Page 42 of Date With Danger
Caleb goes still. I’m hugging a wall.
“Do you not know how to comfort a frightened woman?” I pinch his side. “Hug me back.”
His arms move around my body so stiffly I might believe he was playing the part of a tin man. But it does the trick. I hold onto him for an extra moment before pulling back.
“Would you mind checking my apartment?” I look up at him, biting my bottom lip to sell it. “Just real quick. I know I’m probably being ridiculous, but everything is more real now.”
He simply nods and I unlock the door for him. Instead of waiting outside I follow him in and shut the door quietly behind me.
Both dogs trail him, begging for attention as he walks in and out of my tiny rooms and then meets me by the door. “Do you want the good news or the bad news?”
My heart kicks up a notch. I really am in danger. “Neither?”
He looks around at my place. “Good news, no one broke into your apartment while you were out. Bad news…”
I take a deep breath, preparing myself for the worst.
“If someone had broken into your apartment, they might have left it cleaner than they found it.” His face breaks into a grin, quite possibly the most genuine one I’ve ever witnessed from him, and… I like it. A lot.
“Rude!” I pick up the nearest item on the couch and chuck it at him.
He laughs as the bright pink bra hits his chest and falls lazily into a pile of clothes at his feet.
“You know all this stuff lying around like this is a hazard,” he says.
“Psh.” I slip past him. Opening the jar of dog treats, I toss one to each of the dogs then tuck another one into my pocket. “How so?”
“Well, it’s a fire hazard for one. What if you drop a match in here?” He motions to the pile of laundry and makes a little explosion noise. “Up in flames.”
“Simple solution. I don’t own any matches.” I step closer to him.
“You don’t own matches? What are you going to do if the power goes out and your phone is dead?”
I shrug. “Probably sleep.”
“You worry me.”
“In what ways?”
His eyes skate over my face and, for a brief moment, my lips. “In all the ways.” His voice is barely audible, but his words singe my skin with desire.
I take a breath, ready to move closer but he steps around me.
“Wait.” I turn and grab his arm, stopping him right in front of me. We are so close in my tiny entryway that I smell his cologne. It’s strong and intoxicating. “Can I have your number? In case I think of anything you might need to know.”
His eyes search mine. “Is there something you purposely aren’t telling me?”
“No,” I lie. I want to tell him a lot of things. First and foremost to kiss me again. And then, you know, take me out on a date or something.
He slips his phone out of his pocket and five seconds later my phone buzzes. Presumably from him. “There.”
“Wait.” I’m scrambling now, I don’t want him to leave. “Can I add a picture to my contact info?”
His brows furrow, and in his state of confusion, I manage to snag his phone out of his other hand and slip a dog treat into his pocket at the same time.
“Amelia, you can’t take my—”
His words die off as Gus jumps at him. Followed by Shawn. His phone is still unlocked, waiting for me. I aim the camera at my face, sure to get my good angle. “I’d hate for you to forget me. We are partners after all. For better or worse. The Bonnie to your Clyde.”