Page 33 of Death, Interrupted

“Me too.” We stood there, a little awkward, in a space where both of us wanted more but neither dared to push. I bit the inside of my cheek, then cleared my throat. “Can I give you a hug?”

“Yes, please.”

The “please” made me laugh. God, he was too sweet.

“You really have to stop laughing like that,” he said, setting the helmet back on the seat and stepping closer to me. “Only makes me like you more.”

His hands slid around my waist and pulled me in. I wrapped my arms over his shoulders and pressed my body against his. We stood there and breathed for a while. His palms moved slowly on my back as we buried our faces in each other’s necks.

“Fuck, and you smell incredible,” he murmured, voice low against my neck. He pressed a small kiss to my skin and pulled back just enough to meet my eyes. “You should really go if you don’t want me to go a step further and kidnap you.”

I laughed again, because he could make almostanything sound harmless, even that line. I squeezed him tighter before I let go.

We eased apart, but not all the way. My hands stayed on his arms, and his stayed on my waist. I looked at his face and didn’t need to guess at what he was thinking. He didn’t want to leave either.

So I did the simple thing and asked, “Do you want to come over?”

“Fuck, yes. Immediately.”

My cheeks burned, and my heart fluttered uncontrollably. “Okay. But you have to promise me not to try anything. We’re still just friends.”

“I promise,” he said, his eyes honest and his words serious. “I’m just happy to be around you and make sure you’re okay.”

“Okay.” I smiled gently, then pointed my thumb over my shoulder. “I’ll get my car. You can just follow me. Though you probably already know where I live.”

“I do.” His smirk was crooked. “But I’ll follow you.”

“Okay.” I watched him again for a moment before taking a few steps back, then finally tearing my eyes off him and turning around.

It was me who needed to promise not to try anything, because the idea of having him in my apartment did something to me. It excited me. Maybe a little too much.

Chapter 12

Sly

Her apartment looked exactly the way I’d pictured it in my head and then a little better.

It was lived-in, not staged, and it seemed as if every little thing had its place. There were multiple plants in big pots by the windows, photos on every wall, and three blankets on the couch. There was a desk in the corner with neat piles, colored tabs, and a charging cable neatlycoiled.

It was a strange thought, but if I had been presented with three different apartments and asked to guess which one was Sumner’s, I would’ve gotten it right.

“Make yourself at home,” she said, while I stood in the middle of the open kitchen and living room area. “Would you like something to drink?”

“Water’s great. Thank you.”

She grabbed two glasses from the cupboard, filled them, and pressed one into my hand. I never took my eyes off her as we drank, but when our gazes got a little too intimate, she turned her head and pointed her thumb over her shoulder.

“Do you want to sit down?”

“Yeah, sure.”

She led us to the couch, and we set our glasses on the table. I sank back and let an arm rest along the top, careful not to touch her, even if I wanted to. She studied then, probably deciding if letting me in here was a good idea.

“You’re the only guy I ever let in here,” she said.

My eyebrow went up on instinct. “Yeah? How come?”

She gave a small shrug and an even smaller smile. “Because this has always been my safe place. Even when I wasn’t here a lot the last few years, it stayed mine alone. It doesn’t hold any bad memories.”