Page 35 of Safe Haven

“I fucking love touching you.” The admission slips free before I can stop it.

Audrey pinches her lower lip between her teeth, looking hesitant. “I bet I would love touching you too.”

It’s not the first time she’s brought that up, and each time she presents me with it, I get closer to giving in. But I’m on a slippery slope, and already gaining speed.

So I slide off the mattress without making any more promises. After cleaning her up, and changing my underwear, I crawl under the blankets beside her, pulling her close. We’re just a few nights in, and I’m already used to the feel of her body next to mine as I sleep. I already open my eyes in the morning and anticipate seeing her face.

After struggling to find someone for so long, I never would have expected it to happen like this.

And that fucking terrifies me.

“Maddox?” Audrey’s voice is soft and sleepy.

“Yeah?”

She snuggles closer to me, wiggles in until she’s pressed against me from head to toe. Like she can’t get close enough. “I’m really glad you’re here.”

I slide my fingers through her hair the way I did last night as she fell asleep. “I’ll keep you safe. I promise.”

“I know.” She yawns, words slow and a little sloppy as she says, “But that’s not why I’m happy you’re here.”

I SLOWLY OPEN my eyes, the room coming into focus around me as I wake up. It’s pitch black—still very much the middle of the night—and I’m not sure what pulled me from the deep sleep I’d managed to fall into.

Holding my breath so I can listen better, I strain to identify any strange noises. Something to explain why the hairs on the back of my neck are standing up. But Audrey’s apartment is silent.

I carefully extricate myself from her grip and slide off the mattress, silently moving through the small unit looking for any explanation. A dripping faucet. A jammed ice maker. Maybe an appliance humming louder than before.

There’s nothing. But something is wrong. I can feel it. I’ve been doing this enough years to know when I need to listen to my gut.

And right now my gut is not happy.

So I go to work collecting important items. Audrey’s purse and her cell phone. My bag and weapons. I’m just pulling on my boots when my cell phone lights up and begins to vibrate, an unfamiliar number populating the screen. Connecting the call, I press it to my ear as I double down on my efforts to be ready to get the fuck out of here. “This is Maddox.”

“You need to get her the fuck out of there.” Darion, the private investigator Audrey’s ex hired to follow her, echoes my thoughts, then fills me in on the bad news I’ve been sensing. “Trevor andtwo guys loaded up into a car about thirty minutes ago. I’ve been tailing them, and I’m pretty sure they’re headed your way.”

“What’s his ETA?” I glance at where Audrey’s still soundly sleeping.

“His? You’ve got about fifteen minutes. But I can’t guarantee there’s not someone ahead of him.”

“Understood. I’ll call you when we’re out of the area.”

I disconnect because I don’t have the time or the inclination to continue conversing with him. My priority right now is to get Audrey the fuck out of here. Safely.

I go to where she’s sleeping and crouch down, brushing a little of the hair out of her face. “Audrey, sweetheart. I need you to wake up. We’ve got to go.”

Her eyes fly open, dark pools in the shadowy room. “What?” She sounds disoriented, but I don’t have time to offer her more.

“We need to go.” I straighten, offering her my hand.

She doesn’t hesitate. Her grip is strong as her palm slides into mine.

Then we’re moving fast. Her pajamas aren’t perfect, but they’ll do. I grab her a set of socks and a pair of sneakers, going to the window to check outside while she slides them on. A quick scan of the street out front accompanies my call Luca, letting him know what’s happening. Then I’m back in her bedroom, sliding open the window, making sure I put more pressure on the left side than the right so it doesn’t squeak.

Checking again for any sign someone’s outside, I toss her bag and mine out, then slide through, landing silently on my feet before reaching both arms up. “Come on.”

Again, she doesn’t hesitate. It’s not a long distance, but the elevation makes it an intimidating drop. So when Audrey doesn’t bat an eye or question me, I’m relieved as hell. And proud as fuck.

She slides into my arms, and I lower her feet to the ground. After closing the window, I pick up our bags, lace my fingers with hers, and we start to run, weaving our way through her neighborhood.

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