It wasn’t difficult to make that decision. “I’ll go with the second story. That way I won’t ever have to feel as though someone might be trying to peek in the window.”

“Understandable.”

He jogged down and took her suitcase. “You pack light, for an actress,” he said jokingly as she followed him back up.

“I admit I wasn’t myself when I left LA.”

He strode down the wing opposite the office, which eventually dead-ended at the massive master suite. “You’ve been up here before, right? Which room suits you best?”

“I guess any of those that overlook the pool.”

He stopped at the first door. “This one fits that description.”

“Perfect.”

As he put her suitcase inside, she thought about the reason she’d decided not to stay in the main house in the first place. She was afraid she’d feel too lost wandering through its many rooms. And as much as she was growing to like Kiki, living with a parrot had seemed a little off-putting. She’d been afraid that hearing the bird speak in the middle of the night might freak her out.

But now that Seth was in the house, that had changed. This was suddenly where she felt the most secure—when it came to breaches of her privacy, anyway. She figured she was more at risk in other ways, which meant she’d have to be careful.

“You’re not upset by what happened with Kouretas, are you?” he asked.

“I’m not happy that he found me, but I’m okay. I’m more worried about what it might mean for you. I’m afraid the police will be knocking on the door any minute.”

“If they do, I’ll take care of it.” He gestured toward the office. “Well, if I’m ever going to finish the piece I’m working on, I’d better get back to it. Make yourself comfortable.”

“Thanks. I’m going to water the plants, then feed and play with Kiki.”

“Sounds good.” He started to walk away but turned back. “I hope you feel okay about staying here. After last night, I don’t want you to think I’m trying to take advantage of the situation.”

“Not at all. I know we both understand that last night was just a...a time out from our regular lives, a moment when we both needed a little comfort.” She felt her face heat as she thought that they’d received quite a bit more than comfort. There’d been a lot of pleasure, too—so much that it was going to be difficult for her not to sleep with him every night for the rest of their stay. “An anomaly,” she reiterated.