A smile danced on Erik’s lips. “Me too.” Seriousness washed over his face. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Shoot.”
“Why is she so worried about men? Like we’re not all bad. Did something happen?” Erik asked, holding my gaze. His eyes shifted away as he walked around the bar and stood next to me. “I shouldn’t ask that. It’s none of my business.”
I exhaled slowly. “It’s not about anything that happened to her. Something happened to me somewhat recently, so she’s just overprotective. Or maybe it’s just she’s the right amount of protection. I don’t even know.”
“What happened?” Erik asked.
“A crazy ex-boyfriend,” I said, as if that should explain everything. “He stalked me basically, even when we were together. He didn’t trust me, and it ended with me getting locked in a cage in his basement.”
“Seriously?” Erik asked, swallowing hard.
My head bobbed. “One hundred percent. I’d tell you to look it up on the internet, but I guess that’s not an option anymore. You’ll just have to take my word for it.”
“Is the guy in jail?” Erik asked.
“Nope. There was a chance, but he was out on bail and ordered to stay away from me,” I said, picking at my fingernails. “I was more than happy to get out of the city, to be honest.”
“Guess that explains a lot,” Erik said. “I barely know you and feel like protecting you too.”
I smiled as I hugged myself. “Yeah, everyone wants to protect me because I can’t protect myself.”
“I didn’t mean that—”
“I know,” I said softly. “And the truth is, I kind of can’t. I’ve always just let life happen to me. Anyway, I don’t really want to talk about my ex or my life.”
Erik reached over and took my hand in his. “But should you want to, I’ll listen.”
“Thanks,” I said, shaking my head. “But I’ve talked the shit out of all of this more than once. Talking isn’t going to change anything.”
“I’m glad you stayed,” Erik said, still holding my hand. “In fact, I think you and Sam should really give serious thought to staying here until you decide to leave for Massachusetts.”
A tingle ran through my arm, and I became very aware of how close Erik was standing by me. He was so good-looking, and I was so not wanting to see him that way. There was too much going on to let myself feel anything for anyone.
“I’ll talk with her about it, but I’d really hate to be a burden,” I said. “We don’t really have much to contribute.”
“You wouldn’t need to do anything except be here,” Erik said, letting go of my hand and holding up his palms. “I have no expectations.”
I took a step back, where the air felt slightly cooler. “I appreciate the offer.”
“I’m just going to keep asking until you accept,” Erik said.
“Sam would consider that stalker-like behavior,” I said, raising a brow.
Erik laughed. “I’m just trying to be a good person.”
“I know,” I said. My shoulders dropped as tiredness washed over me. “Thanks so much for everything tonight.”
“Of course,” Erik said, taking a small step in my direction.
I yawned and slowly headed toward the stairs. “I’m going to turn in for the night.”
“Let me blow out the candles, and I’ll follow you up,” Erik said.
It only took a few seconds for him to extinguish all but one of the candles. He carried it as we carefully ascended the stairs.
“Looks like Dorian or Sam lit a candle,” Erik said, gesturing toward the next set of stairs. “If you’d like, I can—”
“It’s okay,” I said with a thin-lipped smile. “Thanks, but I’m sure I can manage.”
“See you in the morning then,” Erik said, his eyes following me.
The way he looked at me heated my entire body. I wanted to slap myself across the face and remind myself that the last thing I wanted was any kind of relationship. Me and relationships didn’t work.
A night of fun, on the other hand, sounded nice. No strings attached. I could do that. In fact, that was probably all I’d ever want. It would be easier.
The door to the second bedroom was wide open, and there was a candle on the dresser. I looked around the room before closing the door.
I dropped down onto the soft bed and hugged a fluffy blanket to my chest. The bed cradled me, and I almost instantly fell asleep.
In the morning, I woke from a dream that had felt far too real. Erik had been kissing down the side of my neck. It was almost as if I could still feel his lips on my skin.
In fact, I could still feel it. I opened my eyes, screaming as I pushed myself back against the headboard.
15
Sam pushed open the door and abruptly stopped several feet from the bed. Her raised fists dropped to her side, and she sighed.
“I see you’ve met Mister Cat,” Sam said, lowering herself down to her knees. She placed her hand on her chest, slowly breathing in and out through her nose. “It’s a cat.”
The cat stared into my eyes without removing itself from my lap. His expression didn’t show it, but I could tell the cat was amused.
“It licked me,” I said.
“He’s a friendly little guy,” Sam said as Erik and Dorian both appeared in the hallway. Sam got to her feet. “She’s fine. She met Mister Cat.”
I swallowed hard as I looked back and forth from Erik to Dorian. “He licked me.”
“I guess he likes you,” Erik said, attempting to suppress his emerging smile.
“He hates me and still licks me all the time,” Dorian said.
“Why does he hate you?” Sam asked over
