The pain in his heart made him rub his chest. “Would you rather I hadn’t come back? Would you...” He had to swallow hard to keep his voice from breaking. “Would you rather you still thought I was dead?”
“Of course not.”
Her instant denial made him feel slightly better. “I’m glad,” he began.
She shook her head and held up her hand, interrupting him. “I’m still struggling with the fact that you waited two entire years before even attempting to contact me. I know you have your reasons, you’ve been pretty clear on that. But what you don’t seem to understand is this. I can’t go through that again. I wouldn’t survive losing you a second time.”
So much pain. And yet, so much love. He could fix this, he thought, given enough time. For now, all he could do was simply show her he wouldn’t be leaving her again.
Needing that skin-to-skin contact, he gently tugged her close and brushed his mouth across hers. “I’m sorry,” he murmured. Though he immediately released her, his body stirred. Wide-eyed, she stared at him, her lips slightly parted, almost as if she wanted him to kiss her again.
Instead, he turned away. “I found a few places I might be interested in looking at renting,” he told her, grabbing his laptop. “If you don’t mind, I’d like you to tell me what you think.”
“You’ve got to stop doing that,” she said, though she smiled as she spoke.
“Kissing you?”
“Stopping,” she replied, laughing a little. The naked vulnerability in her eyes told him how much it had cost her to say that.
With his laptop forgotten, he crossed the space between them. She met him halfway. This time, he kissed her properly.
Bridget barked, running back and forth from the kitchen to the front door. Carly immediately stepped back, her color high. “Is someone out there?” she asked her dog. “What is it, girl?”
Though his arousal made it difficult to walk, Micha headed for the entry. Carly followed close behind. “Let me grab Bridget,” she said. “She seems pretty upset. I don’t want her running out.”
Waiting until she had her dog’s collar, he opened the front door. Outside, the late-afternoon sunshine seemed mellow. A car or two drove by and he could hear kids down the street playing. Just a typical spring afternoon in Chicago.
A squirrel dashed across the front lawn. Watching it climb up a tree, he wondered if Bridget had somehow sensed its presence. He’d bet she’d chased a few squirrels for food when she’d been living on the streets.
Returning to Carly, he shrugged. “No idea what she might have been barking at. I saw a squirrel, but nothing out of the ordinary.”
“Okay, good,” she replied, clearly relieved. She let Bridget go, and the dog heaved a huge sigh before making a beeline to her dog bed. Turning several circles, she finally settled down and closed her eyes.
Since the previous mood had been destroyed, he went to get his laptop so he could show her the places he thought he liked.
“Wait,” she said. “Did you write down the addresses?”
“I actually printed out the info sheet on each. I brought my top five.”
His comment made her grin. “Wow, you’re organized.”
He smiled back. “I kind of have to be. It’s not easy living out of a hotel room.”
“How about we take a drive and look at a couple of those properties?” she asked. “While we’ll only be able to check out the outside, at least you can get a feel for the neighborhood. That way, you’ll know if you want to make an appointment to see the interior.”
Surprised and gratified, he looked at her and nodded. “I’d like that,” he said. “Do you want to do that now?”
“Sure, why not? We can bring Bridget with us since she enjoys car rides.”
“Sounds good. Let’s take the rental car since I’m hoping to turn it in tomorrow. I went and looked at cars today, too, even though the dealerships are closed.”
Finally, after taking Bridget out back once more, she asked if he was ready to go.
“Sure. I’ll drive.” He waited while she put the leash on her dog. They went out the front since he’d parked at the curb.
Since the rental car had remote start, he decided he might as well use it at least once, so he pressed the button on the key fob. Instead of instantly starting, he heard a familiar catch in the ignition. Acting on instinct, he spun and launched himself at Carly, knocking her to the ground just as the car exploded.
* * *
Ears ringing, head throbbing, Carly tried to process what had just happened. Her elbow hurt, knee, too, and she was pretty sure she’d torn her jeans in the fall. Micha lay on top of her, so still she worried he’d been seriously injured, and she couldn’t see her dog anywhere.
“Micha?” she croaked. “Bridget?”
Instead of responding, Micha groaned.
Meanwhile, she could hear the roar of the fire consuming his rental car. Squirming, she tried to move him. Her futile efforts appeared to rouse him. He groaned again, and pushed himself off her, rolling away before collapsing on his back on the front lawn.
“We’ve called 911,” someone said.
Her neighbor, she realized. Without Micha’s weight crushing her, Carly managed to rise up on her knees. A small group of people had begun to gather near her yard. “My dog,” she said. “Have you seen my dog?”
No one responded. She blinked and decided she wanted to stand. Her pounding head thought otherwise, but she had to make sure Micha was all right and also find Bridget.
Sirens sounded in the distance. Fire truck and ambulance, most likely.
“Are you okay?” Micha asked, his deep voice full of gravel and rasp. He’d managed to sit up. A cut on his arms dripped blood onto his jeans.
“I think so,” she replied. “How about you?” Without waiting for him to answer, she slowly got to her feet. Shaky, but standing. “What the hell just
