Page 36 of One Night With You

“This is all ours, and it’s going to be locked. That way nobody can see what we’re doing, unless we want them to but there’s no cameras in here because it’s Crew’s personal one. So you’re safe from peeping Toms, but you are alone with me. So, is that going to be okay?”

“It’s okay as in I feel completely safe with you. Probably not okay because we should most likely discuss at least something.”

“What do you want out of this?” My eyes widened as my thoughts went directly to whatthiscould be. Us? Life? Today? Kingston winced. “I meant this lesson.”

“I totally knew that.”

When he reached out and pushed my hair behind my ear again, I shivered. “You should stop doing that if we’re going to focus.”

“We can do that. Now, let’s talk about it.”

“I just want to make sure that what happened never happens again.”

“I promise you I’m going to do all in my power to make that a reality.”

I swallowed hard and nodded, knowing he was as serious as he could be. Because he still blamed himself,just like I blamed myself for trying to get help and leaving Phoebe behind.

Guilt was an enigma, that wrapped around you and never let you go, even when you thought you were finally free from it. But it continued to drown you, pound you against the rocks, and make you believe that you were worthless.

“The first thing you need to understand is it’s not your fault.”

It was if he read my mind, and I shook my head. “Just like it wasn’tyourfault.”

He cleared his throat, and took a step back, and I tried to not think of that as rejection, but just us focusing on matters at hand.

“Situational awareness is key to everything. And well, what happened to you isn’t exactly the same thing, being aware of your surroundings at all times is the first step.”

“And I like to daydream.”

“Well when you’re walking with me, I’ll be the one on alert.”

“That has to be exhausting.”

He shook his head. “No. It’s just what my brain does. It’s why I’m good at my job. But if you’re walking by yourself, make sure you’re aware of your surroundings. Don’t walk with your headphones on, staring at your phone, not paying attention to the rest of theworld. And I’m not even talking about what we’re here for. It could be tripping over a curb or going out into traffic. I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

“That is true, and I always keep one earbud out, just so I can hear people coming up from behind me.”

“So there you go, you’re already a step ahead.”

“That’s true.”

“Now the first things we’re going to talk about are the five A’s, which is what I was taught when I was a kid.”

“The five A’s?”

“Awareness, alertness, avoidance, anticipation, and action. The five A’s.”

“That sounds like a lot of words.”

“True, but you’ve got this.”

He went over each, and I swallowed hard knowing that this was for a good reason. “We can talk about your house in general, because I know that the others put up your security systems, but I can go through it again with you.”

Kingston always did so much for me. Hell, for everyone in his circle. No matter how he was feeling or what he needed in his personal life, he always set that aside to help those he cared about.

And he cared aboutme.

Yet I’d run from him. I’d hid because I’d been scared. Not because of Kingston himself, but because ofwhat he’d seen. Who I’d been when I’d been scared. And Kingston needed to know it wasn’t him. It wasme.

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