“I’m not upset with you.” He looked down at me, his dark eyes scanning my face for a few beats. “I shouldn’t have made you come with me.”
“Do you think it was a hardship for me to have a few drinks, play games, and dance? Because it wasn’t, Jonah.”
His left cheek twitched before he seemed to walk faster. I matched his stride but had to take twice as many steps to catch up to him, and after thirty seconds, I reached my arm out to block him from moving. His very toned chest ran straight into my hand. It was the second time we touched that night, and it took every effort to not dig my nails into him to see how strong he really was.
“What are you doing?” he asked, his voice rising in panic.
“Stopping you. Something crawled up your ass, and I can’t keep up with your pace.” My breath came out ragged from the sprint-walk. “Any reason why you’re trying to ditch me?”
“I’m not…I’m sorry. I’m shit at this kinda thing.” He pressed his lips into a firm line and waited for me to meet his eyes. I let go of his shirt and nodded. “You said you were tired, and it’s my fault you came because I was nervous. You were helping me out and you ran into that guy, and I don’t want you being run down for work.”
“Bythis kinda thingdo you mean being friends? Heading to a party because a friend is nervous is what you do. I had a good time. Don’t ruin it with your grumpiness, okay?” I smiled, hoping it would help him lose the ever-present frown. “You kicked my ass at flipcup. I thought for sure you’d be walking around all cocky.”
“I did beat you every time.”
“Yes, I just said that,” I fired back, my face flushing when his gaze warmed. “No, don’t get all happy now because we’re remembering. Unfair.”
“You’re adorable when flustered.”
My face heated, and my insides flipped over at his compliment, but I scoffed and started moving again. It was better to not think about it. Our shoulders touched a few times, and instead of recoiling, I leaned into it. It wasn’t so bad having Jonah with me.
After a few minutes, we arrived at the stairs, and he motioned for me to go first, keeping a hand on the rail as we ascended. The wood creaked, and I swore the staircase swayed. Maybe it was the alcohol, but stairs shouldn’t move like that. He reached out and gripped my arm, his fingers coming down around me as we waited for the sound to stop. The staircase kept moving, and the sound got louder.
“Shit,” I said, my blood roaring in my ears. Fear clawed its way up my throat.
“Get inside. Go.” He moved his hands to my lower back and pushed me up the rest of the way. He pulled the keys out of his pocket and opened the door. I bolted inside, exhaling at having my feet on solid ground.
“Uh, did those steps feel like they were going to fall?”
“I’m calling the landlord tomorrow. This is unacceptable.” His ragged breath matched mine, and he rubbed his forehead before pinning me with his stare. “We stay here until they can ensure they’re safe.”
I blinked. “I have to work tomorrow.”
He shook his head, the lines on his face sharpening. He ran one hand over his chest, right over his heart, and he glared at the front door. “Not with those fucking stairs like that. You’re not going down.”
“Are we sure it’s not the wind?”
“It’s not windy outside, Ryann.” He swallowed hard and moved toward the fridge to grab two bottles of water. “We have enough food for two days. Hopefully this can be fixed before then.”
“What about your routine?” I asked, unfiltered.
He handed me a bottle, and a moment of panic flooded his eyes. “I’ll survive.”
“Let me know when you call them in the morning. I want to be in the loop.”
“Will do.” He nodded at me, no emotion on his face, and I made my escape to my room. I wiped off my makeup, tossed my hair up in a bun, and put on my comfiest shorts and tank top. After sending a quick text to Hannah to let her know I couldn’t make it, begging her to forgive me, I closed my eyes and was asleep before I took my first breath.
* * *
The loudest beeping I ever heard jarred me from a much needed sleep. It was repetitive, high pitched, and sounded like construction, which made no sense. Why would there be construction going on at… seven in the morning? I groaned at my phone and wiped my hands over my face as an engine roared right outside my window.
I bolted up, not even bothering to go to the bathroom before marching into the living room and almost running into Jonah. “S’what’s going on?” I asked, my sleep-fogged brain not quite computing it would be rude to stare because holy shiittt.
He was shirtless. Bare skin and muscles and hard lines greeted me. Pectorals that weren’t too bulky, trapezoids formed from hours at the gym, and his stomach.Mamma mia.
Something like a groan and a grunt escaped my lips, and he cleared his throat, making me halt my blatant perusal of his body.
“Been a minute since I’ve seen a chest. Yours is nice. Forgive me.”
