Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Sage

"How do you work this thing?" I grumble, poking and prodding the fancy espresso machine on Bash's counter.

"I don't know. Looks like some sort of torture device." Through the phone screen, Flossie eyes the appliance warily.

"It's top of the line," Bash says. "You want me to make you something?" He's busily making sandwiches behind me.

"Whoa, what the heck?" Flossie's eyes bulge. "Who is that? Where are you? Blink twice if you're in danger."

I abandon my perusal of the espresso machine. I'm a Mr. Coffee kind of gal. This hoity-toity Italian machinery is too rich for my blood. "I'm fine. Annie and I are staying with Bash while the van gets fixed."

"Bash?"

"He's… the guy." I don't want to give too much away in front of Bash, especially not now that I'm crashing at his place. That would be… weird. And bad. Yes, it would be very bad if the hot guy who's sleeping down the hall from me knew just how sexy I find his arms. They're all corded sinew and tattoos peeking out from underneath his rolled-up sleeves. Totally yummy, so I can't let that slip. Especially now, while he's cutting tomatoes.

"He sounds like a cage fighter."

I set my phone on my auto-follow rotating stand. "Actually, Bash is a hockey player." The phone follows me as I walk around the island to stand next to Bash. "He like skates and stuff."

"Whoa!" Flossie's face gets even closer to the screen as she studies Bash in HD. "It's the hot guy from the Walmart!"

Bash almost chops a finger off. "What?"

"Yes." I give Flossie crazy eyes in the hopes that she'll take the hint. "The guy whose Escalade got hacked."

"How does something like that happen outside of a romcom?" Flossie is my best friend for life, but she's shameless. "You're stuck inside a Hollywood dream, Sage."

"Floss—" I close my eyes.

Bash focuses on the sandwiches so that he doesn't have to look at either of us. This hot-as-hell man almost seems… shy.

"Since I have you, I'm going to need to ask you a few questions." Flossie produces a pen and notebook from off-screen.

"Flossie works for the police," I explain to Bash.

He finishes assembling the sandwiches and slides one plate my way. "So, she's worried about you staying with a stranger? Understandable. Ask away, Flossie." Bash leans over the counter, picks up his sandwich, and takes a bite.

"Listen, you can't blame me for wanting to make sure my BFF didn't stumble into a DR," Flossie says.

Bash swallows. "I'm not familiar with that criminal offense."

"DR. A dark romance." She arches an eyebrow. "Ready?"

"Of course." He tilts his head toward me. "I have sisters. I'd ask questions, too." His smile is utterly charming. Perfect white teeth. A dimple in his left cheek. Total swoon. Even so, I feel better knowing that Flossie's looking into him. After all, Trevor knew how to use his good looks and charm, too.

"Great. Name, please?"

"Sebastian Leclerc."

Sebastian. That makes a lot more sense than plain old Bash. It's also kind of… sexy? Especially in his accent.

"Like the crab from Little Mermaid? " Flossie asks. "Are you gonna kiss the girl?"

Okay, maybe not that sexy.

"Yes." Bash grins. "I did not grow up with this movie, but my oldest niece thinks this is very funny. All my nieces and nephews make me sing the song when I visit." He sings a few lines, and oh, hell, it's sexy all over again. He has a nice singing voice, low and rumbly in a way that the original very much isn't.

"Cute." Flossie is unfazed. "And where are you from, Sebastian?"

"Québec City, Canada."

"But you live in Las Vegas?"

"Yes, I moved here two years ago to play for the Vegas Venom. I'm a right winger. Would you like my social media handles to confirm this?"

"Already got ‘em," Flossie says.

"Oh." Bash smiles at her, but the look he shoots my way indicates a bit of trepidation. "Okay, good."

"Would you unalive someone for Sage if they hurt her?" Flossie asks. "And before you do it, would you say, ‘Who did this to you?'"

I choke on my sandwich. "Hey, now…"

"Answer the question."

Bash looks from the screen to me and back again. "I mean… I barely know her."

"Right. Response a little weak." Flossie scribbles on her notepad. "Is Sage there against her will?"

"I don't think so. My boss told me to take her in, and I don't think her big scary cat is hotel-ready, so she might feel low on options. Does that count?"

"Not really… unless you plan to tie her to your bed later?"

"Flossie!" I squeal.

