AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You didn’t have to do this,” I mumbled.
“Yes, I did. I shudder to think what could have happened if I hadn’t intervened.”
I looked down at the pavement, feeling my cheeks burn. “Thank you. For saving me.”
“Was that the creepy guy?”
“No. It was someone else.”
He winced. “Two predators in one night? Ugh. I’m not naïve enough to say I’m surprised. I’m just glad I got here in time.”
It began to spit with rain as we walked along the footpath, passing shops and restaurants and bars. Occasionally, our arms bumped. Even through the haze of drunkenness, I felt hyper-aware of him beside me. To anyone who saw us, we probably looked like a couple rather than boss and employee. That was a strange thought.
The headlights of an approaching bus cut through the fine drizzle. In a swift and precise movement, Neil grabbed me and pulled me back from the side of the road. I landed against his chest, hard and warm. I was stunned, frozen in his embrace. What just happened? Why was he holding me? I couldn’t comprehend what was going on.
Then I heard the crash of water and felt it slap against my side. A mini tidal wave descended upon the footpath, spraying everything in its wake as the bus roared through a flooded section of road.
Neil eased his hold on me before fully letting me go. I stepped back from him, head reeling.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
I touched the damp patch on my jacket. “I got a little wet, but you saved me from the worst of it. Good thing you noticed that was about to happen.”
“Stay back from the road. It could happen again if you’re not careful.”
I took his advice to heart, even as I struggled to walk in a straight line. My chest pounded, and my legs felt like jelly. Neil had swept me off my feet. I kept replaying the moment in my head, mesmerised. It was like a scene from a movie.
“Here we are,” Neil said.
His car was a white Tesla. He opened the front passenger door for me. I slid into the leather interior. The heater was already on, but despite the warmth of the car, I couldn’t get comfortable. I felt the cold, dirty water seep through my jacket to the lower layer. My teeth chattered. Deciding it would be preferable to take off the jacket rather than marinate in its dampness, I removed it, revealing the delicate white top I wore underneath. Goosebumps spread over my exposed arms.
Neil watched me from the driver’s seat. “You’re freezing.”
“I’m fine,” I lied, my voice jittery.
Neil’s seatbelt clicked as he ejected it. He reached down to the hem of his sweater and pulled it off over his head, flashing a small band of taut skin below his shirt as he did so. Startled by the peek of flesh, I averted my gaze.
“Here.” He held out his sweater.
I stared at it as if he were offering me something sacred and off-limits.
“Take it,” he urged.
I accepted the sweater and pulled it on. The fabric was soft, warm, and lightweight, and it smelled just like him—dark florals and a hint of black pepper. Neil wasn’t a big man by any means, but it was still baggy on my small frame. The sleeves extended to my fingertips. I rolled them up to my wrists. “Thanks,” I said.
Neil stared at me as if he had forgotten everything else in the world. I looked back at him.
“It suits you,” he murmured.
As soon as the words emerged from his mouth, he tore his gaze from me. Redness crept up his neck and tinged the tips of his ears. He cleared his throat and returned his attention to the task at hand: driving me home. He put his seatbelt back on and started the car.
What was that all about? Did he just flirt with me? No. I must be mistaken. There’s no way he’d do something like that. Would he?
I put the thought out of my mind. I was drunk. My thoughts were scrambled and unreliable.
“What’s your address?” Neil asked.
I told him my street name and number. He typed it into the dashboard, then off we went.
