Chapter Fourteen

Lola

I can't sleep. I'm too wired, too mentally exhausted after realizing what an idiot I am. In the last hour, I've tossed and turned and replayed every second of my and Perry's interactions throughout the day.

After crying my eyes out on the beach like a little girl who had the sandcastle she spent three hours making destroyed, I met with the team and we hopped aboard the Dainty Dutch-ess. Bree could tell I'd been crying, but when she asked, I told her it was my period. A total lie, but I refuse to tell her that it was because I found out Perry was the one who wrote the letter.

I injured him enough as it is; he doesn't need everyone else knowing about it too.

The day went by slowly, and neither one of us seemed to be able to meet the other person's eyes. Guess that's how it goes when you destroy the barely there bridge to friendship you had built.

I sigh and stuff my face in my pillow. Perry warned me not to take the bottle. He told me it wasn't my business. But I shoved my nose all up in there anyway, determined to reunite some star-crossed lovers or die trying.

Stop acting like you've got everyone's lives figured out for them. Not everyone needs someone to love. You can't romanticize other people's heartbreak.

His words still cause my chest to ache hours later. Which is why I'm now shuffling into the kitchen to make a cup of tea. If passionflower and chamomile can't help me, nothing can.

I set the kettle to boil and lean against the counter, letting the cool night breeze coming in from the open window soothe my still sunburnt skin. One of the best features this bungalow has to offer is the location. It's so close to the beach that I can leave the windows open at night and hear the distant waves crash along the shore.

When the electric teakettle hisses, I flip off the switch and go to lift it off the heating element, but a yelp from out back catches my attention.

I scoot toward the window and peer out into the night. It only takes a few seconds before another masculine cry fills the air. Adrenaline taking over, I run outside. Perry's porch light is on, and his front door is wide open. My mind races with grim possibilities. Is he being attacked? Murdered in his bed?

Another yelp propels me into action.

"I'm coming!" I scream to no one in particular as I search my immediate surroundings for some sort of weapon. The only thing that catches my eye is the broom by my back door. I swipe it, then charge toward Perry's, silently praying that I'll be able to scare off his attacker before I actually need to use this thing.

Running through his open front door, I halt in the middle of his open-concept kitchen/living area. Bertie's gruff bark sounds muffled, like she's locked in a room somewhere.

"Perry?" My voice quakes embarrassingly, so I force some false bravado into my tone. "I'm here to save you!"

"Shh." A hiss sounds from the other side of the couch. "Get down!"

"Huh?" I creep close enough to see Perry lying belly first on the floor. He's shirtless, in nothing but boxer shorts. Muscles rippling in the moonlight, he shifts to peer up at me.

"I said get down."

"What's wrong? I thought you were being attacked." Just as the words leave my lips, a black bird-like shadow swoops toward my head. Instinct takes over, and I start flailing the broom through the air, whipping it wildly as I scream with all my might. My weapon of choice never once connects to its target, and instead, I'm yanked to the ground by a strong hand on my calf.

"Stay down before you get bit!" Perry growls in my ear, hovering so close that his warm breath skitters across my neck.

" Bit ?" My helpless squeak earns me zero points with the big strong man pinning me to the ground. I know because his voice practically shakes the floor.

"It's a bat, Lola! Just stay low. Hopefully it'll fly out the door in a minute."

A bat! A black blood-sucking bat!

"I don't do bats, Perry," I whine, squirming until I'm directly up against his naked flesh. I might care if it weren't nearing midnight and we weren't being assaulted by a flying ball of rabies.

"Yeah? Well, they're not my favorite either."

It's then I remember that his frightened yells were what dragged me out into the night. And for some reason, that amuses me. I sputter a laugh, my belly quivering on a giggle.

"What's so funny?" Perry's annoyed growl only makes me laugh harder.

"You're afraid of…bats!" I cover my mouth to hold in my sputtering as the wild animal swoops toward us again. Perry yelps in response, and I find myself literally rolling in uncontrollable laughter.

"This is not funny," he insists, leaning close to my ear. "Bats carry diseases. They're disgusting, and they're not easy to get rid of."

"I know!" I cry-laugh. "They're horrible."

