64

C H A P T E R 2 0
J E N N A
On the car on the way to Noah’s, I was secretly happy that he’d insisted on me staying with him. I loved Sara and knew that I would be safe with her, but I felt even more protected in Noah’s condo with an alarm system and a doorman. But more so because of hi large, fit frame keeping
watch.
Being under his roof day and night would come with its own set of challenges. For the sake of Tess, I had to exercise some serious self-control and keep my hands off Noah. The last thing I wanted to do was confuse a twelve-year-old with whatever the hell was going on between her father and me.
And a good place to start that restraint would be right now, when he was gently running his hand up and down my arm. I forced myself to pull away, to sit up and put a little space between us. It would have been so easy to just fall into him, to tell myself that because of what I’d just been through, I didn’t have to resist.
The problem was, I was starting to have honest to God feelings for this man.
It wasn’t just his almost excruciating good looks, but just the fact that proximity to him made me feel as though a million
tiny fires had been lit under my skin. It was his kindness and the way he was completely in control of almost every situation that came his way, and the way he showed vulnerability when it came to his daughter. The more I got to know him, the more I wanted to.
And if I jumped back into bed with him without thinking twice, I would put that at risk.
Maybe it’s an opportunity, I thought. Maybe this is our chance to prove that we can be around each other without taking our clothes ofl. Maybe this is our chance to get to know each other— really get to know each other—as people.
I shook myself. How could I be thinking about that right now? My home had just been broken into, for God’s sake. I’d never dreamed that Josh would come after me in such a personal and frightening way after I’d spoken to his father on the phone. But I’d sort of thought of Josh as a child while I was redecorating his apartment. I shouldn’t have been surprised that he’d throw a tantrum when he didn’t get what he wanted from me.
I wondered whether he had any idea how much he’d frightened me. I hoped not. I didn’t want him to know he had any sort of power over me. I wanted him to think I’d been able to shrug it off. But the truth was that I didn’t know how I would ever go back to my own apartment. I couldn’t stay with Noah indefinitely, of course, but right now the thought of being on my own made me feel shaky and almost hysterical.
“We’re here,” Noah said quietly.
I looked out the window as we pulled into the secured garage for residents only. It was immediately soothing. A building
with a doorman had to be safe. And Josh didn’t know Noah. He’d never think to look for me there.
We got out of the car, and Noah opened my door. I hoisted my bag over my shoulder and stood on the sidewalk. The building felt like a port in a storm. But how long would I be allowed to take shelter here? I didn’t want to overstay my welcome.
You should’ve just gone to Sara’s.
But I hadn’t, so now I had to deal with it.
I followed him into the elevator and rode to his condo. I could hardly believe I’d woken up there just this morning. Last night felt like something from another life, a life where everything was simple and easy. It was only in the light of day that things between Noah and me were thorny and complicated. And now, of course, they were filtered through a heavy dose of fear.
What if Josh had been watching me? What if he had been outside my apartment? What if he’d seen me leave and followed me here?
He wouldn’t dare do anything to Noah’s property, would he? Getting revenge on me for calling his father and reporting him for his behavior was one thing, but he wasn’t about to break into a building that practically screamed alarms. He wasn’t that stupid.
Noah was looking at me with concern. “Why don’t you go in and sit on the couch,” he suggested. “I’ll bring you something to drink. Lemonade? Iced tea?”
“Just water.” I could really go for a glass of wine—my nerves were still jumping—but it wasn’t yet noon, and besides, every time I drank around Noah, my brain and body seemed
to take a turn that I really did not want them to take right now. Better to keep a level head.
He disappeared into the kitchen and returned a moment later, glass in hand. “Here,” he said, sitting beside me on the couch and setting it in front of me. “Take your time, okay? I don’t have anywhere to be today.”
“You’re really sweet,” I said. “Letting me stay here, I mean. That was really nice of you.”
“I’m just glad you agreed to come,” he said, his hand resting between my shoulder blades. “I know you wanted to go to your friend’s house, and I don’t blame you. I just...I feel better, knowing where you are. Knowing you’re safe.”
