Page 25 of Found By Him

Jack sits next to me on the couch, our thighs touching. Carlos is seated in the accent chair across from us, taking notes and looking through my phone. I spent the last hour retelling what happened in excruciating detail. Carlos stopped me every few sentences with clarifying questions, quickly jotting down my answers.

Carlos hands me my phone and heaves himself out ofthe small chair, tucking the box of notes I kept all these months under his arms. “Let me know immediately if you get any more texts or if anything else happens.”

Jack stands up and places his hand on my shoulder. “Stay here, I’ll talk him out.”

I nod up at him, and then look back at Carlos. “I appreciate you coming to talk to me.”

Carlos gives me one final smile before heading to my door, Jack following him into the hallway. I collapse against the back of the couch and rub my forehead. I feel drained. Like I walked ten miles. My head hurts, and my shoulder muscles are tense. All I want to do is curl up on my couch or in my bed and sleep for as long as possible.

As my eyes drift close, my body relaxes until my door closes again and Jack’s footsteps get louder. I blink my eyes open to find him standing next to the couch, watching me, concern lining his rugged face.

“How are you feeling?” he asks softly as he sits on the opposite side of the couch.

“Exhausted.”

He nods, his eyes not leaving me. “Do you want me to stay the night with you? I can sleep on the couch. Or the floor.”

My stomach flips at his question. The irrational side of me would love nothing more than him to stay the night. But the sane part feels jittery at the thought.

As disappointed as it makes me, I say, “You don’t have to stay. I think I’m going to go to bed early.”

He leans forward, his elbows on his knees and hands clasped. Before he speaks, he clears his throat. “Okay. I have to work an event tomorrow because we didn’t have enough people to cover it.” He turns his head my way. “I wouldn’t leave you here alone if your building weren’t at leastpartially secure, but I need you to promise me that you won’t leave the building without me or one of my guys. If you need to go anywhere tomorrow, you’ll call or text me and wait for me to get someone over here.” Waiting for my agreeance, he raises his eyebrows.

“I won’t leave. I don’t have anything going on tomorrow anyway.”

He nods. “I’ll try to come over tomorrow after the event.”

Despite telling him that he didn’t have to spend the night, I feel an instant wave of sadness at the thought of possibly not seeing Jack tomorrow. Not wanting to admit my feelings, I force a smile. “Sounds good.”

He pushes to stand. I do the same and trail him to the door. Leaning over, he picks up a metal bar with rubber ends. One side looks like au,and the other side has a flat bottom.

“Do you know what this is?”

I shake my head.

“It’s a security bar for under your door.” He shows me how to place the U-shaped piece of rubber under the doorknob, and the flat rubber slides across the floor until the bar is secure. “With you being on the fourth floor and people having to be buzzed in, your building, while not foolproof, is more secure than others. But as an extra precaution for when you’re home alone, it makes opening your door much more difficult.”

“This is great. Gives me some peace of mind.”

He nods. “Good. Don’t forget to put it into place whenever you’re alone. Understood?”

“Yes.” His bossy protectiveness is getting to me. Now I want him to stay, but for an entirely different reason than keeping me safe.

He sets the bar aside, then turns toward the door untilhis hand freezes on the knob, pivoting back to face me, his eyes searching mine. My core heats at his concentrated assessment. Wondering if he will kiss me again, my heartbeat picks up pace. When my eyes drop to his lips, I remember the tickle of his beard on my face. My mind tortures me, thinking of the tickle of his beard in other places on my body.

His hand raises, and I hold my breath. He’s smiling as he runs his thumb down the side of my cheek. Tingles burst across my skin.

“Goodnight, Gisella.”

All I can do is croak out, “Night.”

And with that, Jack is gone. His cologne lingers in the air around me.

I place my hands on my stomach and blow out a frustrated breath through pursed lips, trying to quell the arousal filling my system. With nothing else to do, I get ready for bed and do my best to force myself to sleep.

15

Ella

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