AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Sweaty and exhaustedfrom four rounds of sex in the office, I lay back against the passenger seat of Tyler’s car as symphony music sifted from the speakers.
“Are you alright?” he asked.
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“Are you sure you need to go home?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“Okay.” He placed his hand on my thigh as he drove, and now and then, he took an alternate street to make sure we weren’t being followed.
When he was certain we were alone, he pulled in front of my apartment.
“Thank you for the ride.” I looked over at him as he placed the car in park. “You don’t have to come inside.”
“I insist.”
A perfect gentleman, he helped me out, holding an umbrella over my head and carrying my work bag.
I turned the lock to my unit and pushed the door open, motioning for him to step inside.
Then I hit the lights and looked around.
Shit.
The water pipes I’d reported weeks ago were still leaking into my scattered buckets, and a brand-new bottle of Instant Cement on my sill confirmed the window would remain cracked unless I fixed it.
“Thanks again, Tyler,” I said softly. “I’ll see you at work tomorrow.”
“I don’t think so.” He spun me around to face him. “You should stay with me. I think that’s what’s best for the babies, anyway.”
“I don’t.” I paused as the lights above us flickered. “Thank you for the suggestion, though.”
“Chloe March…” He pulled me close, whispering against my lips. “At this point, it’s not a suggestion.”
“My best friends have couches,” I said. “It’s fine. I don’t want to impose.”
He looked at me like I was certifiably insane.
“What are you afraid will happen if you live with me, Chloe?”
“Besides wanting to stab you if you try to run me?”
“Yes.” He smiled. “Besides that.”
“I might start to think you’re boyfriend material, and you have too much baggage to be a boyfriend.”
“What baggage?”
“Guards, press, fangirls, the works.”
“And if I said I could make things work with you, without those things?”
“I wouldn’t believe you.”
“But would you give me a chance?”
I didn’t answer.
“How about one night, then?” He cupped my face in his hands. “One night and a few extra hours. If you hate it, you don’t have to stay.”
“What’s the collateral this time?”
He laughed. “Me.”
