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"Hey, you're judging."
"No, I'm just concerned. Hannah, you seriously mean to tell me that you don't run into drunk, obnoxious people in the evening?"
I shrugged. "Well, I do sometimes. The whole quarter is full of bars and pubs. But I've never had an issue."
"All right, I'll walk you upstairs."
I wanted to tell him there was no need, but he seemed so determined that I was sure he wasn't going to take no for an answer. Besides, I didn’t mind. My ex couldn't care less where I lived or if I was safe at all. After breaking up, I asked him wherehe was going to move and if it was close enough to his work. He didn’t even bother asking me anything. It didn't matter to him.
"I don't have an elevator, and I live on the third floor," I warned him.
"I'm good with stairs."
There was no one else on the staircase. The sound of our footsteps and our breaths filled the air.
"That's me," I said when we arrived on the third floor. The corridor was dimly lit. I unlocked the door, but before pushing it open, I turned around. "Thank you for walking me up."
He gripped the doorway, leaning in. I felt his breath on my cheek.
For the briefest second, I thought he was going to lean in and kiss me against the door. Maybe I even wanted it.
"No, I'm the one who needs to thank you. What you did tonight means a lot to me. You got to Elijah in a way I clearly couldn't."
There was no other word to describe Chase but intoxicating. "You have to stop wearing that," I whispered.
"What?" he asked, confused.
I pressed my lips together.
"Hannah, what do you mean?"
"No, that was just my mouth talking without checking in with my brain first."
He laughed. It sounded throaty and sexy.
"Your cologne is driving me crazy," I confessed. He grinned. "I'm sorry, it messes with my mind. It reminds me of—”
“The beach."
"Yes," I murmured. "I think about that way too often."
"So do I," he said. "Every day. Every time I see you."
"But you haven't seen me."
"I go to Magda's office far more often than I should. But I'm not staying long enough for people to notice."
I gasped. "Chase."What must Magda be thinking?
Then he put a finger on my lips. The contact electrified every cell in my body.
"Don't say anything.” He opened his mouth, then hesitated for a few seconds before speaking. “I need to see you, that’s all. Every day. I can’t explain it.”
A light tremor shook me from head to toe, like he'd flipped a switch and my whole body was yearning for him.
"I won't say anything else," he promised. "If I do, there will be no going back."
I was sure of that. But part of me wanted him to go there, even though I knew this couldn't be. He wasn't the man for me.