Page 354 of A Matter of Time

“Oh.” I nodded, unable to take my eyes off him.

“Baby, you’re not even wearing any shoes.” He scowled, turning me around and gently shoving me toward the front door of the building.

“I’ll live, Sam.” I chuckled, letting him move me through the door, grab my hand, and tug me toward the stairs. “I promise I won’t freeze to death before your eyes.”

He leaned in close to kiss the side of my neck. His warm breath made me shiver. “See? You’re cold. You shouldn’t be out here in just⁠—”

“You’re making me shiver, not the cold.”

He nodded as we started up the stairs. As we walked down the hall, my neighbors, Lisa and Steven, came out of their apartment. Odd that they were there in the middle of the day. Maybe it was a little afternoon delight.

“Jory,” Lisa called out to me, smiling big.

“Hey.” I smiled back at her, not making any move to stop.

“Hi.” Steven stopped Sam, putting out his hand when he was close enough. “I’m Steven Warren, this is Lisa Tate—we live across the hall.”

“Good to meet you,” Sam said, taking his hand, shaking it. “I’m Sam Kage.”

“I’ve been seeing you around a lot, Sam.” Lisa smiled at him. “Are you the man in Jory’s life now?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said huskily, and I saw her take a breath. The man was gorgeous; she’d have to be blind not to notice. “I’m the old…new guy.”

She smiled. “Sounds like there’s a story there.”

“Yep, there is.” His grin was wicked, and she lit up like a Christmas tree.

“Well, I’m so pleased. Jory’s a wonderful guy—he deserves to be happy.”

“Thank you,” I said gently as Sam shoved me forward.

“Nice to meet you,” he said absently, kissing the side of my neck. “Hurry up.”

I didn’t turn back around.

Once we were inside the apartment, I locked the door behind us and watched him walk through the living room to the kitchen. “You didn’t leave the house dressed like that this morning. I would’ve remembered.”

“You didn’t see me this morning—you were dead to the world. I was hoping you’d sleep a lot longer.”

“You should change before you go back to work.”

“Why’s that?” He wanted to know as he shed his peacoat to reveal a henley that could have been mine for how tight it was.

All I saw were bulging biceps and rippling abs, the material clinging to him like a second skin. The gun holster with the Glock in it just added to the whole presence of the man. He was dangerous and sexy, and I felt the blood racing to my groin. I had trouble breathing. “Christ.”

“You all right?” He glanced up at me as he pulled lunch out of the brown paper bag he’d carried in. Little did he know I was using quite a bit of willpower to not cross the room and lunge at him.

“Fine.”

“I got Italian,” he explained, giving me a quick smile. “You’re not eating like normal lately, so I thought some fettuccine, since it’s your favorite and… What?”

“What?”

“I dunno. You’re lookin’ at me all weird.”

“Am I?”

“Yeah. Are you sure you’re all right? Do you need to lie down?”