Page 28 of Undone

I flipped the phone over, the name on the screen immediately dousing that second of hope.

Dotty.

I released a tortured sigh as I registered the name and flipped my phone back over.

It wasn’t that I didn’t want to talk to Dotty—I did. But when it was Noah, it was different. I wanted to know how she was doing, what she was up to.

My mind was playing a constant battle of tug-of-war, moving between confusion and intrigue.

I tried focusing on the clinic, on what I knew, and not on the things I had no business thinking about.

But I wanted more.

Fuck, I wanted her.

I hated myself for it, but I couldn’t stop. Everything I touched seemed to turn to ash, and I didn’t know if I could live with myself if I brought her down with my fire.

I ran a hand over my face, gritting my teeth, as a faint squeak sounded against the linoleum floor, and Jennifer, one of the vet techs, stood in the doorway.

“Are you alright?” she asked.

My hands braced against the counter as my eyes drifted to the phone resting beside me. “Yeah… yeah, I’m good,” I lied. Pushing off the counter, I let out a sigh and laced my hands behind my head.

She didn’t look convinced. “Let me handle the next intake while you take a breather,” she offered.

My arms dropped from behind my head and swung to my sides. “Thanks, I’ll take five real quick.”

She nodded in response before heading out to the waiting room. I took that as my cue and made my way to one of the doors leading to the back of the clinic.

The cold air hit my skin, and the overcast sky mirrored the storm brewing in my head. I walked over to the fence and leaned against it. The cold metal pressed into my side. My breathing slowed, but my thoughts didn’t.

They never did.

What was it about her? Why couldn’t I let it go?

Why had my life, which I’d been perfectly content living alone before, suddenly changed the moment I walked through her apartment door months ago?

It didn’t help that she was going through so much already, and I didn’t want to add insult to injury. The woman found out her boyfriend was a serial killer—there is no way you can go through that sort of thing on your own.

I surely wouldn’t want to.

Maybe that’s what drew me to her—knowing she deserved so much more than what life had handed her lately. We barely knew each other. We’d barely spoken, and yet…

The way she looked at me when I comforted her in the hospital. The way she called me for help when she found Walker. And even the way she said she was fine when I knew that was a lie.

There was a vulnerability in every exchange we had, something that let me see deeper than what she showed to everyone else. And damn, it sucked me in.

My intentions weren’t exactly pure. I wanted her. I almostneededher.

After a few minutes, the door creaked open behind me, and Jennifer’s voice carried over. “Ready when you are.”

I glanced back and caught the concern in her eyes before she retreated inside.

The cool drizzle began to mist my face as I turned toward the clinic.

When I stepped back inside, Jennifer gave me a rundown on the dog that needed basic vaccines and a checkup.

“The owner’s in room two.”

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