Page 106 of Get Undressed With Me

“No, you’re not. You’re a strong, resourceful, powerful woman that I consider a privilege to take care of. And since you scared twenty years off my life tonight, you’re going to indulge me in my helicoptering for a few days.”

Brittany nodded, still smiling, and he climbed in the driver’s seat, taking her hand as he drove them out of the parking lot.

“I called Min to tell her what happened,” he told her. “Fair warning, I convinced her not to come over tonight, but you will absolutely be bombarded tomorrow.”

“Fuck. She’s an early riser, too.”

“I told her to bring breakfast.”

They rode in silence until he parked in his building’s garage. He shut off the engine, not making a move to leave, and Brittany must have sensed his mood.

“What is it?”

“I almost lost you. Because I was an idiot. I can’t stand that I let you down.”

Her brow furrowed. “You didn’t let me down. You left me in the safest place you knew and were gone less than an hour. You did everything. I’m grateful to you, Gus. Don’t you dare beat yourself up.”

“A little late for that, killer.”

He stepped out of the car before she could answer, walking around it to the passenger side to open her door and help her out. They made it all the way to the door, where the locksmith had rigged up a solution until Gus could get a new door installed.

Gus paused, wanting to take this slow.

“Hey, look at me.” He cupped Brittany’s chin and waited for her eyes to meet his. “I’m here with you. I’m not going anywhere. We’re going to do this together. And if at any point you change your mind and want to go somewhere else, you say the word. Got me?”

She took a deep breath and nodded.

“I’m good. Let’s do this.”

He took her hand again, and pulled out his key, unlocking the makeshift lock.

Inside was still a mess from both the attack and from the police presence afterward. The interior door to the bedroom was still broken, but the locksmith had clearly done what he could to clean it up.

Gus watched Brittany closely for any sign of distress. But so far, she was taking in the scene, studying the wreckage from the attack with a clinical air. She moved toward the bedroom and looked in, surveying the damage.

“It’s crazy,” she said. “At the time it felt like the entire world was falling apart. But aside from the doors and some of your things, it’s like nothing happened.”

“You good?”

She took a deep breath before nodding. “I’m good. I’ll help you clean.”

“No. You’ll sit on the couch under a blanket with a fresh cup of tea, watching whatever dumb dating show you want while I clean.”

Her lips twitched. “Yes, boss.”

And that’s exactly what she did. Gus tucked the blanket around her, made her tea with honey to help her throat, and went to work righting the condo. Soon, the only evidence that something had happened were the doors. When he was finallydone, he sat on the couch, pulling Brittany into his lap, draping her legs over his and tucking her into his side.

“This is nice,” she said. And it was there, with her in his lap, her warmth slowly sinking into him, her body loose with relaxation, that it hit Gus exactly how close he had come to losing her.

He attempted levity. “Not to be dramatic, but I’m going to be attached to your hip from now on. To an annoying degree. Better get used to it.”

“Okay, but Theo’s never going to let us use the restroom again.”

He couldn’t bring himself to laugh, just held Brittany tighter, and she seemed to realize something was going on.

“Hey,” she said softly. “I’m okay. You made it in time.”

“I almost lost you.” His voice broke, but Gus couldn’t find it in himself to care. This woman had become so important, had become everything good in his life, and he almost lost her. He couldn’t stand the thought, couldn’t think of what this day would’ve looked like if he had shown up five minutes later than he did.

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