Tempting Nora Read Online Free Page A

under my door."
    "Ugh, what?" Robert said, sounding confused.
    "You didn't stick the note under my door?"
    "Of course not, " Robert said.
    That wasn't good. Had somebody followed her home from the bar last night?
    "Oh no," she said.
    "Are you okay?" Robert asked.
    "I don't know." She clutched the note. "Who would do something like this?"
    "Beats me. " Robert sighed.
    "Robert!" She was looking for comfort but wasn't receiving it.
    "Okay, fine. " He sighed. "I can tell you're freaked out. What exactly does the note say?"
    Who wouldn't be freaked out? Somebody might be stalking her. Still she had to remain strong. The note had issued a warning, not a theat. It wasn't like the person had written, 'I want to chop off your head and eat your brain for breakfast.' This thought soothed her as she looked at the crumbled paper in her hand.
    "It says, 'Gideon is more dangerous than you think. Be wary of him.'" She wrinkled her nose.
    " Was Gideon the name of the guy who was hitting on you last night?" Robert asked.
    "Yep." The handsome jerk.
    "Is the writing feminine by chance?" Robert asked.
    The writing did look feminine.
    "Yeah." She nodded, though he couldn't see her. "I'm guessing a woman wrote it, even though I can't say for sure."
    " Then I have a pretty good idea of what's going on," Robert said. "You don't live far from the bar, so a jealous woman probably followed you home. She likely wants you to stay away from Gideon because she wants him for herself."
    "Do you think so?" H er shoulders slumped with relief.
    " Yeah. I don't know for sure, but that would be my best bet as to why somebody would give you that kind of note," Robert said. "Even if it isn't the reason, the message isn't malicious. At least, not toward you."
    "That's true." She nodded. "So I don't have to worry?"
    " Probably not," Robert said. "Just in case, though, you should probably carry pepper spray. You have some, right?
    She lived in a dangerous area of Chicago and was a single female. Of course she carried pepper spray.
    "Yeah, I do." She nodded.
    "Good." Robert yawned. "Do you work today?"
    It was a Saturday. She always worked on Saturdays.
    "Yep." She nodded and checked the clock. Speaking of work, she was going to be late if she didn't leave soon.
    "What time does your shift end?" Robert asked.
    "Four." She tousled her dark hair.
    "I'll walk you home," Robert said. "Wait for me at the door."
    She was touched. It was Robert's day off too.
    "Thanks." She breathed a sigh of relief.
    "Yeah, yeah." Robert groaned. "You owe me one, especially since you woke me up in the middle of the night."
    "It's seven o'clock, " she said.
    "Exactly."
    "Fine." She rolled her eyes. "Go back to bed, Mr. Lazy. Sorry I woke you."
    "I'm going to pretend you didn't say that," he muttered. "Bye, Nora."
    "Bye." She shook her head.
    After she ended the call, she stared at the note, feeling a tad more confident. Unfortunately, that was when she heard the sound of banging coming from the kitchen, followed by a loud crash. I forgot to feed Chubby! she thought, wincing. Whenever she was late feeding the cat, he always knocked his food bowl across the room.
    "Coming, coming," she said, rushing into the kitchen as she heard an impatient meow.
    ****
    As Nora examined a bag of mango green tea, she heard the door to the shop open. She whirled around, prepared to greet a customer, and stared straight into a pair of caramel eyes. It was the jerk, aka Gideon. She dropped the tea she was holding and gaped in horror. What the heck was he doing here? First somebody had followed her to her apartment, now this guy found her at work. After last night, she was scared he was going to yell at her. Battle stance, Nora. She balled her fists and glared at the man.
    "What a re you doing here?" she snapped, praying that this meeting was purely coincidental.
    His grin widened. Any hope that he 'd stumbled upon her unintentionally flew out the window. Judging by his smirk, Gideon had been trying to find her.
    "I