Page 32 of Hold Him Like Gravity

“Already covered,” I told her, getting to my feet, then moving to her side of the table to pull her chair out a bit.

With that, we left the restaurant, walking home discussing different places as we passed them by.

Entirely too soon, we were making our way back into her building, the air crackling around us as we stood silently in the elevator.

By the time we were at her door, she had just fished her key out of her purse.

I reached for it, nearly pinning her to the door in the process. Maybe if she hadn’t sucked in her breath, or if her blueberry scent wasn’t overwhelming my senses, or her gaze didn’t flick up to mine, heavy-lidded and filled with need, I might have moved away, might have turned around, walked away, and kept shit professional.

But she did.

And then, as I leaned inward, just wanting to get another hit of that blueberry scent, a shiver moved through her and this little mewling sound escaped her.

My nose teased up her neck as she leaned to the side, silently inviting more.

I would have kept going. I would have pressed my lips to hers, pushed her into her apartment, walked her into her bedroom, and gotten rid of the tension that was sizzling between us.

But two doors down, someone slammed their door, the unexpected sound making us pull apart, breaking the spell of the moment.

“Thanks for, you know, checking in on me,” she said, giving me a tight smile. “And for dinner.”

“Glad you’re doing better,” I said.

“I’ll be back tomorrow,” she told me, reaching to open the door, then stepping inside.

“Goodnight, Kick,” I said, watching as she closed the door, then sucked in a deep breath and walked away, trying the whole walk home to tell myself it was for the best.

Even if nothing about that felt true.

CHAPTER TEN

Kick

Rico and I sort of just… didn’t happen to interact when I returned to work the next day. Or the days following that.

It wasn’t exactly, you know, unusual. There were many days when Rico either only dropped in for a few minutes, or didn’t show up at all. The place practically ran itself. There was no reason for him to micromanage it.

I wouldn’t lie and say some part of me wasn’t disappointed, though. Even if the logical part of my brain was constantly reminding me that the last thing I needed right now was a complicated fling with my boss.

Jake was still missing.

And I’d taken to hauling my ass to and from the Bronx every night after work, hanging out in dark alleys or the backs of seedy bars, trying to avoid the attention of anyone around while I attempted to spy on the local organizations I’d narrowed my search down to.

So far, I’d knocked two names off my list. One, because I overheard them boasting about breaking into houses and how it was safer than trying to hold up businesses.

The other, because I’d managed to happen upon some kind of meeting that involved the whole crew.

Jake wasn’t with them.

I had no emails from Bobby.

When I called Jake’s phone again myself, it was still deactivated.

I tried to keep the panic at bay, reminding myself that I’d seen him with my own two eyes. That he’d been alive and, seemingly, well. That he hadn’t tried to get any sort of message to me when we’d been in the meat shop to make me believe he was under duress.

I just… couldn’t shake it.

Something wasn’t right, wasn’t adding up.

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