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Christopher nuzzled against Jael’s neck as he pressed her against the door. She held her breath and pushed back. He resisted.

“You have to let me come in.” His voice was muffled against her shoulder.

“Not tonight.”

When he pulled back to look at her, his eyes were glassy with desire. “You say that every time.”

“I’m not ready yet. This has all moved really fast.”

“You said that’s what you wanted.”

“I do, but that doesn’t mean I’m not feeling overwhelmed by everything.”

“You’re still mad at me.”

“No. I mean—” She could only take the lie so far. “I’m frustrated at how the situation turned out, yes. And when Martin attacked me, you did nothing to stop him.”

“I didn’t have time. If you remember, Danny turned up and took over. Besides, I knew Martin wasn’t going to actually hurt you. He just needed to let off steam.”

“I know what you think, but there is no doubt in my mind that he’s hurt Becca.”

Christopher shoved her lightly as he stepped back. “Here we go again. I thought we were done with this. You said you’d moved past it.”

“I’m trying.” If he was angry with her, at least he’d leave her alone. “But it’s hard when you aren’t willing to see it from my perspective.”

“What if I promise that next time I’ll defend your honor? Will that help?”

“That’s a start.”

“Good.” He moved in close again. “Now can I come in?”

She put her hand against his chest and shoved him back. “Not tonight.”

He grunted. “You sure know how to ruin a moment, you know that? If this is a taste of things to come… There are expectations I have of married life. Don’t think I’ll put up with the same resistance.”

She waited a beat to control herself. “I don’t expect you to.”

“I have needs. You can’t get mad if I fulfill them somewhere else when you’re not willing.”

“While I’d appreciate it if you could hold back, I understand how hard this is for you. You won’t have to wait forever, but I’m not ready yet.”

“I’ll do my best, but I won’t make any promises. I’m not accustomed to waiting.”

“I know. Thank you for dinner. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

He kissed her before he left, hard and hungrily. His hands roaming over her body as she groped for the door handle, retreating inside once the door gave way behind her.

“Goodnight,” she said hastily as she stood halfway behind the open door.

Christopher sighed. “Yeah. See ya.”

She shut the door and locked it quietly, then watched through the window as he retreated. They were still a week away from the engagement party, and the more she refused him, the harder he pushed. She’d have to come down with the flu or something if she was going to survive unscathed.

Her phone rang. She ignored it, worried it was Christopher, but finally checked it and answered.

“Danny, hey.”

“Hey, I’m just checking in. How was your night?”

“After a scalding shower, I’ll be better. He can’t keep his hands off me. It’s all I can do to keep from throwing up. But he’s gone now, thankfully.”

“I know. I saw him leave.”

“You’re here?”

“Parked on the street. Do you have pepper spray?”

“You want me to pepper spray my fiancé?”

“If necessary.”

“That’s not helpful. You don’t need to babysit me, you know. I can handle myself.”

“The last couple times you needed my help, you wished I was closer. So here I am. Just in case Christopher decides not to take no for an answer.”

“I don’t think I have to worry about that. He threatened to find his sugar elsewhere if I didn’t give in soon.”

“He didn’t actually say that.”

“Pretty much.”

“You should have slapped him.”

“I should have. Instead, I pretended to be hurt and asked him to abstain if he could manage it.”

“That’s very gracious of you,” Danny said.

“I would encourage him to do what he liked if I didn’t think it would make him suspicious.”

“I’m sorry you have to do this.”

“You know my story. You know I’ve suffered through worse. I’ll get through this too. And, you know, it’s the first time in my life I’ve actually felt like I’m the one in control.”

“But it’s a gem you have to dig deep for.”

“At least it’s something.”

“Okay, well, I was just making sure you were safe. You can go have that scalding shower now.”

“You want to come in?” she said too fast.

“Right now?”

“I act tough, but I wouldn’t mind some company to get my mind off what just happened.”

“I don’t think I should.”

“Why not? We’re both adults, and it’s not like anything’s going to happen.”

“Uh, yeah. Okay. Just for a few minutes.”

“Thank you.”

She hung up but caught herself smiling and shook it off. She’d invited him in to get Christopher out of her head. That was all. They’d talk for a bit, then he’d leave.

But when she opened the door, and he was standing there with a dopy grin on his face, her stomach jumped anyway.

“Come in,” she said and then led him to the kitchen.

“Why was Cinderella so bad at soccer?” he said as he followed.

“What?”

“Cinderella. Why was she so bad at soccer?”

“I don’t understand.”

“You’re supposed to say, ‘Why?’”

She huffed, then said, “Why?”

“Because she kept running away from the ball.” He raised his eyebrows, but when she didn’t laugh, he frowned. “Not funny?”

“That was supposed to be a joke?”

“Ouch. Okay, what about this? What do you call a snowman in the spring?”

“Why are you telling me jokes?”

“To make you laugh after a rotten night. What do you call a snowman in the spring?”

“What?”

“A puddle.”

