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destination when a ball of fluff came racing down the hallway toward me.
    I grunted and looked down at the rat.
    Her light-colored ear hair was all over the place and sticking out wildly, her entire butt was wiggling with the force of her tail wagging, and her dark eyes were intent on me.
    “Hey, Gizmo,” I called, using the nickname I’d given her, which drove Ivy nuts.
    Giz put her two front paws up on my leg and wagged her butt some more. I laughed and scooped her up to scratch behind her ears.
    “Good looking out this morning,” I told her as I scratched. “Giving me some alone time with my girl.”
    She licked me.
    “Dog breath,” I muttered and set her back down on the floor. She raced off into the bedroom, no doubt toward the mountain of toys Ivy bought her.
    I let myself in the bathroom and turned the lock silently. I could see Ivy moving around behind the curtain, and I shucked my shorts and tossed them on the floor.
    The air in here was moist, almost humid, and the mirror was already fogging up. She was humming to herself. I went to the edge of the shower and slid the curtain back barely enough for me to step in.
    She had her face under the spray, and ribbons of water cascaded down over her shoulders and back.
    She was just way too sexy not to touch.
    I reached out and grabbed her by the waist, meaning to tow her back against me.
    But she never made it.
    Ivy’s body went rigid so fast it was almost like her body spasmed. A low shriek vibrated her throat, and she lurched forward.
    “No!” The protest was almost a moan, the fear in her voice real.
    I jerked back immediately, letting go. I must have been too rough. I must have hurt her.
    I started to apologize, but the words died in my throat because the force in which she pulled away and the fact she was soapy and standing in water wasn’t a good combination.
    Ivy slipped forward, plunging toward the shower wall and the large silver knob that jutted out.
    “Whoa,” I gasped and quickly recovered the space between us. I caught her just before she fell and would likely smack her head on the knob.
    Her body went rigid again, but I didn’t let go this time. This time I was ready for her. I pulled her back, bringing her body up against mine, and stepped so we were out of the spray.
    I could feel her trembling in my arms, and it scared me.
    “Easy now,” I said in her ear. “You’re okay. I’m not gonna hurt you.”
    “Braeden.” She said my name on a relieved sigh and went boneless against me.
    “Right here, baby,” I whispered. “I’m right here.”
    She turned, pressing herself as close to me as she could get, and when I didn’t tighten my arms (for fear I’d freak her out again), she whimpered. “Tighter.”
    I tucked her as close against me as possible. She buried her face in my chest, and another shiver worked its way down her spine.
    I stared at the falling water over her head, right through it and at the wall.
    Concern, alarm, and anger warred within me.
    I wasn’t exactly sure what the fuck just happened.
    But I was pretty sure all those distractions I’d just been thinking about were long gone.
    I was pretty sure this wasn’t just a case of her being startled.
    No.
    It was much, much more.

Chapter Three

    Ivy
    I didn’t hear him.
    I didn’t think.
    I just reacted.
    People get scared every day. Things happen to startle everyone. But even those with the most focused concentration don’t ever react that way.
    Violently.
    Almost like they’re being attacked.
    There was something wrong with that reaction.
    With my reaction.
    It threw me, and I stood there pressing myself as close to Braeden as I possibly could until the feeling of sheer panic went down the drain with the water.
    I pulled back enough to apologize. He probably thought I was certifiable. Yet when our eyes met, he wasn’t freaked out. He seemed almost scared. It wasn’t a look Braeden often wore. It threw me off balance even more.
    He cupped my cheek, and without