I feel more than see Perry shake his head at my amusement. "Listen," I say, trying to calm myself down, swiping at my now watery eyes. "I thought you were being attacked by an intruder. I was ready to save you from being beaten by some ruffian!"

Perry scoffs. "With a broom?"

"Yes! It was the only thing I could find once I ran out the door."

He reaches around me with one arm and lifts my weapon of choice over my head. "Maybe this thing will be useful after all." Shifting until he's on his side, he holds the broom aloft until the bat flies toward us again. I cling to him, scared the thing might aim straight for my head. Perry swings with a grunt, then stills.

After a few silent seconds where neither one of us moves, he whispers, "I think I shooed him out the door."

"How can you be sure?"

Moving to a crouch, he scans the area. "He flew that way, and I don't see or hear him."

I shift to my knees and glance around the room, craning my ear. I don't hear his high-pitched batty noises anymore either, but I imagine bats are pretty stealthy.

"I'm going to shut the door, but we're keeping the lights off."

I nod, then slowly get to my feet. "That was…" For once, I'm at a total loss for words. And not just because that experience was one of the most frightening yet hilarious of my life, but because shirtless Perry is a sight to behold. The moonlight filtering in through the curtains does excellent things for his physique. He's the kind of sculpted you only see on marble statues in museums. Arms, legs, chest…it's all perfectly muscled with just the right amount of body hair.

"Stop staring at me."

I gulp, then tear my eyes away. "I'm sorry, it's just…you're…" Don't say half-naked, don't say half-naked. "Shirtless."

I brave a peek at him, expecting him to look embarrassed or annoyed, but instead he raises one eyebrow and drops his gaze to my legs. "And you're pantsless."

Heat slams into my cheeks as I dart my gaze toward my feet. He's right. The only thing I'm wearing is a nightshirt and underwear. No bra, of course, because what maniac wears a bra to bed. But now that I'm standing in the middle of Perry's apartment with so little on my body, I'm flooded with mortification.

What was I thinking, running over here like some wannabe hero? I'm five foot three! With only a broom for my defense! What did I expect to do, sweep the make-believe intruder under the rug?

"I am so sorry," I mutter, tugging at the edge of my nightshirt. "I didn't mean to barge in here like this."

He releases a long sigh. "It's okay. You were just trying to help."

"I guess my adrenaline took over when I heard you yell, and I thought—"

"Lola." Perry's stern voice has me meeting his gaze. "I said it's okay." He runs a hand through his disheveled hair. "Bats just freak me out. As soon as I realized it was in the house, I shut Bertie in the bedroom, flipped the outside light on, then opened the door, hoping it would fly out. But it kept swooping around…" His words trail off as he holds up the broom. "Anyway, thanks for this."

I try for a smile. "Uh, you're welcome."

Neither one of us says anything for what feels like a full minute. I don't think I've ever endured a more awkward moment in my life. "Okay, well, I'll…uh…get back to the bungalow, then." I hook a thumb toward the door. "Again, sorry for barging in on you."

I ease toward the door sideways, afraid that if I move too fast, my shirt will ride up and flash my bright orange underwear right in Perry's face. When I reach for the door handle, his voice stops me.

"Wait."

I close my eyes tight, wanting to fly back to my bed where I can't show up pantsless in front of my ridiculously buff and attractive captain. "Hm?"

He shifts close enough that I can feel his body heat radiating off of him. Then something cold touches my shoulder. "You forgot this." I turn my head and see the broom. I take it from him with a smile.

"Oh. Um. Thanks."

He steps away, leaving me cold and abundantly aware of my lack of leggings. "Goodnight, Lola."

"Night." I scurry outside and back into the bungalow as quickly as my feet will take me, silently cursing my bad luck. If I thought Perry would ever forgive me for finding and reading the letter he wrote to his ex, I was horribly mistaken. Now he probably thinks I'm the nosiest woman alive. Who runs to their neighbor's house in the middle of the night with no clothes on?!

I crawl into bed and cover my head with the pillow. There's a high chance that I'm texting Bree in the morning and calling in sick. I need at least one business day to recover from tonight's embarrassment.