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“I can see two of you, mister, and I forgot when you mentioned it. Tell me.”
“Security guard. I’m usually in the security room where all the cameras are.”
“My name’s Katherine.”
“I know.”
“Right. Office security and stuff. Why were you at the club?”
“Saw some friends.” I keep my eyes on the road, but my entire being is hyper-aware of her nearness, especially when she leans forward and rests a palm on my headrest. My heart gives an erratic beat, and I’m one second away from turning to her to see how she’ll react.
“No offense, but you look too old to be hanging out at clubs.”
I can almost feel myself crumble into dust, feeling ancient. How old does she think I am? “I’m 34. I’m not that old.”
“Fair point, but you don’t strike me as the type who enjoys partying.”
I meet her gaze in the rearview mirror and raise a brow. “No offense, but you said you could see two of me. It’s safe to assume your judgment is a little off.”
My heart squeezes when her laughter fills the space. “You’re right. God, I walked in on that one, didn’t I?”
She’s drunker than I thought because when we get to her apartment, she doesn’t even question the fact that I know where to park, where the entrance to her unit is, and what floor she’s on.
With her hand pressed against the wall to steady herself, she trips on the stairs and almost falls flat on her face before my arms automatically extend and wrap around her waist. I pull her to me and the closeness has me reeling, my blood rushing to my groin, my head dizzy with desire.
But no. I may have stalked her and explored her private space, even touched and stole her things, but I draw the line at taking advantage of her when she’s barely aware of what’s going on. If something’s going to happen to us, Katherine will know and enjoy every single minute of it.
She continues to stumble, and I figure it’s gonna take us longer than thirty minutes if this continues. Without another thought, I sweep her into my arms and carry her all the way to the fifth floor. She slides one hand along my chest and nuzzles my jaw, causing my muscles to grow taut. Every single touch sends electricity zipping through my body, my nerve endings crackling with sparks.
It’s the longest walk of my life.
By some miracle, we make it to her door even with my cock straining against my zipper, and I let her down slowly, catching her elbow when she almost sprains her ankle. It takes every ounce of my willpower to let her go.
“Oh no.” Katherine’s brows furrow in concentration, her fingers rummaging through the contents of her purse. She takes out her glasses and slips them on, then continues her search.
I lean against the doorframe and cross my arms in front of my chest, biting back a smirk.
She left her keys. Again. I shouldn’t have been surprised. She was always forgetting something. One time, she was already halfway to the office when she realized she left her phone on the bed. Another time, she spent a good thirty minutes looking for her eyeglasses when she had it on top of her head the whole time. I knew because I may have rented the apartment in the building directly across from hers. I spent several hours sitting by the window with my binoculars and watching her.
The copy of her keys burns a hole in my pocket, so I tap her shoulder. “Katherine, move over and let me try something.”
She narrows her eyes at me. “What are you gonna do? I hope you don’t break my door. My landlord will kill me.”
“No. I’m just gonna try something I saw on TV.”
She yawns and rubs her eyes, smearing more makeup under her eyes and on her temple. “Fine. Do it.”
Katherine starts to close her eyes, and I take the chance to slide the key and twist, smiling when I hear the faint click. “It’s open. Let’s get you inside.”
I’ve been inside her place so many times that I absentmindedly reach for the light switch by the door without even looking. I only plan to make sure she’s safe, and then I’ll leave, which is why I’m half in, half out of her doorway.
“What are you doing to that poor girl, young man?!”
I turn just in time to dodge something swinging at me, missing me by a few inches. It’s only thanks to my years of vigorous training that my body reacts even before my mind registers what’s happening. Without my lightning-fast reflexes, her wooden cane would have made contact with my temple and forehead and left a bruise.
It’s Katherine’s elderly neighbor. Dina Schwimmer. A seventy-five-year-old widow who has more cats than I can count. Having been in the security business for over a decade, of course, I want to make sure my girl’s safe, that she has no psychotic neighbors … aside from me.
Mrs. Schwimmer shuffles towards me, her gnarled fingers gripping the cane with surprising strength. She widens her eyes at me and throws me a hostile stare. “I’m gonna call the cops on you!”