Bash's cheeks are bright red. "I wasn't planning on it. So far, I've made her a sandwich, and then I thought I'd ask if she needs anything from the store."

The way he stammers, the faint stutter as he tries to clarify his intentions—God, it's so damn hot. His blush, spreading like wildfire across his face, catches me off guard. I feel a twist in my stomach when I stare at him. I barely manage to keep my composure, all while a part of me aches to close the distance between us, to tease him more, to see how much redder those cheeks can get.

Flossie groans and tosses her pen aside. "He made you a sandwich? Oh, God. This is shaping up to be a rom-com. I'm so disappointed. I'm a total dark romance girlie."

Time to put this poor man out of his misery. "I should let you go. Before you give a perfect stranger some wrong ideas. English isn't his first language. He doesn't know you're kidding."

"I know she's joking," Bash protests. "I'm just not sure how to answer her questions! It feels like a trap."

"We're not done here," Flossie protests. "Next question… what's your stance on dub-con, non-con, or CNC?"

Bash mouths dub-con while frowning at the ceiling. "Is this a type of dance music?"

I groan. "How do you expect him to answer? I don't even know what that means. Clearly, you've been spending too much time on Wattpad again."

"Hey, you have your vices, I have mine. And for the record, it's AO3. But fine, I'll keep it simple. Bash, I'm going to need your date of birth, time of birth, and the location of the hospital where you were born."

Bash looks more lost by the minute. "Will this help you feel more confident that Sage is safe with me?"

My bestie nods. "I like the way you said that. Yes. It will definitely help."

"Then I will call my mother, and I will have Sage text you the answers afterward…"

"Not necessary." I approve of Flossie running a background check, but she doesn't need all that information to look him up. This is definitely about the birth chart, and I don't need her trying to play matchmaker right now. "Gotta go, Flossie. Love you. Text me."

Flossie protests, but I'm already reaching for my phone to power down the screen.

"Sorry about that." I pick up the other half of my sandwich. It's good, with lots of smoked turkey, cheese, thick slices of tomato, and a few leaves of crisp lettuce. "Flossie can be a lot. But she's my ride or die, and she has my best interests at heart."

Bash lifts one shoulder in a little shrug. "She cares. It's kind. And you are, mademoiselle , completely safe with me. I have a mother, sisters… I was raised to value and respect women. All women. If I ever make you uncomfortable, just tell me." A smile plays over his lips before he adds, "Or sic your big cat on me. To eat my face."

Clearly, Annie has made quite the impression. I'll have to set up a space where she can feel comfortable and won't bother Bash. She and Trevor didn't get along, and I always had to lock her in her playroom when he came to visit. Even Flossie gets spooked by her, so I never let her out when I knew people were going to be around. Servals tend to get attached to one person at a time, and while Annie has had plenty of exposure to people and knows how to behave herself, I don't want her terrorizing Bash in his own home.

"She's more likely to go after your ankles than your face," I tell him.

"Ah, but I need those, too." Bash bends over to one side to consider his own legs. "Perhaps I should take to wearing very tall socks."

"Don't hockey players have all sorts of protective gear?" I wipe the crumbs off my fingers and lean against the counter.

"And we play on the ice, where we won't overheat. I think it's a little warm to wear such things in the desert, no?" Bash takes our plates to the sink. "What do you need now? Shall I take you to the store?"

"I could actually use a shower. Seeing as how all this heat can get a person nice and funky." I can smell myself from here. "I don't want to put you out, though…"

"Not at all. Come." He leads me upstairs and down a hallway. "I have a spare room here for when family comes to visit. There is a guest room and a bathroom. En suite, so you do not have to walk in a public hallway, and there are two locked doors between the other bedrooms and the guest shower. Shall we text Flossie and tell her that? Or perhaps send photographs so that she can see for herself?" He cocks his head as he pushes open the bedroom door.

I let out a little gasp of surprise. This is not what I expected from a guest room in a bachelor pad. Everything is color-coordinated in shades of mint and lavender—bright, spring colors that make the space feel inviting.

"This is beautiful," I say.

"Well, it is where Maman and Papa stay when they come to visit, so I owe them something nice, eh?"

He's mentioned his family several times. I'm not sure if he's doing it just to put me at ease, but it seems like he's close with his family, which strikes a deep chord with me. My relationship with Dad, in particular, was special… not that Mom isn't important to me, but I was always a daddy's girl, and my loyalty to his vision for the ranch keeps me going.

