Page 53 of Hard Rock Desires

“Take me home,” she whispered.

Seventeen

Grace

I’d made a fool of myself.

The car ride was silent the entire way back to my place.

I’d acted rashly.

Zain kept on glancing at me out of the corner of his eyes.

I’d made a scene at a fancy networking event full of Zain’s friends and colleagues.

My whole body trembled as I fisted my hands in my lap.

But what I regretted most of all…

I hadn’t punched that asshole right in the face.

We finally pulled into the driveway in front of my apartment. Zain unbuckled his seatbelt.

“Let me walk you in,” he said. “You look shaky and pale.”

I wanted to insist that I was fine. That I could take care of myself. But truthfully, I was feeling lightheaded, no doubt from the adrenaline fading from my system. Having someone help me get up the front stairs wasn’t a bad idea.

Zain came around to my side of the car and opened the passenger door. My hands were so unsteady I couldn’t undo my own seatbelt. He ducked his head into the car and unbuckled it for me. He held out a hand for me to take as I lifted myself up and out.

“Thanks,” I murmured.

In response, he wrapped his arm around me and under my shoulder to hold me up. I didn’t think I’d actually fall, but it was a thoughtful gesture.

I hated that I was acting like some wilting, faint-hearted flower. I should have been strong enough to pull myself together. But every nerve in my body had been firing rapidly, and now that I was away from the situation, all I felt was drained and exhausted.

Zain helped me through the front doors and to the elevator. I thought he might take his leave then, but he rode up with me. I didn’t protest. I leaned my head against his chest and closed my eyes briefly. He rested his chin on the top of my head and gave me a light squeeze.

We got to my floor and I unlocked my front door. I walked in. Zain stayed on the other side.

“Are you going to be okay?” he asked.

The concern in his eyes tugged at me. It made me feel even more awful for worrying him. There was also a great deal of confusion on his face. He no doubt had a million questions.

Some of them he already knew the answer to, although he wasn’t aware of it yet. Some of those answers were ones I never spoke of. And some of them were answers that threatened to spew from my mouth, the anger and grief inside me fighting for release.

“Do you want to come in?” I asked him.

His relief was palpable.

“I’m worried about leaving you alone,” he said as he crossed the threshold and hung up his suit jacket. “But I don’t want to push the issue if you want to be by yourself right now.”

“I could use the company.” I went to my small kitchen and plugged in the kettle to heat the water. “Tea?” I asked him. “I don’t have anything fancy, just a box of earl grey.”

“You’re not a tea snob?” He gave me a careful smile as he loosened his tie.

“Not in the slightest.” I didn’t have the money to be picky about my caffeinated beverages.

Zain followed me into the kitchen. My apartment was small, so standing next to me at the counter only put him a few feet away from the living room sofa.