I woke, groggy, it was after eight in the morning. Three full hours of sleep. I looked around the spacious room, and everything rushed back at me. I sat upright, fully awake with no grogginess at all.
    Unsure what to do or where to go, I slipped on a robe from the closet and headed downstairs after finishing in the bathroom. As I rounded to the second floor, I heard water running and coffee brewing. Then came the smell of bacon, causing my nose to twitch and my stomach to growl.
    When I reached the kitchen, I braked. Instead of the grey suit from the night before, Carter stood in front of the stove in jeans and a plain tee shirt.
    My mouth watered, and not from the food. Tee shirts had never looked that good before. Then my eyes widened as I realized what I was thinking. I’d never learn.
    “Good morning,” he drawled, relaxed and composed. He had showered and his hair was still wet so the ends curled a little bit.
    It was adorable.
    Then I grinned to myself. Carter Reed was not adorable. Hot and dangerous, but not adorable.
    “What is it?”
    I shook my head. “It’s nothing.”
    “Take a seat.” He indicated a counter. “Would you like some breakfast?”
    I saw a box of Wheaties, bagels, orange juice, and a few eggs on the counter. “Breakfast of champions?”
    He grinned at me. A bolt of warmth went through me. Goodness. I needed to get a handle on myself. It was moving into the pathetic zone.
    “I was at the gym this morning. Breakfast helps me fuel up for the day. Help yourself.” He caught my eyes. “To anything.”
    The gun at a horserace went off and there went my heart. It was thundering like a herd of hooves. I managed out, “Uh, coffee?”
    His grin widened. He knew full well what he was doing to