Rifles, shotguns, pistols… He had anything she might need, if she were so inclined to arm herself. It would probably be a good idea if he started carrying too, at least until this creep was caught. Max might have followed her here; he could know right now exactly where she was.
Dammit. What about Ashley and Mia? He didn’t want to bring them into harm’s way by exposing them to a lunatic. But Starla could’ve gone anywhere this morning—to her parents, her friends—and she’d come to him. The level of trust there wasn’t lost on him and, frankly, it took his breath away. He couldn’t let her down, couldn’t turn her away.
The shower turned off. Which inevitably but no less shamefully led to him thinking of her naked, slick, and dripping, right beyond that door. Right there within his reach.
“Get it together, Stanton,” he grumbled to himself, clearing that image from in front of him and replacing it with the dark maw of his safe.
When she emerged a moment later wearing the clothes he’d tossed her earlier, her eyes were still puffy and red and she’d wrapped her hair up in a towel. Cute as hell, but he shouldn’t be thinking about that right now. Their gazes met, and he cocked an eyebrow at her. “Ever fired a gun?”
***
“I have,” Starla said cautiously in answer to his question. “Can’t really say how well, but yeah, I’ve fired one with my dad a few times. It’s been several years, though.”
He motioned her around to stand beside him. “I don’t let just anyone in here. But I have a pretty good collection.”
“Jesus Christ. I’ll say you do.” She stared around the inside of his safe, feeling her mouth run dry at so much firepower. Was that a fucking assault rifle? “Remind me to never come here in the middle of the night like this again. You might mistake me for a burglar.”
Jared’s eyes were endlessly blue and incredibly intense, but a hint of amusement lit in them as well and one corner of his mouth quirked up. “I doubt a burglar would ring the bell.”
“I guess you’re right.” She turned her attention back to the guns. “I’d probably be more likely to shoot my fool self than anyone else. But thanks for the offer.”
“No, you just need someone to teach you. And I can.”
Waving the sight away, she turned and paced. At Brian’s side tonight, she probably would’ve opened fire on anyone who’d accidentally brushed up against her if she’d been armed. She damn sure would’ve opened fire on Max if he’d been standing in front of her. As agitated as she was, this wasn’t a good idea. “I really don’t want to talk about any of this right now.”
“You never do, Starla, but I think it’s time you should. If this guy hit Brian, you could be next. If he’s been following you and knows we’re seeing each other, I could be next.”
“Looks like you’re covered,” she shot back.
“I’d love it if you were covered too.”
“I want to lay low and let the police do their job. They’ll get him soon, then it’ll all be okay.”
“All right,” he said after a moment. She worried her bottom lip with her teeth as he slowly closed the safe’s door.
“It’s impressive,” she said quickly. “Must’ve taken you a long time to collect all that.”
“It’s a hobby. Passed down by Dad.”
“I don’t mean to piss you off. It’s not for me right now. Maybe that’ll change. I still don’t think all this has registered.”
“You didn’t piss me off. But I have a concealed carry permit, and I fully believe in protecting my home and my family and friends. If someone fucks with you here, they’re going to regret it.”
“Who says I’m gonna be here?”
“Me.” Her breath caught as he turned to face her, because damn. Those eyes. Now steely and stubborn. Where he’d given a little on the gun issue, she could see he would be immovable on this one. “I didn’t come here for you to—”
“Then why did you come here? Out of all the people you could’ve gone to tonight, why was I the one?”
“I’ll leave if that’s what you—”
“That’s not what I mean at all.”
“I’m fucking terrified!” she burst out. “Regardless of how I feel about Brian, he’s one of my best friends, and he’s in the hospital fighting for his life. And I—this was the last place I can remember where I felt safe. With you.” Tears trickled from her eyes despite all her efforts to control them. When she’d been trying to decide where to go tonight, all she could remember was the way he’d taken care of her cut the first night she’d made dinner for him and his girls. His concern and his strong, gentle hands. She’d needed that again, oh, how she’d needed it, and she hadn’t thought much beyond that basic longing.
“I’m glad,” Jared said softly. “I’m glad you came here. There’s nowhere else I would want you to go. Will you stay?”
“I can’t put you in that position. You have Ashley and Mia to think about.”
“Let me worry about that. I’ll work it out. You have enough to worry about right now.”
“It would only be temporary.”
“Of course. I know.”
“Just until they catch him.”
“If you say so.”