Yet, here I am. My chest tight, my gut twisting at her pain as the overwhelming need to steal her away and dry her tears consumes me.
I’m fucked.
Her head bobs then shakes against my chest as she takes a stuttered breath. “It was like this when I got here,” she mumbles against my shirt. “The door was still locked. I-I don’t understand how anyone got in.”
“Is anything missing?”
“I-I don’t know. I’ve been frozen here since I walked in.”
“But you’re safe, right? No one was here when you walked in?”
“I’m okay. No one was here.”
My lips press to her hair, and I inhale the scent of her citrus shampoo. “Okay. What do you want to do? Do you want to call the police? Walk through and see if something is missing?”
“I’m so tired, Jagger. I-I just want to sleep and forget about all of this.”
I know she’s about to collapse. It was barely seven when I bumped into her this morning. Another couple of hours and she will have been awake for twenty-four hours without stopping.
My body goes rigid as a thought occurs to me. If today were a normal day for her, she’s running on about two hours of sleep a night. Something else that isn’t sustainable before her body gives out.
The police need to be called, and Poppy is the only one who would know if something is missing. But the longer we stand here, the more I feel her slipping away, her body succumbing to exhaustion. “Then we should get you to bed,” I tell her.
She sniffs, sad and tired. “What if my room is like this?”
“You can come home with me,” I offer, and if I hadn’t already figured it out, that statement would tell me everything. I don’t bring women to my apartment. Even Phoebe didn’t come to my apartment like Casey thought. We always met up at her place or my place in Brooklyn.
She looks at me with hesitation swirling in her eyes. “I already tossed the drugs.”
Surprise flickers through her expression, eyes wide and glistening. Her mouth twists as she considers my offer. “Where do you live?”
My lips press together, trying to hide my wry grin. “Just a couple of blocks over by Central Park.”
A soggy snort escapes her. “It’s too bizarre, you know.”
She doesn’t have to explain what she means. We’ve been so close to each other for a long time.
“What do you say, Halfpint? Want to come to mine and get some sleep?”
“I think at this point, I’d be willing to sleep in your car. I just know I can’t stay here tonight.”
I squeeze her again, nodding against her head. “Then let’s get you out of here.”
Fifteen minutes later, I’m opening my door and escorting her to my room, figuring a tour of my apartment can wait untilmorning. A door to the right is flung open, and I jerk my head. “That’s the bathroom if you want to clean up. I’ll grab you some of my clothes to change into.”
She looks like the living dead as she walks into the bathroom while I go to my closet and grab her a t-shirt and some joggers, hoping the drawstring will be enough to make them fit. When I go into the bathroom, I find her standing there, looking as if she has no clue what to do next.
After placing the change of clothes on the counter, I grab her hand and pull her over. “Do you want a shower?”
Her heavy lids droop, lashes fluttering against her cheek. “I’m not sure I’d remember how to shower.” She cringes, offering me apologetic eyes. “I’m sorry. I know I smell like the club. I’m just too exhausted.”
Lifting my hand, I cup her cheek, brushing a thumb along her cheekbone and the dark circles under her eyes. “I’m not worried about how you smell, Halfpint. Do you need help changing?”
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” She tries to smirk, but a yawn comes instead.
“I would,” I chuckle. “But right now, I’m more concerned about you dropping in the middle of my bathroom and getting a concussion.”
“I’ll be fine,” she says through another tired yawn, waving me off, then grabs the hem of her sweater and pulls it over her head. Her toned abs taunt me. Her lace-covered breasts make my mouth water.
