Page 65 of Clean Out of Luck

His face is slightly flushed, like he’s just been running all four flights of stairs.

“Anything in the basement?” the guy asks.

“No sign of smoke, but I didn’t check the furnace room yet.”

The man frowns briefly. “I’ll go check it out. You just want to make me run more stairs and play the hero.” He gestures to me with a smirk.

Wade grins back. “I found something better than fire, that’s for sure.”

“So far, it’s looking like we’re all clear. Might be an alarm malfunction. I just talked with the building manager, and he said he was trying to run a test on it to make sure it was working but it sent it into the real mode instead. Get heroutside, then the building will be clear, and we can do our final sweeps.”

Wade starts walking down the hallway. “That was my boss, Linus,” he explains, adjusting his hold on me.

“Wade Hendrix, put me down. I can walk just fine,” I grunt as I push at his broad shoulders. They’re rock solid beneath my hands. “You heard him. There’s not actually a fire. You can put me down.”

“I don’t think so. You have bare feet and could step on something sharp. I’m here to serve and protect.” He has the audacity to wink at me.

“You’re going to hurt your back, carrying me like this.”

“Believe it or not, I actually go to the gym.” He grins at me, and I realize just how much trouble I’m in. Because he really is the best-looking man I’ve ever seen.

“Wade, I can’t believe you’re doing this.”

“Doing what? My job?” He keeps grinning as he reaches the front door of The Serendipity, which someone has propped open.

“Are you trying to be heroic right now?” I ask, peering at that strong jawline and those gorgeous eyes.

“That depends. Is it working?” he asks as he walks calmly down the stairs. He’s still breathing evenly which is just unfair. I carried a bag of trash up the stairs the other day and had to catch my breath once I reached the top.

I can’t decide if I want to smack him with this book or lean up and kiss him again. I’m torn between laughing at the entire ridiculous situation…or yelling at him.

There’s a chorus of cheers from the residents gathered on the sidewalk.

He looks down at me with a big smile. “I think I like this.”

I can’t admit it right now, but I do, too. “People are watching.”

He glances around. “Lots of people are watching. Some are even taking pictures.”

“Oh gosh. I’m wearing a bikini, Wade!” I say.

“And you look fantastic doing it.” Wade stops next to Gloria and slowly lowers me to my feet. I don’t want him to do it, despite my request. I want to stay in his arms for the rest of the day. And that thought is what gives me enough strength to release him.

If I don’t distance myself from Wade, I’m going to end up with a broken heart. How did I never realize he’s exactly what I want in a partner—or dare I say need? He’s fun and outgoing…but still understanding. He likes to tease me, and he can handle anything I dish back.

He sees me.

And I know, with my track record, that I’m a boring person. I don’t deserve someone like Wade Hendrix. He deserves the world, and all I can offer him is an old basement apartment, a reading obsession, and a variety of cold cereal for every occasion.

I swallow the lump in my throat and carefully step away from him. I give him a wan smile. “Better get back to work.”

“Oh, right. There might be someone else to save.” He winks. “But they won’t be as beautiful as you.”

I blush as I watch him run back up the steps and into The Serendipity.

“Oh, is he a delicious one or what?” Gloria sighs next to me. “If I were thirty years younger…but I’m not. So don’t keep him hanging on the line, honey.”

And that’s just it. I don’t have what it takes to keep Wade on the line. He deserves someone who is…more.

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