body directly behind mine, and the heat rolling off of him. Normally I’d have a seductive or smart-ass
retort for his comment, but nothing came.
I left the dryer open and slinked past him to the elevator, pushing the down button a little too
aggressively. “Good night.” When the rickety doors squeaked closed behind me, I let out the breath I
had been holding.
***
A scraping sound woke me out of a dead sleep. I blinked at the ceiling, trying to get my bearings. The
noise was coming from directly outside my bedroom window. Shadows played across the blinds. I saw
the outline of a head and shoulders, and my stomach seized up.
Somebody was trying to break in, trying to pry open the glass. My heartbeat thundered in my ears,
and my fingers slid like sludge toward my phone on the nightstand.
But the rest of my body was cemented in place. I couldn’t move as sheer terror enveloped me and
held me captive.
Was this person going to rob me or rape me? My breath shot out in sputtering gasps.
I’d taken self-defense courses three times over the last couple of years and knew how to respond in
this type of situation. All I needed to do was reach for my phone and dial 9-1-1, then run like hell out my
front door. But for some reason I could not get my body unstuck.
I’d been in a similar heightened state of danger when I was sixteen and had fought back. This was the exact reason I kept my self-defense training sharp, so why wasn’t I able to respond now?
Living on the first floor of this apartment building hadn’t been my first choice as a female resident,
but it was my only choice at the time.
The sound of my window popping and sliding open forced my heart to jam into my throat, and I
gagged on my own saliva.
All at once I heard a gruff voice shouting from outside. “What the hell are you doing? Get away
from that window. I’m calling the cops.”
There was a scuffling sound, a loud clunk, and then heavy grunting. All I could gather is that
whoever was at my window had dropped to the ground and started running.
I heard that same voice outside yell, “Son of a bitch! You’re not getting away with this!” and then
heard panting like he was in pursuit of whoever had been about to break in.
And still I was glued to my bed, my chest painfully throbbing from breathing so damn hard.
Next, there was a voice beneath my window. “Avery, are you in there? Are you okay? It’s Bennett.
From the fifth floor.” I hadn’t seen Bennett in a few days. What the hell was he now doing outside my
window?
I finally snapped out of it and bolted upright. The relief I felt caused my breaths to slide out of me.
“Y . . . yes, I’m here.”
“Someone was trying to break in through your window. I called the police.” He paused, breathing
hard. I imagined him bent at the waist or leaning against the brick wall. “I’m coming around front. Can
you open your door?”
Holy shit. My legs were wobbly and I struggled to stand up. Bennett had run off an intruder. But
what the hell had I done to help
myself
? Not a goddamn thing.
I could have been robbed, or raped—or killed, even. So much for taking care of
me
.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
I didn’t want to be saved—I wanted to knock that motherfucker out myself. “Avery?” Now Bennett was at my door, his voice low, his knock gentle.
I stalked to the door completely pissed off at myself. I swung it open and Bennett charged inside,
grasping at my shoulders. “Are you okay? Were you awake?”
I wanted to tell him that I wasn’t awake so he wouldn’t know what a goddamn wuss I truly was. I
mean, shit, I could haul ass in my kickboxing class, but I wimped out in a real-life scenario?
“Uh, yeah, the noise at my window woke me up.” He was squeezing my shoulders now, all boy
saves-girl, so I backed the hell away from him.
“He ran before I could get to him, but I got a good look at his face and the clothes he was wearing.”
That’s when I heard the siren blaring in the background. Fuck, now the whole goddamn neighborhood
would be woken up for this.
“Avery, the police will be here any minute; maybe you should put some more clothes on.” I looked
down at my skimpy sleep shorts and white tank top—no bra—my nipples standing at attention.
And here was Bennett being a complete gentleman again. Shit.
“Right, thanks.” I dashed into my bedroom, grabbed jeans and a black hoodie from my bedroom
floor and slipped them on. I headed back to the living room and said, “Better?”
He nodded. “Pretty sure the cops will be able to do their jobs with clear heads now.” My whole
body heated at his comment. Even in the middle of all of this.
“Bennett, how did you . . .” I moved to my bedroom door and glanced at my partially open widow.
“Why were you outside?”
He motioned to the sidewalk beyond our building. “I was walking home from Lou’s Bar at the
corner of our street and saw him at your window.”
“Oh my God,” I said. “This is so unreal. Thank you.”
Most unreal was how I acted in this situation. Like a fucking damsel in distress.
The lights from the police cruiser blinked eerie shades of red and blue against my apartment walls.
“Guess we should go meet them outside,” I said. Bennett reached for my hand, and I resisted. His eyebrows bunched together, and I felt awful after
all he’d done for me. So I let him lead me outside, his hand on the small of my back.
The police were there for a solid hour getting our statements and a description of the suspect from
Bennett. Our landlord, Mr. Matthews, showed up, too, and assured me he’d have a locksmith secure all
of the first-floor windows in the morning.
Most of the tenants went back to sleep, but Bennett stayed by my side the entire time. He asked the
police pertinent questions for me, like how long it would be before I heard anything and how to contact
them if I had any more questions. Like he was my flipping spokesman or something. Surprising of all
was that I
let
him be.
My head still swirled from shock and anger and, most of all, fear. Especially about falling back to
sleep tonight. I’d decided right then and there that I’d be making my bed on the couch, close to the door
and the knives in the kitchen.
When all was said and done, Bennett walked me back to my door. “You gonna be okay?”
I didn’t want my voice to deceive me so I just nodded and inserted my key into the lock.