"Linens are here." Bash opens a small closet in the corner of the room. "There are soaps and shampoos and conditioners, too—my sisters are very particular, but help yourself to anything you want. Oh, and do you have lotion? The desert can be harsh, so there is sunscreen for faces and bodies here. Make sure not to use the greasy one on your face. It is not good for your skin. And here, there is moisturizer and aloe, and this one is for burns. We will get you a water bottle if you do not have one. Hydration is very important. Am I forgetting anything?"

He looks to me for confirmation. I shake my head, since anything else I might need is in my bag.

"Then I will leave you to it." Bash backs out of the room and closes the door behind me. I lock it, but before I strip down, I snap a photo of all the beauty products to send to Flossie.

Me : Romcom or DR?

Flossie : Could go either way.

Flossie : Buffalo Bill was into moisturizer, too!

Me : That's not a DR, babes.

Flossie : You don't think Hannibal and Clarice had vibes?

I don't answer. Instead, I strip out of my slightly sweaty, slightly stanky clothes and treat myself to a cool shower, taking full advantage of the amazing showerhead, water pressure, and the many shampoos and lotions on display. I've gotten used to showering in KOA showers, the kind where you have to wear flip-flops to avoid whatever mystery bacteria are on the floor. It feels amazing, and I let myself unwind and count my blessings.

On the downside, this new development has somewhat hampered my plan to get away from it all. Still, it could be worse. I'm safe, I'm clean, and I've got people who are looking out for me. I'm worried about the van, but someone else is paying for the repairs. All told, I'm lucky things went the way they did. This is all just part of the adventure.

By the time I step out of the shower, freshly scrubbed and fully relaxed, I have a whole new outlook on life. A jingle from the next room indicates that my timing was perfect. Someone's calling me.

Mom's number pops up on the screen, and I put her on speakerphone so that I can finish my post-shower routine without too much trouble.

"Sweetie, are you okay?" Mom's panicked voice echoes through the steamy bathroom. "Flossie said you were in an accident!"

"I'm okay, Mom. I would have called in a little bit. Everything just happened so fast. There's nothing to worry about."

"You're staying with a strange man. How can I not worry?"

"Flossie's got her eye on him, but I'm pretty sure he's cool." I pull on a fresh outfit and toss my still-damp hair over one shoulder. "He gives me good vibes, and there was literally nothing on Google. As a professional athlete, he's in the public eye, so it would be hard for him to be a closet criminal."

"Are you sure?" Mom is almost certainly wringing her hands right now.

"I promise. And I'll keep in touch, okay?"

"Okay… but maybe you can share your location with me, too, sweetie?"

"On it. I'll call you later, Mom."

After we hang up, I head back out to the living room. Halfway down the hall, I hear Bash's voice singing a familiar tune, although he's singing in French, so I have a little trouble placing the words. It's only a few lines, and when I figure out where I've heard it before, I bite back a laugh. I turn my phone's camera on and hit record as I stroll along.

Bash is lying on the couch with Annie on his stomach. She's in full kitty loaf position, her paws tucked under her and her eyes squeezed shut. Her deep, rumbling purr echoes through the room, blending with Bash's cover of Smelly Cat, Phoebe's song from Friends , sung in a French-Canadian baritone. I film a full round of the song and then send it to Mom, along with my location.

Me : See what I mean about the vibes?

Mom : Cute!!! If Annie likes him, I like him. Love you, honeybunches.

Me : Love you too. Talk soon.

Bash looks up just as I tuck my phone away. "All better?" he asks.

"Yeah, except for the fact that you're going to ruin my cat's reputation." I perch on the arm of the sofa near his feet. "She doesn't usually like strangers."

"She's had a rough day. She deserves some TLC." He rubs right between her eyes, and the purring intensifies. "And… in case Flossie asks again, I'm more of a con-con type of guy. I looked it up while you were in the shower."

My face heats up. "Good to know."

"Before we go to the store, I made you an espresso. It's in the kitchen." He resumes singing to Annie, who doesn't look like she plans to move anytime soon. I leave them to their bonding moment and go in search of my coffee.

I know better than to send the video of them to Flossie. She'll only get ideas. For example: if Bash's magic hands can tame my irascible cat, what else can they do?