Landon (In Safe Hands Book 1) by S.M. Shade Read Free Book Online Page B

handsome face as he approaches me. “There’s the
damsel in distress.”
    Rolling
my eyes, I fight back a grin. “Thanks for coming. I’m sorry Landon called you.
I only called him because he lives so close. I guess he was busy.”
    His
expression darkens for a moment before he shakes it off and smiles. “I don’t
mind. Pop your hood.”
    He
hooks up the jumper cables—I really should get a set—then nods at me. Give it a
try. Relief pours through me when my engine roars to life. Just a dead battery.
Thank fuck. “Thank you so much,” I exclaim.
    “I’ll
follow you to Landon’s,” he offers.
    “You
don’t have to do that.”
    “But
I’m going to.” He hops into his vehicle and stares at me expectantly.
    Okay
then. The car runs fine. After I’m parked in Landon’s driveway, I kill the
engine and promptly restart it, relieved when it fires right up. The last thing
I need is to be stranded here. Dare takes a load of purchases from my arms
before I can protest, and helps me get all Landon’s new stuff in the house. A
glance at my watch shows I’m nearly an hour late, but I was shopping for his
shit, so that should count as work.
    “Where
to?” Dare asks, his arms full of bedding.
    “Just
toss it on the couch so I can sort through it.”
    Landon
saunters into the room wearing only a pair of sweatpants. I try to point my
eyes away from his bare sculpted chest, but they seem to have a mind of their
own, sneaking glances that aren’t even close to furtive.
    “Everything
okay?” he asks.
    “Yep.
Was just her battery.”
    Dare
smiles at me, and I grin back at him. What can I say? The guy grows on you.
Landon glares at his friend. “You have the new list?” he snaps.
    Dare
waves a flash drive and Landon gestures to his office. “Then let’s get some
shit done.”
    Without
a word thrown in my direction, he leads Dare down the hall. Damn, he’s grumpy
today. After putting the new bedding into the wash, I head to the kitchen.
Other than a few dirty dishes and crumbs, it isn’t too bad. I notice he ate the
meals I left for him over the weekend.
    It
only takes me a few minutes to put together a pot roast with vegetables and pop
it in the oven. I really want to finish off the guest rooms while it cooks. The
old bedding and curtains get stripped and set aside for donation. A good
dusting and vacuuming leave the rooms looking bare but clean.
    The
front door bangs shut and I turn to find Landon standing behind me. “I like the
colors you chose,” he remarks, running a hand over the bedspread.
    “Thank
you.” I adjust the new curtain and tug them open, letting a rare ray of
sunlight in. This house is always so dark.
    The
material is wrenched from my hand. He jerks the curtains closed so hard it’s a
wonder they don’t rip. “Leave them closed!” he snaps.
    It’s
official. I’m working for Dr. Jekyll. “You need to watch how you talk to me.
I’m not taking that shit no matter what you pay.” Turning my back on the
finished room, I stalk to the kitchen to finish dinner. He wanders in just as
I’m taking a pan of rolls from the oven.
    “That
smells fantastic. Eat with me,” he says, setting the table.
    “No,
thank you. I’m going to clean the bathrooms.”
    His
hand wraps lightly around my wrist. “I’m sorry I snapped at you. I haven’t had
the best day. Please, eat with me.”
    This
man is driving me crazy. I’ve never met someone so mercurial. Sometimes he
treats me like more than an employee, like a friend, and other times he seems
annoyed I’m around. It’s confusing. “Fine,” I mumble, taking a seat across from
him.
    His
blue-green eyes meet mine. “You’re doing a great job here, Zoe. You’ve really
whipped the place into shape. It needed a woman’s touch.”
    “Thank
you. I enjoyed redecorating the bedrooms. I don’t decorate much at home.”
    His
eyes land on a cutting board on the counter full of chopped peppers. “You
making something else?”
    “I
thought you might