SNEAKING IN

I was down in the garage and in my car by four thirty. I was already pulling out of the parking space before I had even buckled up. I was in a hurry to get to work, that was all.

It was still before five in the morning when I was opening EZ's door. I know he was sleeping but I needed to get inside and get that file. Plus I needed a shower and to officially get ready for the day.

I did my best to stay quiet when I went into the house but EZ was typically a light sleeper. I hadn't even made it into the spare bedroom and the bathroom that was hiding beyond it, when he was already opening his door and glaring at me.

"Do you have any fucking clue what time it is?" He was not a nice person when he first woke up in the morning. "You had better have a damn good excuse for waking me from my beauty sleep." I tried to take him seriously. I really did, but EZ's small stature, flamboyant way of talking and shining pink pajama shorts were all more than I could handle at the moment.

All the things I was seeing combined to finally break the tension in my body. I finally relaxed and let myself laugh hysterically.

"Oh, I'm so glad you woke me up at five in the goddam morning just so you could laugh at me the moment you saw me."

"I'm sorry EZ." I walked over to him and hugged him tight. "I didn't want to wake you yet. I was hoping to get a shower in first."

"Why are you even here? Why can't you shower at your place?" His tiny fists were balled up and braced on his hips.

"Can I shower before I tell you?" I pleaded with him. Before he answered though, he leaned over to me and sniffed, like he was the damn wolf and I was the human.

"You saw him again, didn't you?" He grinned at me, the sleepiness vanishing from his eyes.

"I don't know wha-." He cut me off before I could finish that sentence.

"Bullshit!" He yelled at me. "You smell like sex, a lot of it. And there is only one man I could think of you having rolled around with like that when you were sober."

"I'm not his mate." I growled at him.

"I never said anything about a mate." He wiggled his eyebrows. "But it looks like it's on your mind though." He turned to walk back to his room. "Take your shower then, I will take mine in my room and then we will talk about this in the kitchen when we're done."

"EZ, I don't really have time."

"I didn't ask if you had the time." He smirked at me. "This is payment for getting you that information."

"This is extortion." I yelled at him as he disappeared into the room.

"Nope, this is definitely not." I heard his giggle echoing out into the hall when I could no longer see him. It was kind of ethereal and therefore sinister. He was like a vampire and a ghost, so elusive and eternal. EZ was just a creature unto himself.

I had to hurry though, I needed to get out of here and on the road fast. I ignored EZ and his haunting words as I went into the second bathroom. I had a moment to think about praising Laurell and Bechard and their decision to always have more than enough hot water heaters in the houses they owned. This way EZ and I could shower at the same time.

After the quickest shower I could make myself take, I am still a woman and need to be clean, I got out and grabbed a fresh set of clothes from the bag I had brought with me. It wasn't much different than the clothes I usually wore so I didn't pay much attention to them.

Once I was dressed and ready to go I headed downstairs. I needed some coffee before I got this day going much more. I needed to sit and think too, with a big plate of breakfast in front of me. I had just started the coffee brewing when EZ walked silently into the room, his scent was all that alerted me.

"You know, if I didn't know any better I'd say you weren't human." I joked with him like I usually did.

"Well, you know that I am better than any mere mortal out there, so I am not just a human." I laughed at his typical response.

"Yes, I forgot, the hacking god. How could I have ever mistaken you for a mere human."

"You better not let it happen again, young lady." He pretended to scold me as he slid onto one of the purple bar stools at the island. "So you want to tell me why it is that you scampered away from that sexy beast of yours and came running back here to me?"

"I didn't scamper away and I didn't run to you." I denied it all. "I came here to get that file for the case."

"At five in the morning? Yeah, sorry Jacy sweetheart, but I'm not buying that. Cut the shit and tell me what really happened." His eyes were sharp and piercing as he looked at me. How could such an innocent looking pose be so fierce? Anyone else who had put their chin in their hands like that would look like a little child excitedly awaiting something special, but EZ looked sinister right now.

"I had to get away from my house. I can't go back home."

"Did you leave him in your bed?" EZ was laughing now.

"No, I left him in his bed."

"Then why can't you go back to your place?" He was definitely confused and not understanding what the issue was here.

"His place is a tad too close to mine for comfort." I was still being vague. Why the hell would I do that to myself when I knew what was coming next.

"How close is too close, Jacy? Hmm. Does he live down the street or something? Wouldn't that be a trip, to have him live on the same block as you?" He was laughing now.

"Closer than that." His eyes went wide with shock.

"In the same building? Now that's awesome."

"Closer."

"What's closer than the same building?" He was thinking about it for a moment with a finger on her chin. "Oh my god, Jacy, does he live on the same floor as you?" I knew EZ was smart enough to figure it out.

"He lives in the condo right next to mine."

"EEEEEEEEEE!" EZ squealed in delight, his hands shaking back and forth with his barely contained excitement. "That's perfect."

"I don't think so." I glared at him. "I got home last night to see him in the hallway heading toward his door. I had thought he was just there to stalk me or something but he actually lived there. That's why I kept smelling his scent everywhere. I thought I was going crazy."

"So, you saw him, what else happened?" EZ wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"I-I don't want to talk about it."