“What the hell happened?” I jump into action, shoving him aside and racing toward the kitchen.

Ripping off a piece of paper towel I run it under water and wring it out before blotting his forehead when he sits in front ofme. I grip his chin gently and push his glasses up onto his head to properly wipe the stream of blood away.

What starts as frantic concern on my part turns into intense heat as our eyes lock. There’s an emotion reflected in his eyes I can’t place, but it makes butterflies awaken in my belly. With his glasses out of place I can fully appreciate the sharp angle of his cheekbones, the curve of his jaw, and the perfect symmetry of his face. My eyes dart back and forth between his and I step further into his body. His arms firmly wrap around the backs of my thighs, and I let loose a sigh I didn’t know I was holding.

The bubble is broken when Ava gasps and I abruptly step back clearing my throat.

“So.” Ava purses her lips. “That thing I was talking about?”

She gives me a knowing look and I threaten to throw the bloodied paper towel at her. Bloodborne pathogens be damned. Tapping her foot, she sets her sights on Zavier who pushes his glasses back in place. God, he’s fucking hot.

She came over here to comfort me and now she’s pushing me into yet another date. I know she means well, and Idolike Zavier, but I wish she didn’t feel like she has to worry so much about my love life or lack thereof.

“Celine wants you to take her on a date.”

“What?” Zavier and I shout simultaneously, a grin quickly spreading across his face.

“Ava,” I hiss vehemently.

“I’d love to,” Zavier responds cheerily, linking his arm with mine.

I turn to him in shock and quickly regret it when I tweak my neck with the force of my whiplash. A small whimper leaks out and my eyes widen once again when Zavier gently cups the back of my neck. He twists my head to the side and traces the curve of my décolletage, momentarily zeroing in on my pulse and rubbing it with his thumb.

I swear I see a dulling of the vibrant green of his eyes when he zones out but in a flash it’s gone. The concern reflected in them is crazy considering he’s the one who was bleeding a second ago.

“Are you okay?”

The care in his voice makes me want to curl into him and never let go. Between our moment of comfort in the hall, Ava stopping by, and him caring for me now, I’ve felt more care than I have in a long time, and I don’t know how to handle it.

“Cel?” Ava comes into my field of vision, and I straighten, slowly removing Zavier’s hand from my neck. He frowns but doesn’t comment. I notice him clench his hand and cradle it in his other reverently like the one that touched me is something to be treasured.

“Totally fine.” I stretch my neck from side to side to gently work out the kink and direct attention away from me. “What about you? You’re the one with the cut on your head. What happened?” Zavier’s cheeks stain red when I focus my gaze back on him.

He mumbles something unintelligible, and his embarrassment is palpable.

“What?” Tucking my hair behind my ear I lean closer to him feigning deafness. “I didn’t catch that.”

“I fell off a chair and nailed my forehead on the ground.”

Zavier says it so quietly I can’t help but laugh. Ava tries to hold in her snort but fails miserably when it comes out around the hand she holds to her mouth. Envisioning this elegant force of a man, eating shit falling off a chair is hilarious.

I peer around the kitchen island and see the chair in question tipped over onto the floor as well as one of the posters that had been hung on the wall. The frame is shattered and it’s shocking he’s not cut worse than he is.

“Who would’ve thought you’d be a clumsy one.” I chuckle under my breath and head over to the living room to help right the fallen pieces. “Do you have a broom?”

“You don’t have to do that.” Zavier jogs over with the cleaning tool and starts to sweep it up himself.

Ava passes me a plastic bag she found, and I carefully place the larger pieces of glass in the bag. When I’m done, I pass it to Zavier to finish up. Our fingers brush and I feel the familiar tingle I only experience around him.

“Well, we’re glad you’re okay, Zav.” Ava nods her head at him, and we start to head toward his front door.

An amused chuckle makes me stop and turn back around. “What?”

He stands and places his large hands on his hips. A smirk tilts his gorgeous lips up and my brows furrow.

“I just think it’s funny you’ve known me longer than Ava has and yetyounever call me Zav. It’s always Zavier this, Zavier that.”

A scoff leaves my mouth as I place my own hands on my hips to mimic his stance.