Page 33 of Protecting Christina

She nodded.

“Goodnight, Faye. I’ll get started on the separation and custody papers.”

She reached forward and folded her arms around me. Mine lay limply by my sides for a second as I was unaccustomed to someone hugging me for comfort.

Slowly, I drew my arms up and around her waist. It felt strange at first, but not terrible. It wasn’t as bad as I’d thought it would be.

I couldn’t read Will’s face, but he watched us with an intensity I couldn’t decipher.

I asked him about it after Faye locked the door behind us, and we stood in the hallway.

“It’s important she knows she’s not alone. That she has people around her ready and willing to help.”

“But the look you gave us. It somehow, I don’t know, it felt more personal than just what was happening with Faye.”

He turned away and rubbed the back of his neck. “I wouldn’t read too much into a look,” he said. But I knew there was more to it. Usually, whenever I realize this, I let it go. I had enough of my own problems. I didn’t need to dig into other people’s lives to learn about theirs.

But, for some reason, I wanted to learn more about him.

“I can walk you back to your car,” he said. “Unless…”

“Unless…?”

“Maybe come in for a coffee. We could both use one to unwind. It’s not too late yet.”

It wasn’t the hour I was worried about. It was my heart racing in my chest, the somersault my stomach just did when he bit his bottom lip just now, waiting for my response.

Perhaps it was the adrenaline from tonight’s getaway. Perhaps my hormones raged from kicking the asshole in the balls earlier and knowing I would do everything in my power to keep him away from Faye and those children. Whatever it was, my body wanted more than to go to sleep right now.

“Sure. I can come in for a little while,” I heard myself say.

His eyes grew larger, by only a fraction, but it was enough for me to know I’d surprised him.

Damn, I may have surprised myself, too.

We took the elevator up to the penthouse floor and walked to the end of the hallway. Will pressed his thumb to the black pad at his door. The lock whirled, and the door clicked open.

“Here I was thinking that hotel keys were advanced,” I quipped.

He smirked. “This isn’t me. My brother, Jager, hooked us all up when he joined the company.”

Will opened the door wider and motioned for me to go in first. If I’d thought the other apartment looked like a hotel suite, then this one looked like a mansion on one floor. The tall windows faced Central Park, and they were so expansive I could probably see the entire park from up here.

The kitchen cabinets were black here too, but so was the countertop, only with a white vein running through it. It wasn’t shiny, so I ran my hand over it.

“Smooth.”

“Yes. It’s a velvet finish.”

“It’s very nice.”

He smiled, and we walked over to his living room. “No TV?”

“I never watch it.”

“What about the game?”

“I rarely take time off, and if I want to see one, then I buy tickets to watch it live.”

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