“Holden…I don’t need you babysitting me all day, and I’m sure you have things you planned to do today.”
“I’ll cancel.”
“No, you will not. I’ll lock the doors and only let my clients in. I’m not in any danger.Iwasn’t writing an article on the hospital. I don’t know anything about what’s going on there.”
Her heart gave a sad kick at the memory. At the possibility that someone she knew had hurt Scarlett.
She shook her head. She couldn’t think about that right now.
“Clara—”
“I’m seeing my client, and you’re doing whatever you planned to do today. Okay?”
His jaw clicked. “If I leave, I expect hourly updates from you. And I’m returning this afternoon.”
“Are you coming to watch out for me or to be with me?”
He lowered his mouth, hovering it over hers. “I’m coming because I care about you.”
Then he kissed her again, and the alarm was suddenly the last thing she could think about.
Cool morning airsliced over Holden’s skin as he ran, the rhythmic pounding of his shoes against the earth competing with the sounds of the mountain around him. His breathing came out in sharp bursts, his chest tight. But that tightness wasn’t from exhaustion.
It was Clara.
Memories of the previous night played over in his head. The feel of her skin beneath his fingers. The sounds she’d made when he touched her.
He tightened his fists and forced himself to move faster.
One night with her and he was already craving another.Needingher with this new intensity…new desperation. And he didn’t want to be afraid of it. He wanted to love her without letting the fear of losing her rule him.
In every other aspect of his life, he could be fearless…so why not this one?
Branches snapped beneath his stride, the chill of the morning biting the back of his throat.
Waking up this morning with her in his arms had felt right. He needed to be strong enough to keep her.
He reached his house and the second he stepped inside, he texted her.
Holden: Hey. Are you still okay?
When she didn’t reply immediately, he had to physically stop himself from calling. She was probably with a client. If he needed to wait, he needed to wait.
But fuck, he was worried. Her roommate was dead. The back door lock had been broken and someone had murdered her.
Yeah, he’d replaced the lock last night, but that didn’t make him feel any better.
He took a quick shower, then called Jesse.
He picked up after a couple of rings. “Holden.”
“Do you know anything about Scarlett’s cause of death yet?”
“No. And we won’t for a couple weeks. There were no signs of physical trauma, so we need to wait for the toxicology report.”
Holden’s back teeth ground together as he headed to the kitchen for a bottle of water.
“But I did get that background check on Scarlett.”
