Page 34 of One Reckless Night

“Jesus Christ, Amelia!” Jared’s voice echoed down the hall.

I blinked, my heart still racing. He stepped into the light, looking as startled as I felt. His hair was damp, his shirt clinging to his chest. He looked rough. Like he hadn’t slept in days. And it wasn’t just the hair plastered to his forehead or drowned-dog appearance.

I gasped, pressing a hand to my chest. “Bloody hell, Jared. I thought someone had broken in!”

“Well, bloody hell right back. You scared me just as bad,” he shot back, his voice sharp. “What the hell are you doing here? Don’t tell me you needed peanut-butter crackers this badly.”

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. “The power went out at my condo. I was worried about the lab, so I came to check on things. Then yes, I needed peanut-butter crackers. That’s not a crime.”

He stared at me, his expression a mix of disbelief and irritation. “You ran through the storm to check on the lab? Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?”

I crossed my arms, feeling defensive. “Obviously not, or I wouldn’t have done it.”

“We have generators,” he said.

“Yes, I figured that out when I got here. But it never hurts to double check.”

He arched an eyebrow at me and smirked. “You thought I would let the lab go dark in a storm?”

Now I felt ridiculous. “I didn’t think about generators.”

“This isn’t our first rodeo,” he said irritably. “Nor will it be our last. And this barely even counts as a storm.”

“Forgive me for being so foolish to think you might not have thought of everything. How dare I?”

He sighed, walked to the vending machine, and punched in a bunch of numbers without putting in money. Gears whirred and the package of crackers fell into the retrieval bin.

“You get free stuff from the vending machine?” I asked.

“I paid for it all in the first place.” He grabbed the snack and handed them to me. “Now go home, Amelia.”

“I can’t,” I said, my voice small. “The power’s out at my condo, and I… I don’t like storms like this. I’m not used to them. And you just said it’s dangerous out there. So I’m fine here. I’ll go back to my office.”

He frowned, his eyes scanning me. “You’re soaking wet.”

“I noticed,” I muttered, pulling my raincoat tighter around me.

He hesitated, then shook his head. “The new condos—the row you’re in—aren’t hooked up to the generator grid yet. I’ll get that fixed. So there you go. Congratulations. I guess I didn’t actually think of everything.”

“It’s a hollow victory,” I said, shaking my head.

“But for now, you can’t stay here.”

I tilted my head toward my lab. “I’ll just camp out. It’s fine. I’ve spent plenty of time alone in the lab at night.”

“No,” he said firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument. “You’re coming back to my house.”

I blinked, caught off guard. “What? No, that’s not⁠—”

“Amelia,” he interrupted, his voice softening. “You’re wet, you’re uncomfortable, and you’re clearly scared. Just come with me. You can dry off, get some sleep, and we’ll figure this out in the morning.”

I hesitated, torn between my pride and my exhaustion. I didn’t want to admit how much the storm was getting to me and I also didn’t want to spend the night shivering in my lab. But going to his house? That invited all kinds of trouble.

Finally, I nodded, too tired to argue. “Fine.”

He led me out to his car, shielding me from the rain with his briefcase. It was a small gesture, but it was sweet and made me feel fluttery inside, like it was kind of difficult to breathe. I didn’t want to examine what that feeling was too closely. He opened the door to a flashy, expensive sports car, and I climbed in, feeling out of place in my soaked pajamas and raincoat.

He got in and started the engine. “Why don’t you drive a golf cart like everyone else?”

He smirked, his eyes on the road as he pulled out of the parking lot. “I didn’t spend close to a million dollars on my education to drive anything less than this. And I had to run into town and came back here.”

I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at my lips. The car was fast, the engine purring as we sped through the storm, not that we had far to go. The rain was still coming down hard, but inside the car, it felt safe. Cozy. Like the storm couldn’t touch us.

We reached his mansion quickly. He parked in the garage and I followed him inside. The house was as impressive as I remembered—sleek, modern, and filled with light even in the middle of the storm. He handed me a towel and pointed me toward a guest bathroom.

“I’ll get you some clothes. They might be a little big, but they’re dry.”

I nodded, feeling awkward. I would have refused his offer, but I didn’t want to be dripping all over his fancy house or shiver all night. “Thanks.”

He hesitated, then nodded toward the kitchen. “After I grab some clothes, I’ll make some tea. You look like you could use it.”

I went into the kitchen to wait, dizzy at how quickly the night had taken a turn.