Tempting Nora by A.M. Evanston Read Free Book Online Page A

lous."
    "You have no reason to be jealous." She and Gideon weren't together, after all.
    "I don't know about that." The man chuckled and pulled out of the parking spot.
    At first Nora didn't say anything. She stared out the window and saw a woman struggling to run through the downpour in jeans and a t-shirt. That could have been me, she thought, gritting her teeth. As much as she hated to admit it, Gideon had helped her today. She would have had a heck of a time walking a mile in this weather.
    " Thank you, by the way," she said.
    "It's no problem." Gideon nodded.
    " Just so you know, this doesn't change things between us." She shot him a half-hearted glare. "I still don't like you."
    The man just threw back his head and laughed.
     

Chapter Four
    That night, Nora's eyes flew opened when she heard a distant thud. She rolled onto her side, convinced that she'd been woken up by Chubby knocking his food dish across the kitchen floor. That was when she spotted the fat cat on a chair, snoring surprisingly loud for a creature so small. Was it Mr. Fleas who'd made the sound? She looked down at the end of the bed and saw that the dog was also asleep.
    I swore I heard a sound…
    But if she'd heard something, wouldn't Mr. Fleas start barking? Yeah, it must have been her imagination. Or a part of a dream, maybe. She'd always had nightmares ever since she was young. Unfortunately, as much as she tried to tell herself that it was nothing, her mind didn't quite agree with her.
    Groaning, she sat up. Maybe some chocolate would help calm her nerves. She cast a nervous look at the hallway that led to the kitchen. As ridiculous as it was, she wished that Mr. Fleas was awake to keep her company. Yeah, he was so tiny that if there was somebody in the house, he wouldn't be of much use, but still...Unfortunately, even as she squirmed in bed, Mr. Fleas didn't so much as open an eye. She'd expect that from Chubby—the cat slept like the dead until it was time to eat—but not Mr. Fleas. Of all the times for the dog to be in a coma, it had to be now.
    "Mr. Fleas," she said, poking the Chihuahua.
    The dog didn't as much as move.
    "Mr. Fleas," she said again.
    Nope. No movement. Darn it.
    "Fine," she said. "I was even going to give you a treat."
    The word treat normally would have made Mr. Fleas do anything, even run through a bed of hot coals. Now he just let out a small snore. Yep, the dog was far gone. Well, so be it. She was an adult woman. It was ridiculous that she needed to bring her dog into the kitchen to protect her just because she was feeling a little uneasy. Plus, light switches were invented for a reason.
    She crept toward the door and turned on the light. It was amazing how much a little illumination made her feel more at ease, even though it shouldn't have. After all, if somebody bad was really in her apartment, the light beams wouldn't stop them from attacking. In fact, it would make it easier for the person to find her. She gave a shiver of apprehension. Great, she'd just scared herself again.
    Groaning due to her own stupidity, she headed down the hall and into the living room. It was empty too. Just as she breathed a sigh of relief, she froze. Something was wrong.
    A chair wasn't where she'd left it.
    Before she'd gone to bed, she'd moved one of her chairs over to the counter so she could pet Chubby while she flipped through the newspaper. She remembered leaving the chair at the counter before she'd gone to bed because the cat had jumped on it and stared at her, begging for another meal.
    Now the chair was at the table, not at the counter.
    Suddenly, she couldn't breathe. She remembered the note and shivered in apprehension. Quickly she rushed over to the door and checked her deadbolt. Her door was still locked. She laid eyes on the window in the kitchen. It was far too small for anybody to crawl through. Nothing had been taken either. Her laptop was still lying on the table and her less-than-impressive TV was untouched in front