“Josh probably won’t try anything else.” I was trying to convince myself as much as Noah, if I was honest. “He trashed my apartment. He probably thinks we’re even now.”
“He ought to be locked up,” Noah seethed, his body tensing. “He tried to assault you.”
“He might be locked up,” I pointed out. “If the police can connect him with the break-in at my apartment—which could happen, right? They said they had fingerprints.”
“Did they?” Noah asked.
“Uh-huh. When I was talking to them, while you were in the lobby. They told me they’d been able to get prints in several places.”
“So they’ll be able to catch somebody.” He leaned forward, bracing his elbows against his knees.
“Maybe,” I said with a shrug, sipping my water. “They don’t know whose prints they’ve got yet. Some of them are bound
to be mine. And the others might belong to people who had legitimate reasons to be there. Friends of mine. They don’t know for sure they’ve got his prints.”
“But there’s a chance.” Noah hesitated. “Did you tell the police about Josh?”
“Of course.” I frowned. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“And do they think it’s likely he’s the one behind this?”
“Noah, why are you asking these questions?” I asked with a frown. “It had to be Josh. Who else could it be? We know the son of one of my clients—”
“We know the son of one of your clients left the note on your door,” Noah interrupted. “Why would somebody leave a note on your door, go away, then come back the next day to trash the place? You weren’t home when the note was left. Why not just do it then, if that’s what he wanted to do?”
“You’re saying you don’t think Josh broke into my place.” I gaped at him curiously.
“I’m not saying that,” Noah quickly replied. “I’m saying I don’t know. I’m saying it doesn’t add up. It doesn’t feel quite right.”
“But who else would want to do that? It’s not like I have a bunch of enemies running around.” Fear stabbed me in the gut. The whole thing had been upsetting enough when I was sure Josh was behind it. But if Josh wasn’t the culprit, it could be anybody. Why would somebody want to break into my apartment? Why would they trash it and leave without stealing anything? There could only be one motive for that kind of behavior—whoever it was had been trying to scare me. I understood why Josh would want to scare me but could honestly think of no one else who had motive to do so.
“Noah,” I whispered, my head suddenly spinning.
His hands landed on my shoulders, warm and steadying. “I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m sorry. You’re safe here, okay? It doesn’t matter who it was right now, because they won’t find you here. And you can stay with me until the cops get their hands on this person and you feel ready to go home. Everything will be all right.”
I wasn’t so sure.
I had to admit that what Noah was saying made sense. The idea of Josh dropping by, leaving a note, and then coming back the next day with a wrecking crew was weird. Josh wasn’t the kind of guy to carefully plan an attack on someone’s home. He was the kind of guy to spot an opportunity and go for it without thinking.
Noah’s hand slid down the length of my arm, fingertips tracing my skin, and his fingers interlaced with mine. He squeezed tightly, and I squeezed back, drawing comfort and allowing myself to luxuriate in his strength. He was right; I was safe. Nothing was going to hurt me, not in this fortress of a home, not with this strong, competent man beside me.
He turned me slowly in his arms, his eyes fixed on mine, and I felt myself weaken. Already? A voice in my head protested. You’re giving in to this already? But the voice seemed very far away. Too far away to care about. Too distant to worry about. Noah’s eyes were much closer, holding mine almost magnetically, making me feel as though I might drown in them.
I leaned in—
A door slammed.
Noah jumped backward as if he’d received an electric shock.
A split second later, Tess burst into the room, her backpack on her back and a sleeping bag in her arms. She looked from me to Noah, dropped the sleeping bag on the floor, and signed something to her father.
Noah signed back.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Sorry,” Noah said, looking rather shaken. He began to speak along with the movement of his hands. “I was just telling Tess that you’re going to be staying with us—in our guest room—for a while because of some damage at your apartment.” He shot me a quick glance, silently asking me to stick to the story.
This was too complicated. There was no potential for a relationship here if we had to keep it a secret from his daughter. I could completely understand why Noah wouldn’t want Tess to know about anything that had happened between us. Who knew whether she was emotionally ready for her father to move on?
Better I keep my distance. Better not to get involved at all.
“Can you show me to the guest room?” I asked. “I’d like to lie down.”
But what I really wanted was to get away.