I open the passenger door. She slides in, pulls her feet up onto the seat.
The drive back is quiet. Halfway home, I glance over. Her eyes are closed, head resting against the window. Breathing slow and even.
She's asleep.
I turn down the radio and take the long route, avoiding every pothole that might jar her awake.
I pull up outside her building, kill the engine, sit for a moment watching her breathe. I should wake her. But she looks peaceful, and waking her feels like an intrusion.”
I get out quietly, round to her side. When I open the door, she stirs but doesn't wake. I slip one arm under her knees, the other behind her back, and lift.
She's lighter than I expected, warm against my chest. Her head falls into the curve of my shoulder. The soft puff of her breath against my neck.
The building's front gate opens with a push. No security cameras that I can see. Nothing between the entrance and her door but three flights of stairs and a cheap lock.
I add the landlord to the list of people I need to talk to.
The stairs are narrow, steep. I take them slowly. She shifts in my arms on the second landing, makes a small sound in the back of her throat.
“Kai?” Her voice is thick with sleep.
“You fell asleep. I'm taking you up.”
“Oh.” She doesn't stiffen or protest. She relaxes into me, her fingers curling loosely into my shirt. “Okay. 3B.”
The trust in that single word breaks something open.
I reach her door and look down at her. “Emma. I need your keys.”
“Purse,” she mumbles. “Front pocket.”
I fish out the keys, unlock the door while holding her weight. Her apartment is dark, lit only by amber streetlight through the windows.
I hesitate at the threshold. Every instinct wants to carry her inside, stay until the sun comes up.Fuck.I've spent the last week respecting the boundaries she set. I won't cross them now, when she's too vulnerable to enforce them.
“Emma.” My voice is rough in the quiet hall. “You're home. I need you to stand for a moment.”
She groans softly, head lifting from my shoulder. I lower her until her feet find the floor, hands firm on her waist to steady her. She looks small and disheveled in my jacket, bare feet pale against the old wood.
“Thank you, Kai,” she murmurs, leaning against the doorframe. “For everything tonight.”
“Thank you for being the only thing that made sense.” I lean down, press a kiss to her forehead, linger there a heartbeat longer than I should. “Go to sleep. I'll call you in the morning.”
“I'd like that.”
She offers a drowsy smile before stepping back into her apartment. I wait until she's closed and locked the door before turning toward the stairs.
The walk back to the car feels longer than three flights.
I'm falling for her. The momentum is terrifying. I have no desire to stop.
CHAPTER 14
THE DELIVERY
EMMA
The alarm goes off and,for the first time in weeks, I don't want to throw my phone across the room.
