Page 68 of Take Hold of Me

Emilie

Iput my luggage away, for now, in the storage area in the back of my closet. I have an open schedule this afternoon, which feels like a week’s vacation, and I want to maximize all my time with Wills. “I would like to help you unpack your new place.”

Wills zips up his jeans. “It’s small, Ems. Just a place for me to crash.” He bends down to rummage through his duffel and pulls out a t-shirt, smelling it to confirm it is clean. My lips tip upward, remembering my younger brother doing the same thing.

“Maybe I can make it more homely.”

His head pops through the neck hole and he blinks. He laughs while pulling his arms through their proper holes. “I doubt you could make anything homely, Ems. The word is ‘homey.’”

Heat pricks my cheeks while I pull the soft material down his torso, smoothing it across his broad chest. “Then I would like to make it homey for you.”

He nips my earlobe. “If you’d like.”

“I really would.” He turns to pick up his belt from the bed. Behind his back, I pump my fists. After his nightmare last night, I was unsure how he would respond to me this morning. Seems like we are back on stable ground. But that does not mean his demons are not nearby.

When he picks up his car keys, he lifts them for me to see. “Care to drive?”

I bite my bottom lip. “Oui.” He tosses me the keys. We walk to the Jeep, where he drops his duffel bag into the back seat. I hop into the driver’s side and mentally go over all his driving tips. Starting the engine, he directs me to his new apartment.

“Good job. You’re really improving. You’re looking much more comfortable behind the wheel.”

Absorbing his praise, my chest expands. “Merci.I believe I am getting better, thanks to my teacher.” We walk hand-in-hand into the complex, stopping at the mail slots for him to pick up his mail.

Ignoring the elevator, we choose to climb the stairs. After ascending three floors, we stop outside a door. “Here we are. Remember, it’s small. Just for me.”

Excitement at entering his personal space makes me jump from foot to foot while he unlocks the door and swings it open. My first impression is white walls and a few boxes strewn around. A black sectional, ending with a reclining chair, is positioned against bare windows and faces a flat screen television. The kitchen has a peninsula with a couple of bar stools tucked under. Sliding glass doors lead out to what appears to be a balcony.

Using his duffel bag, he points to a closed door. “The bathroom.” He heads toward a different room. “And this is my bedroom. Make yourself at home, I’ll be right out.”

After he disappears into his bedroom, I turn on the television and an episode of “Ninja Heroes” is on. Wills joins me on the sofa and screams encouragement to the human-canine teams, at times jumping right out of his seat. When the final competitor falls into a pool below a type of log, he collapses as if he had been the one running the gauntlet.

Wills shakes his head. “I consider myself to be in good shape, but these guys—and ladies—put me to shame. Not to mention the agility of the military dogs. I could watch this show for days.”

His enthusiasm over the show is adorable. “It certainly is exciting.”

He clasps his hands. “It really is. You know, I volunteer at Vets for Military Dogs and I get to help out with their agility training sometimes. A couple of the dogs I worked with made it onto the show. They are just as amazing as the humans.”

“I did not know you were involved with the charity. I learn new things about you every day.” I lean over and give him a kiss. “Wonderful things.”

After the show’s credits run, the balcony draws my attention and I go out onto it while Wills heads into the kitchen for drinks. A communal pool is below, and more apartments facing. I take a seat in one of the two chairs while I wait for him.

He hands me a glass of water. “Sorry, I don’t have any wine.”

“Water is good.” I take a sip and put the glass down on the table. “I like your flat. This balcony reminds me of home.”

“Paris?”

I nod. “Although, Paris really is not my home anymore. I live here. The same town as you.”

He smiles and sits next to me, drinking from his own glass. “What’s on our agenda for today?”

“I like that word. ‘Our.’” I smile, then pull my hair back into a ponytail. Since I do not have a clip, it falls back in my face almost immediately. “I actually need to practice my lines for my movie role.”

He leans over and places his hand on my knee. “And now you’re a movie star.”

I swat at his hand. “I wish. Even though it is a small role, I do need to practice. Especially with my English. Can you help me, please?”

“Since you asked me so nicely, how could I refuse?”

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