Sophie pressed her palm to her chest, taking a minute to breathe. This couldn’t be happening. She was really sound asleep, and this was only a nightmare. But the sounds of him bumping around the kitchen were all too real, as was the adrenaline still coursing through her veins.

Aiden returned to the foyer, broom and dustpan in hand. Blood dripped from the cut at his temple as he swept up the shards. He retrieved her phone, which she must’ve dropped.

When he finished he set aside the tools. “We can vacuum in the morning.”

Sophie stiffened as he lifted her off her feet. “What are you—?”

He carried her to the area rug and set her down.

The contact was over before she knew it, but it left her even more shaken than before.

He grabbed a backpack she hadn’t noticed and slung it over his shoulder. “I’ll head upstairs. Good night.”

“Good night.” Sophie hurried back to her room and closed the door behind her. With shaking hands she plugged in her phone, settled in the bed beside her sleeping dog, and stared up at the darkened ceiling.

And she thought she’d had trouble sleeping before.

chapter six

Aiden’s eyes popped open to gray light filtering through the drapes. A quick scan of the room reminded him where he was. Who he was with.

He touched his temple. Last night’s run-in had actually happened. Sophie really had attempted to assault him with some figurine. He really had shoved her against the wall with brute force. He winced at the memory. He’d probably left bruises. He knew for a fact he’d scared her half to death.

Way to go, Maddox. Give her one more reason to hate you.

Yes, her presence at the house had been a surprise. But it hadn’t been a bad one. He had unfinished business with Sophie Lawson. Maybe God was giving him another chance to make peace with her. Real peace.

He checked his phone and it was only seven. He sent a text to Tiffany, letting her know his trip had been delayed. He’d met the woman when she’d been hired by the private airstrip they used for tandem jumps. He and Tiffany hit it off right away and had been talking for about three months. It was getting to be time to make their relationship exclusive, but Aiden hadn’t yet pulled the trigger.

He wasn’t sure why. She was adventurous and fun and easy to talk to. With her thick blonde hair and slim athletic build, she wasn’t exactly hard on the eyes either. Why wasn’t he more eager to take things to the next level? He shook away the question. He had enough worries at the moment.

Aiden listened for sounds downstairs. Nothing but silence. That wasn’t unexpected, given the hour and the time they’d gone to bed.