Her sensual laughter brushed against his senses, and as the elevator doors opened, his cock stiffened. It took all his strength to push the lobby button, instead of pushing stop and bringing her in close, removing that tension simmering between them.
When the elevator doors chimed open and she exited, his gaze fell to her ass filling out her jeans to perfection. With her scent lodged into his nostrils, he drew in a deep breath.
I should have pressed stop.
Lottie fucked up.Massively.
Beneath the starry night, on the walk through SoHo toward Greenwich Village with Hunt at her side, she tried to figure out why she’d texted Hunt, of all people, to help her.Surely, he was the last person she’d want helping her. Hell, she’d done her best to keep him at a safe distance since day one. But as they passed beneath the marble Washington Square arch, heading toward the famous circular fountain, she still couldn’t find an answer as to why she’d texted him. All she knew was the moment she saw the state of her condo, she’d been scared, and what followed was…Hunt, I need you.
Fuck.
“You go here a lot?” Hunt asked, drawing her out of her thoughts.
She found his steady gaze on hers, his hands stuffed into his pockets. She nodded. “I’ve got a few dogs in this area, and we always come through here. Especially in the summer. I love when the cherry blossoms bloom.”
“It is quite a beautiful place,” he said. “I definitely don’t come here enough.”
They strode past the fountain heading along the paved road, and she always liked how easy things felt with Hunt. Nothing ever felt forced. “Thank you so much for coming over tonight. I really appreciate it.”
“No problem,” he said. The silence that followed was filled with questions. She wasn’t surprised when he voiced them. “Have you had bad experiences with cops in the past?” he asked.
She laughed to mask the spike to her adrenaline. “Why would you ask that?”
“You were uncomfortable around the detective,” he stated. Notyou seemedbutyou were.It was scary how easily he could read her.
They strode past a couple sitting on a bench with their little dog in the middle of them. Lottie stared into the soft, dark eyes of the pooch as she said, “I’ve never been a big fan of authority.”
His throaty chuckle cut through the tension. “That I believe.”
She caught the warmth in his eyes, laughing with him, as they continued in silence through the park, walking along the big loop. When they reached the fountain again, Hunt wrapped a strong hand around her arm, stopping her. “Wait up a minute.”
She turned to face him. The slight narrowing of his eyes elevated her heart rate.
“Tell me who you think broke into your condo,” he said firmly.
She shook her head, forcing her shoulders back. “I don’t know.” She knew better than to totally write off her family, but she couldn’t think up a good enough reason why they’d break into her condo after all this time. Plus, she had paid a lot of money to ensure she was never found. For the first couple of years she’d been in New York City, she’d always looked over her shoulder, worried they’d catch up with her, demanding the money she’d stolen. But no one ever came. After the third year, she stopped looking, feeling safe in her new identity.
Hunt dipped his chin, bringing his eye level down to hers. “No idea at all who it could be?”
“Nope,” she said, striding off before he could look too deep and find answers that she couldn’t give him.
She felt his gaze following her, reading right through all the things she wasn’t telling him.
When he finally caught up with her on the way back to her condo, he blessedly shifted subjects. “Come stay with me until we catch the person responsible,” he offered.
Cars honked at each other as she shook her head adamantly. “Like hell they’re making me afraid of my own home.”
“Then I’ll take your couch. It’s not safe, Lottie.” When they stopped at the corner of the street and waited for the light to change, he arched an eyebrow. “I have a gun. You do not.”
“Good point,” she said. This spelled all kinds of dangerous, but Hunt would not relent, and she refused to leave her condo. “Okay, you’re right; it’s safer,” she conceded, knowing her limitations in protecting herself if someone broke in again. “I appreciate the offer.”
“Think nothing of it,” he said and began crossing the street. “We can grab my overnight bag before we go back to your place.”
All of this seemed unnecessary, but she realized as she inhaled the greasy aroma coming from the hot dog stand, that for the first time since she opened her condo’s door earlier, she could breathe a little easier.
When they arrived at the condo a half an hour later, the forensic unit was packing up. She sighed as she took in the state of the place.What a mess!Figuring she had to start somewhere, she moved to the living room, picked up the cushions off the floor, and placed them back on the couch.
After a short conversation, Hunt shut the front door behind the last cop and locked it. He moved to the liquor cabinet in the corner of her living room and poured them both a double shot of whiskey. He handed her the glass and watched her with a stern look, his well-craftedcoplook. “Time’s up, Lottie.”
