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“We have to stay a respectable amount of time.”
He groans. “Right. That respectable time thing I hate so fucking much.” He downs his bubbly. “Let’s mingle.”
It’s an hour later and Reid and I are on the dance floor, our bodies closer than is “respectable,” but I don’t care.
His hand caresses my back. “Let’s go home.”
Home.
His home, but the word is spoken as if we share a home, and it does funny things to my stomach. “Yes. Let’s go home, but do we need to find Grayson and say goodbye?”
“Grayson has the deal of a lifetime. That’s all he gets. We’re leaving.”
He takes my hand and guides me toward the exit, and in a matter of minutes we’re in the car, and he’s pulling me close, his hand under my skirt again. “The wait is over,” he murmurs as firetrucks start to push through the traffic and sirens sound.
“Something is going on,” I murmur as even more sirens seem to encroach upon us.
Reid’s cellphone rings and he frowns. “Gabe, who would not call me on a night like tonight, unless it was something important.” He answers and listens a moment. “You’re sure? Right. We’re going there now.” He disconnects. “We’ll walk. It’s not far.” He opens the door and helps me out.
“What’s going on?” I ask as he starts all but pulling me down the sidewalk.
“There’s a fire in Battery Park. Gabe can’t tell where yet, but it’s close to our apartments and both of our offices.”
“Oh God.” It’s all I manage. Neither of us speaks. We just walk as fast as we can with me in my heels. It takes us ten minutes, and through a parade of emergency vehicles, to reach our office which is fine. Reid’s phone rings again, and he answers it. “Yeah, Gabe.” His hand tightens on mine. “Yes. Okay.”
A horrible feeling settles in my chest and when he disconnects the line, he turns me to face him his hands on my shoulders. “It’s your building, Carrie.”
“My building. Mine?”
“Yes, baby. It’s yours, but—”
I have to get there. I twist out of his arms and start to run. I’m halfway across a crosswalk when Reid catches my hand. “Stay with me. They aren’t going to let you in the area.”
“I need to know details. I need to talk to an emergency worker.” I motion to a policeman at the entryway to our walkway. “Him. There.”
Reid folds our arms at the elbow and pulls me close. “We’ll talk to him.”
I tug against him and rush toward the uniformed man. “I live in the building. Is the fire contained?”
“Yes, ma’am, but we are asking residents to report their whereabouts if they live on floors one through three.”
“I live on three. What happened on three?”
“I’m sorry to tell you that it’s a full loss, ma’am.”
Emotions rock my body and my knees go weak. Reid drags me to him and I don’t know how but I end up near a bench out of the walkway. “I lost everything. I lost everything. I have no home.” Tears burst from my eyes and Reid folds me close, his lips at my ear. “Live with me, Carrie. Move in with me.”
“No,” I hiss, shoving at his chest. “I’m not your charity case. You’re not getting stuck with me.”
“Stuck with you? There’s no stuck with you, Carrie. Now or ever.” He cups my face and thumbs away dampness. “I gave you a key. We were headed there anyway. A few more weeks of back and forth was all I was going to be able to endure. Live with me.”
“How do I even know it’s what you really want?”
“It is what I want. Is it what you want?”
“I want to make the choice, and I want you to ask me not when my apartment is burning down. Not like this.”
“I would have asked that way and still, it wouldn’t be enough. Baby, I need you with me. I need you, Carrie.” He folds me in his embrace. “You’re safe with me. I got you. I really do, even if you don’t know it yet.”