He must have noticed some hesitation. “Avery, are you sure you—”
“Of course!” I snapped at him. “Look, I’m sorry. It’s been a long night. Thank you for everything.”
“Sure. Good night.” He headed toward the elevator and I reluctantly crossed over the threshold to
my apartment. I could feel him watching me, so I thrust my door closed and propped my weight against
it.
Suddenly my apartment felt different to me. Dimmer. Lurking shadows in the corners. Sinister
creaks from the wind.
There was a light tap, and I heard Bennett clear his throat. “Avery?”
I backed away from the door like I hadn’t been leaning against it that entire time. I took a deep
breath and collected myself, then pulled open the door. “Yeah?”
Bennett’s face creased in concern. He held out his hand. “C’mon.” “What . . . where?”
“Up to my place for the night.”
“No, I . . .” I sputtered.
He stared at me impassively with his hand still stretched out for the taking.
Was this guy for real?
Going with him would make me look weak.
Who the hell was I kidding? I was spooked from an intruder who had been almost a second away
from dropping into my bedroom.
His hand felt warm and protective. He held my fingers the entire time in the elevator and only
broke away to dig out his key and unlock his door.
He gave me a sidelong glance. “Had that happened to my mom or sisters, no way would I have let
them sleep there—if that makes you feel any better.”
So, he had women in his life that he cared about. My heart melted a little.
He opened his door to dozens of boxes littered everywhere. “Sorry, I haven’t truly unpacked yet.
Thought I’d get to it this weekend.”
He glanced at the couch, where a huge blue bin took up most of the cushion. DVDs were piled on
top and spilling over the sides. “Um, listen . . .”
I was about to tell him it was cool, I’d go back downstairs, but then he grabbed hold of my hand
and led me to his bedroom. It was the only room in the apartment not filled to the brim with boxes.
A queen bed sat in the center of the room with a black and gray checkered sheet and comforter set.
Very understated. Very cozy. Very male.
“You can sleep in my bed.”
I blinked back my surprise. Not that I hadn’t been in a man’s bed before, but this felt so different.
Probably because this wasn’t under sexual circumstances. This was a caring and concerned gesture.
He motioned to the living room. “I’m going to sleep out here.” “No way, Bennett, I’m not taking your bed.” I turned toward the door. “I’ll sleep out there.”
“Please, don’t argue the point.” He back out of the doorway. “I’ll be close to the door, so no
worries. Besides, we’re up on the fifth floor. Good night.”
Something clicked inside my very core. He wasn’t interested in me in the same way other men
were--at least I didn’t think he was—and he wasn’t going to take advantage of me. I actually felt safe,
even though I wasn’t in control. At least not in control for the moment.
“Wait.” I looked back at the bed. “Which side do you normally sleep on?”
He pointed to the side nearest the door.
I walked over to the far end of the bed and began unbuttoning my jeans. He gazed at me a second
more before shutting the door. I slid out of my jeans and hoodie and slipped inside his sheets. They
smelled like him. Coconut, spice, and all boy.
I heard Bennett outside the door sliding boxes around, opening and closing what was maybe the
linen closet, and then getting situated. Twenty minutes later I was still awake and feeling restless. I
decided on a cold glass of water.
I slid open the bedroom door, tiptoed into the darkened room, and nearly tripped over Bennett. I
had assumed he was going to be on the couch, but instead he was on the cold, hard floor. Guilt twisted in
my gut.
“So sorry,” I muttered. “Just getting a glass of water.”
His eyes were open, and his gaze caressed my body. I was back to wearing my white tank top and
sleep bottoms, and I could have sworn I saw longing flicker in his eyes.
“The glasses are in the cupboard, left side of the sink.”
At least he had unpacked his dishes. I poured a glass and took big gulps of the water, deciding what
to do. He was obviously awake and uncomfortable on the floor. He hadn’t even attempted to move the
boxes off his couch.
I padded back to him and held out my hand much the same way he’d done to me earlier. “C’mon.” “Huh?” He sat up. He didn’t have a shirt on, and I tried not to stare at his taut chest and stomach. I
didn’t quite succeed. I also caught a glimpse of a tattoo on his abdomen, and I made a mental note to ask
about it later.
“No questions,” I said. He grabbed hold of my hand and I yanked him up and into his room. He
was wearing blue boxer briefs, and I averted my eyes from the front of his shorts. “I promise not to bite,
and I’ll stay on my side of the bed.”
He apparently found that amusing, because he shook his head, a grin indenting the side of his
cheek. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.”
He slid into the sheets and sighed, like he was glad to be back in his own bed. I lay down and
turned my back to him, my senses heighted and my body on high alert. The tension between us was
palpable. But it was different somehow. I didn’t want him to paw me or screw me senseless.
Instead, I wanted his arms around me, his chin nuzzling my neck, and his lips kissing me slow and
soft. I was pretty sure I could get lost in those lips.
Damn, I wanted him. In a totally different way. A way I hadn’t felt since Gavin, my first boyfriend,
when I was sixteen years old. Before Tim ruined us. Ruined me.
Maybe I
could
have him. Just to lose myself in. To make me forget.
“You gonna be able to sleep?” Bennett asked in a raspy, sexy voice that reverberated through my
bones. “Are you still thinking about what happened?”
I wasn’t, but I said so anyway. “Yeah.”
He inched his body toward mine and I immediately felt his heat. His fingers reached out tentatively
and I almost arched my back to accept them.
Then he rubbed my shoulder in delicate circles. “Shhh . . . you’re safe with me. You can fall