She did laugh at that one, although she couldn’t be sure if it was because of the joke or the earnest look on his face.

“There we go,” he said.

“What does a nosey pepper do?” she said.

“Oh, what? You’re getting in on the action? I don’t know. What does a nosey pepper do?”

“It gets jalape?o business.”

“Wow.”

She hugged her shoulders to her ears. “You’re jealous. I can tell. My jokes are better than yours.”

“I guess I’ll need to train Siri to tell me better jokes.”

“I wouldn’t bother. I’d say it’s hopeless.”

“Man, so much hostility.”

“Can you blame me after the night I had?” She laughed. “You want anything to drink?”

“No. I’m fine. I won’t stay long.” He sat at the small dining table, maintaining his distance.

She turned on the kettle and dropped a teabag into a mug. “Thank you for coming in.”

“If only I could tell better jokes.”

“Anything is good after spending time with Christopher. I think I’ll lie low for the next few days. Tell him I’m not well. I’ll stick my finger down my throat if I have to.”

“Drastic times call for drastic measures. He won’t believe you unless you sell it.”

“I can make an appointment to see the doctor for a regular checkup,” she said. “His guy will see me and report so I don’t have to.”

“He’s put a tail on you?”

“Yeah. Not a very good one. But it’s meant I can’t visit Becca.”

“How’s she doing? She hasn’t contacted me. I hope that means she’s not scared.”

“She’s doing okay. She has a lawyer now, so they’re putting everything together. We’re hoping to have a restraining order in place soon.”

“Good. I’m glad you convinced her.”

“Martin did that himself when he turned up on her doorstep. I don’t think she understood before how afraid she was of him. And the kids too. She said her daughter’s been having nightmares.”

“If he’s touched her, he’ll go to prison.”

“I know.”

Danny shook his head. “This might not mean a lot to you, but I’ll be praying for her.”

“That means a lot, actually. Thank you. Believe it or not, I found myself praying for them when I heard Martin was at the house.”

“And God came through.”

“ You came through because I texted you.”

“God can do miracles, but He also works through human action and common sense.”

“Maybe.” She poured hot water into the mug and carried it over to the table. “I might not be able to help any more women, but I really hope it goes well for Becca. If I know she’s safe, that will help me face an uncertain future.”

“There must be others you’ve helped.”

“Yes and no. More than half the women I’ve worked with have gone back. That’s hard. And I won’t be there if they reach out again.”

“You don’t think Heber will continue with the funding if Christopher’s out of the picture.”

“Maybe. I don’t know.”

She rested her hand on the table, hoping he’d take it. She needed the touch of someone she trusted so she could erase the feel of Christopher on her, but he kept his hands where they were.

“Don’t give up yet,” he said. “You never know what could happen.”

“I know you want me to be happy, but you shouldn’t try so hard. I’ll be happy to see Christopher and Artus behind bars. Other than that, it’s like trying to hold a handful of water.”

He shifted in his seat, and they looked at each other for a long moment, neither of them speaking.

Then Danny cleared his throat. “I should go.” But his voice was uncertain, and it made her brave.

“I don’t want you to,” she said.

He nodded and looked at the floor. “I know. That’s why I have to go.”

“Right.”

“That’s not what I mean.” He tugged his chair closer to her. “You think I’m rejecting you, but you’ve got it all wrong. If I don’t go...” His hand went to her face. “Every time I’ve pushed you away, it’s never been for lack of want. But I can’t. It won’t work, and it’s taking every ounce of self-control to make sure I don’t cross that line.”

“Maybe I want you to cross that line. Maybe I don’t care about the consequences.”

He tucked her hair behind her ear. “But you would after. And so would I. This isn’t the way I’d want to do things with you anyway.”

She pressed her lips together when they trembled. “How would you want to do it?”

He smiled then. A soft, lopsided grin. “I’d flirt with you a whole lot more. That’s for sure.”

“That sounds nice. Normal.”

“Then I’d casually ask you if you wanted to go out some time. And when you said yes?—”

“How do you know I’d say yes?”

“When you said yes, I’d take you somewhere unexpected.”

“Like where?”

The smile dropped off his face, and the intensity of his gaze surged. “I’d take you to Nairobi so you could meet my boys.”

“You have kids?”

“No.” He laughed, breaking the fervency of the moment. “The work I do over there.”

“What work?”

“Helping kids from the slums.”

“You—” She couldn’t say more. She didn’t know how to put into words the overwhelming sensation this revelation gave her, so she leaned forward, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him before he could protest.

He kissed her back, his hands pulling her closer, but it only lasted a moment before he stopped it.

They stared at each other, a breath away from giving in.

“I have to go,” he whispered, releasing her as he stood. After one last long look, he was gone.

Jael stared at nothing, still smelling him so close. Still feeling the tingling on her back where his hands had been.

Slowly, she rested her chin on her hand. It was impossible to guess what would happen from there. But maybe there was still room for hope. Maybe she could even pray for the outcome she wanted so badly it hurt.