He didn’t see any vehicles, but Kouretas wouldn’t be likely to make his intentions plain by leaving his car parked out front. He’d move it somewhere else first, or wait at the end of the street, hoping Tia would eventually emerge, and he’d get the opportunity he was hoping for that way.

“What are you up to?” Seth murmured. He had no idea what to expect. And since he couldn’t be everywhere at once, he decided he’d better warn Tia.

After taking a final look over his shoulder at the empty road, he jogged to the guesthouse and banged on her door.

It took several minutes to rouse her, but when she finally answered, he could tell she’d been sleeping. “Don’t tell me we’re going running,” she said when she saw him in sweats.

He would’ve laughed, except his mind was still on Ray Kouretas. “No. Well, maybe later. I just thought I’d let you know—” He caught himself. While he wanted to warn her, he didn’t want to freak her out. Especially after last night. She seemed to have found some solace in him, just as he’d found some in her. How could he destroy her peace of mind, when nothing had really changed? She knew Ray Kouretas was in town. “I just... I wanted to thank you for last night,” he said.

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. She had to be wondering why he’d banged on the door like it was some kind of an emergency. “No problem.”

The blush that went with those words made him chuckle. He’d embarrassed her. “It was nice,” he added. “Really nice.”

Her blush deepened, as he’d known it would. “Thanks, but we don’t have to talk about it,” she said.

He laughed in spite of Ray Kouretas. He’d just have to keep an eye out and make sure she remained safe. “Okay, well, I’ll let you go back to sleep.”

“That’s all you wanted?” she said. “To tell me I was good in bed?”

He loved that she was willing to tease him back, despite being slightly embarrassed by the topic. “That’s no small thing.”

“Well, you weren’t too bad yourself,” she said quickly and started to close the door. He could tell she was eager to get behind it. But he didn’t want to let her go.

“I have one more question,” he said.

She cleared her throat and opened the door a little wider. “What’s that?”

“Last night, while we were in the hot tub, you said something about only ‘sort of’ being on the pill.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “That came off...a little questionable.”

“I can see why. I’ve been on the pill since I was fourteen for reasons other than birth control. But the pill is birth control, so we were covered.”