“Oh yes, 2B.” Mr. Gorman straightens up. “I’m sorry it’s taken so long. We’ve had some minor setbacks.”
“Seems like you’ve had a lot of setbacks. Are you aware of the dead rat that’s in her closet, stinking up her entire bedroom as well as the clothes she has hanging in there?”
“A dead rat?” He swipes his finger under his nose, fidgeting beneath the glare of Halsey Holmes. “I was quite unaware. I’m sorry—”
“Look at her, not me. Blakely is the one you should be apologizing to.” The snap of his voice actually makes my nipples hard.
“Right. Right.” Mr. Gorman looks at me and says, “I’m sorry, Miss . . .”
“White,” Halsey says in such a dark, menacing tone that I’m slightly scared and also, God, I hate to admit it, but turned on.
“Miss White, that’s right. I’m sorry about the dead rat.”
“So what are you going to do about it?” Halsey asks, challenging him, something I probably would have never done.
“Uh.” Mr. Gorman scratches the top of his head, the sound of his nails scraping across his dry scalp a complete wet blanket on the excitement rolling through me from Halsey’s take-charge behavior. “Well, I guess I can remove the rat.”
“You guess?” Halsey asks, brows raised.
“I mean, I will. I’ll be removing the rat because that’s unacceptable. And I’ll, uh, I’ll have the apartment cleaned.”
“Fumigated,” Halsey says.
“What?” Mr. Gorman asks.
“You will have the apartment fumigated.”
Mr. Gorman raises his hands as if he’s trying to calm Halsey down. “Now that’s not necessary.”
“Oh, you don’t think it’s necessary?” Halsey’s shoulders grow tense. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him this angry. Maybe on the ice before, but that’s different. That’s adrenaline. This is . . . this is outrage. He’s truly upset for me. And I disturbingly find it so hot. “So what do you think is happening to the dead rat inher closet? It’s already been chewed apart by God knows what, which means there are probably fucking maggots everywhere. In her clothes, around the bedroom. This is a severe health risk and you’re going to subject her to that? My girl?” Halsey points at his chest. “Over my dead fucking body. So you either get her apartment fumigated and disinfected, as well as every last possession she owns in there, or I’ll be speaking with my lawyer and, when I say I have no problem spending the money to teach you a lesson, I’m not fucking kidding.”
Mr. Gorman backs away, his expression completely stunned. “Is that a threat?”
“Yes,” Halsey answers with a sneer to his lip. “Fix it.” And with that, Halsey guides me down the hall and out of the apartment building. “You’re not fucking living here.”
“What?” I ask.
“There is no way in hell you’re going back there.”
“But . . . you told him to fix it,” I say, confused. Why make a big deal over fumigation if I’m not even going to stay there?
“Only because you need your things cleaned and disinfected. I’ll have my lawyer get you out of your lease and you can stay with me until you find a better place. No way in fuck are you going to live here. The guy is a fucking slumlord, the building is dilapidated, and you’re too fucking good to be caught dead in an apartment like that. Not happening.”
Umm . . . okay. Hard to fight with him when he says it like that.
When we get to my car, he’s shaking with adrenaline as he moves to the driver’s side and opens the car door for me. I don’t get in right away. Ican’t.Instead I turn toward him.I want to calm him down.At least put an end to the tension in his shoulders. “Halsey, I appreciate you protecting me back there, but I do want you to know that it wasn’t that bad.”
“Wasn’t that bad?” he asks. “Blakely. The moment I walked into the building, I knew you didn’t belong there. It’s old, dirty, uneven, and doesn’t even have a lock on the front door. Anyone could walk into the building. Not to mention, I don’t trust that fucker to have a key to your place. Do you know what men like him do? They walk into your apartment whenever they want, waving the landlord card. I don’t trust the safety of the building, and I don’t believe any of the construction he’ll do will be up to code. He’s a cheat, a sleaze, and cuts corners, it’s evident by the quality of his building.”
“But it’s all I can afford right now.”
“My place is free. You can afford that.”
“Halsey,” I sigh. “I’m not going to overstay my welcome.”
His index finger slides under my chin, forcing my eyes on his. “Listen to me when I say, you will not be overstaying your welcome. I wouldn’t offer if I didn’t mean it.” He takes a deep breath and the anger slowly begins to slide away as he says, “Please just consider it.”
When he looks at me with those pleading eyes, I feel myself bending to his will. “I’ll consider it.”
