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Just us.

And somehow that makes me smile.

“Are you still living in the city?” I ask.

He nods.

“Yep. Got a new condo, though.”

“Is it close?”

Another nod.

“Ten minutes.”

I study him.

Really study him.

His beautiful face.

His tired eyes.

The stubble shadowing his jaw.

The tiny cut near his eyebrow where he'd been hit by debris.

A fresh ache blooms inside my chest.

Because he got hurt protecting me.

And because the truth is, I don't want to be alone tonight.

I don't want to be alone period.

Not after today.

Not after almost dying.

Not after realizing how much I love him.

Because I do.

I really do.

And suddenly the thought of going back to my empty apartment in Hoboken sounds unbearable.

“Then let's go to your place,” I whisper.

For one second—just one flash, a moment really—heat flashes in those dark eyes.

Not lust.

Well, not only lust.

Something deeper.

Need.