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“This meeting with Victor shouldn’t take long. I’ll try to keep it brief.” His deep voice rumbled with concern.

Alex cringed. “Right. It shouldn’t take long to report that my first official assignment was a complete failure. You can’t get much worse than a rampaging crowd and a rogue attack. Talk about horrible timing.”

“Mmm.”

She arched a brow. “‘Mmm’? I don’t like the sound of that.” After a moment of telling silence, she asked, “It wasn’t a coincidence that the rogue was there moments before the meeting, was it?”

“We’re…looking into it.”

The ominous lack of detail was far from comforting. She shivered and burrowed deeper into his jacket. The silk lining caressed her bare skin, just as it had when she slid her arms around Jericho on the dance floor.

Thank God he came for her when he did. She’d been seconds from a total meltdown. Despite the progress she’d made, the moment Colin turned her loose, she was overwhelmed. So many writhing bodies surrounded her, brushing against her, blocking her escape.

Then there was Jericho, and everything was all right. Even in that moment of absolute panic, part of her had known he would come for her—expected it even.

It had felt good counting on him. Too good.

“Hey, you still with me? You’re not gettingwoozyagain, are you?” His voice registered from a distance.

“Hmm?” Wait. What did he say? She shoved her thoughts into focus. “No. I’m not woozy. Seriously, Jericho, just because I passed out doesn’t mean I’m going to continue to fall at your fee—”

The strap on her right heel snapped, and her ankle folded. Pain shot through her calf. In a spectacular display of grace, she lurched forward, arms flailing.

Steady hands caught her.

Jericho wrapped his arms around her, supporting her against his powerful frame. “You were saying?”

Adrenaline from the near miss prickled her veins. “The universe is conspiring against me,” she wheezed.

Jericho’s deep chuckle rippled through her.

While her feet were planted firmly on the ground, her thoughts tumbled. She should pull away. Keep her distance. Depending on someone was dangerous. It opened you up to a world of disappointment and heartache. And Alex had had enough of both to last a lifetime.

So why was she still in his arms?

She closed her eyes, leaning on his strength. She could have lost him tonight. Just like she’d lost everyone else she’d come to care about. The thought tore through her heart, clawing a painful path to her stomach.

Jericho was here, right now, standing before her. What wouldn’t she have given to have one more day, one more hour with the people she loved? She already had so many regrets.

Colin’s words continued to haunt her. Nothing about this turbulent rush of emotion wassafe. Did she dare to open herself to that kind of hurt again?

Jericho straightened, setting her on her feet. “Are you okay?” He frowned at her teetering heels.

“Um, I think so.”No, not really.

He sank to one knee, running his calloused palm down her calf. Tingles of pleasure sparked along her skin, and herglyphwarmed in appreciation.

“Hang on to me.” With gentle fingers, he pushed the heels from her feet before tracing the bones of her ankle. Mumbling a curse, he cupped her foot in his large palm, massaging the red marks the straps created.

Holy Moses.Her eyes rolled back in her head, and she clenched his shoulder. He rolled his thumb through her arch, and a soft purr rose in her throat.

At the sound, his body tensed, and his hands stilled. He released her foot and stretched to his full height.

He met her dazed expression, his eyes knitted with concern. She studied the planes of his face as though she were seeing him for the first time. Without conscious thought, she lifted her fingers to his jaw, tracing the lean contours.

“Alex?” His golden eyes darkened, swirling with some sort of inner turmoil. Alex’s conscience waged a similar battle.

This was a bad idea. A very bad idea.