She parked in a small, torn up parking lot, more potholes than asphalt. “This isn’t a very good neighborhood.” Her mind flashed back to New York and her hands tightened on the steering wheel, her eyes shut tight.
“It’s the best I—” Blayne laid his hand on hers. His tone softened. “Are you okay?”
She released a gush of air from her lungs, opened her eyes, and attempted to smile. “Yeah. Fine.”
“You sure? You turned white as a ghost.”
“I’m sure.” She removed her hand from under his and unclipped her seatbelt. “Let’s go meet your landlord.” She opened the door and slid out of her seat before he could push her for an explanation.
Kaylee shut her door then absently grabbed her shoulder where she’d hurt it falling into the police car in New York. She leaned against her car and Blayne stood in front of her faster than should have been possible.
He dipped down to look into her eyes. “You are not okay. What’s going on?”
The tenderness in his voice broke through her flashback wall. “I just… I don’t know…suddenly thought about New York. The guy in the alley.”
And then she was in his arms, her face pressed against his chest, eyes screwed shut to hold back the threatened waterworks. His warm breath on the top of her head calmed her. His arms wrapped tightly around her comforted and excited her.
“I’m fine,” she mumbled. “It’s stupid for me to be scared. This isn’t New York.”
“Don’t apologize. It isn’t stupid. And just because this isn’t New York doesn’t mean there isn’t danger here—you already know that.” He pulled away enough to look her in the eyes. “You don’t have to come here again after today. I’ll meet you somewhere else when—if—you want to see me.”
Kaylee shook her head and got her voice back. “No. I’ll come here when I want to see you. My reaction was ridiculous, especially considering the other places I’ve gone to see you.” She smiled and rolled her eyes.
Cocking his head adorably to the side, Blayne returned her smile. “True. But still, I don’t want you to…to think about that incident every time you come here.”
“I won’t.” She nudged him with her shoulder. “Let’s go, it’s almost two o’clock.”
After the lease was signed and money and keys exchanged, Blayne raised his eyebrows and said, “You ready to see Chez Blayne?”
“Oh, I didn’t know you spoke French,” she teased.
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me.” He winked.
She raised her eyebrows. “That’s the truth.”
Blayne pulled her forward like a kid rushing to the tree on Christmas morning. They clanked up the metal steps that led to his new studio apartment. His hands shook as he inserted the key in the lock and twisted. The smile on his face as he ushered her inside warmed her heart. He took her coat and draped it over the back of the couch, doing the same with his.
The grand tour took only a minute, as the apartment consisted of one combined area for the kitchen and living room/bedroom, with a tiny bathroom off the living area. But it was clean. The sofa bed was a little worn but not terrible. It had heat. And it made Blayne beam. He rummaged through his backpack until he found his toothbrush and toothpaste. He dropped them on the tiny counter in the bathroom, then walked to the couch and deposited his backpack on it, stating, “There. I’m all moved in.”
Kaylee laughed and tilted her head to the side, fully taking in the transformation of this man she’d come to care so deeply about.
“What are you laughing at?” Blayne asked, still smiling.
“You.”
He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her into the air. She squealed as he twirled her around. “Put me down.” Her demand didn’t come across as too demanding, since she was giggling like a school girl.
He set her down, keeping his arms around her. His face barely an inch from hers, his smile faded, his forehead creased. “Kaylee.” Her name left his lips like a sigh in the wind. Her stomach twisted in the most pleasant of ways and her face transformed to match the seriousness of his.
When his hands left her waist and cupped her face, she lost the ability to speak. When he sighed her name again, “Kaylee,” deeper this time, like the sigh caught on something on its way out, she lost the ability to breathe. When he tilted her head back with the gentleness of a butterfly’s wings, she lost the ability to think.
Blayne searched her eyes for a moment before slowly touching his lips to hers. She closed her eyes and rested her arms around his waist. His lips explored hers with a gentle touch, and she responded with a quiet moan. He drew in a sharp breath, one of his hands moved to the nape of her neck, pulling her in closer, increasing the pressure on their hungering lips. Kaylee’s legs lost all strength and her head spun. Blayne moved his hands from her face down to wrap around her back. She clung to him like a lifeline, encircling her arms around his neck. Another moan formed deep in her throat, and she was powerless to stop it.
He ended the kiss as slowly as he started it. Pulling away with a shaky sigh, he kept one hand on the small of her back and stroked her face lightly with the other, resting his forehead on hers. The nerve endings where he touched her fired at warp speed, sending indescribable sensations coursing across her skin. Her breath came fast as she stared into his eyes. She wondered if her pupils were dilated like his. If her face was flushed like his. If his lips tingled like hers. If he wanted to do that all over again like she did.
“Can I do that again?” he asked, his voice choked with emotion.
She nodded, still
