like you’re seeing right through me and I can’t stop wondering what happened to make it go away.”
* * *
MARIA COULDN’T IMAGINE what had transpired between her and the handsome Austin O’Brien to make things seem so awkward at moments. But it had to be something serious. And he was covering up whatever it was. Maybe they were in the middle of a fight and he didn’t want to bring it up or stir up negative memories? It would’ve had to be something bad for him to react to her so stiffly. She feared there was a whole lot more to the story of her moving into the loft. All of that was frustratingly patchy.
Even so, that’s not what she remembered most about their relationship. There’d been a physical attraction, sure. His emerald green eyes, strong squared jaw and black-as-night tight-clipped hair were the first things she’d noticed about him. What had kept her coming back for more was his laid-back laugh, that infuriating sparkle to his eye that had melted her heart every time she looked at him and been so good at seducing her. And then there was the way it was so easy to be around him.
From the moment she’d met Austin, he just felt like home. And that was weird because she couldn’t remember the last time she truly felt at home anywhere or with anyone before him.
And now it was just...off.
They’d shared so many similar interests in music and books. And then there was the way he made her laugh no matter how hard her day had been or how sour her mood when she walked through the door. Within minutes of being around him, her entire disposition changed. The stress of the day would disintegrate and a sense of calm, of being right where she was supposed to be, would settle over her.
Those were the things she remembered about being with him.
Another feeling was present now and it had nothing to do with the handsome, virile cowboy.
This was the sensation of someone or something lurking in the shadows, just out of sight, waiting...
She couldn’t shake the hairs-standing-up-on-the-back-of-her-neck feeling no matter how hard she tried.
And she’d tried.
Austin was hiding the truth from Maria. Her memories might be patchy but she knew him well enough to know that he’d been tap-dancing around something since the first day they’d come home from the hospital. He’d looked around the loft as though he’d never seen it before, which struck her as odd. Adding to her confusion, he’d insisted on checking out the bathroom before giving her access. He’d seemed so relieved when he turned from the doorjamb and told her it was clear. Clear from what?
Then, there were the sleeping arrangements. He’d said that he slept like a tornado and didn’t want to risk rolling over onto her in the night. So, he’d taken the couch since they’d arrived, which was three nights ago.
Fast-forward to today. Austin was out picking up dinner and Maria was grateful that he’d left. He was probably just worried about her but he kept watch over her like she was a China doll about to tip off the top shelf and shatter. He was just worried about her, she reasoned. That had to be the reason that he hadn’t made an attempt to touch her...right?
Because she remembered that the heat between the two of them could’ve melted a glacier and now all she got was a cold shoulder.
Maria leaned her head against the rolled-up hand towel as she stretched out her sore legs. The bathwater was the perfect temperature and the jets pulsed at just the right speed to untangle her tense muscles. Another twenty minutes of this and she’d be good to go.
Maria glanced at the clock. Austin should be back soon. She’d spent an extra ten minutes soaking and was starting to feel human again thanks to the pair of ibuprofen she’d swallowed before getting in the water. She turned off the jets and then opened the drain.
The tile floor was cold on her bare feet and a chill raced through her. Her clothes were in a pile on the floor in front of the sink. She had to step over them to reach her towel. As she lifted her right foot, she heard a sizzling sound. It was like droplets of water on a hot griddle.
Her gaze flew to the spot where an accompanying hissing sound vibrated. Her T-shirt moved and that couldn’t be a good sign. Something was underneath there. The bathroom walls seemed to shrink as the sizzling sound grew louder. She withdrew her foot and hopped back into the tub immediately. She slipped, almost bit it, and had to regain her balance by grabbing hold of the sides of the tub.
She froze as a diamond-shaped head with a pair of beady eyes and a forked tongue peeked out from underneath her T-shirt. The second it made eye contact her pulse raced and the sizzling noise vibrated. One strike could cover the distance between them, and she’d be dead before Austin could bring her fish tacos back from her favorite restaurant, Pescado.
Maria had never been terrified of anyone, not even the boogeyman when she was a little girl. But she was deathly afraid of snakes.
Her body ached from crouching low. It was the same defensive maneuver she would use in any threatening scenario, put as much mass between her and the enemy as possible. If that double-eyed monster made a move, at least the bathtub was between them save for half of her head.
Her tired legs might give out and she didn’t dare move an inch or risk agitating the creature. This was the perfect time to remember that her gun was in the other room, she thought as she rolled her eyes. Even if she had her weapon she couldn’t just randomly shoot in the middle of her building. A stray bullet could kill an innocent person and she wouldn’t want to risk it.
Unfortunately, her cell was in the other room, too. She hadn’t thought to bring it with her into the bathroom. Then again, she hadn’t expected to need it.
Maria cursed under her breath, praying that Austin would make it home before the deadly snake launched toward her. As it was she could hear her own heartbeat pounding inside her ears.
At least for now the sizzling noises had quieted. No way did she plan to take her eyes off that thing or relax. She remembered reading somewhere that most snakes could strike at least two-thirds of their body length, depending on the type and size. Most of this one’s body was hidden, so she had no idea how long it was. She had no plans to find out or test the theory, either.
Noise came from the other room...and the T-shirt moved.
* * *
AUSTIN SET THE BAG of take-out fish tacos on the kitchen island when he heard a noise, a strangled cry, from the bathroom.
His pulse kicked up and he ate up the real estate between him and the sound in a couple of strides. As he placed his hand on the knob, Maria said, “Don’t come in.”
He started to tap on the door with a knuckled fist instead.
“Don’t make a sound, Austin,” Maria pleaded.
Didn’t that get all his warning bells flaring. He pressed an ear to the door to see if he could figure out what the hell was going on. At first, he didn’t pick up anything.
And then he heard something...a sizzling noise.
Austin dropped to the floor effortlessly, without making a sound. His white Stetson landed with a soft thud on the floor next to him and he bit back a curse. All he could see clearly was a pile of clothes in front of the sink. The tub was to the left and out of range at this vantage point.
And then he saw something—a snake. From the back, he could see that the head was small but marked with a prominent dark brown arrow-shape. Austin knew exactly what kind of snake he was dealing with, a saw-scaled viper. Dangerous. Aggressive. Deadly. Known for its lightning-fast strike and powerful venom. The viper was moving backward, away from the threat, and his brown body was partially covered underneath Maria’s T-shirt.
The sizzling noise made sense. This kind of viper