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“You’re about as far from a hot mess as you can be, Taylor.” I shake my head. “Come on. Let’s go.”
“Oh. Hang on. I got this for you.”
She walks into the kitchen and picks up an unopened bottle of Jack Daniel’s.
“What’s that?”
“I drank the bottle you left last weekend. This is the replacement.”
My eyes widen knowing we only had a couple of shots out of it. “You drank the whole bottle?”
She smiles sheepishly. “It helped me sleep.”
“You had trouble sleeping? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You’re busy with the bar. What would you have done, anyway?”
“I could have come over.”
She laughs. “You do remember what happened last time you came over?”
I hold her gaze. As if I could forget. It’s all I’ve been able to think about since I left here last week. It’s mainly why I’ve stayed away for the past few days. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stop myself from touching her if I’d seen her. I guess having her in my arms on the sofa five minutes ago suggests I couldn’t.
“I remember.” She holds the whiskey out to me, but I shake my head. “Keep it.”
She frowns. “I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t drink Jack Daniel’s.”
I chuckle. “Really?”
She laughs too. “Okay. I don’tnormallydrink Jack Daniel’s. Please, take it.”
“Keep it, just in case. I’ll have it back if you haven’t opened it in a couple of weeks.”
“You’ll be getting it back. I won’t open it.” She turns away from me and places it back on the countertop. “So, what is it you want to show me?” she asks as she turns back around.
“Do you have the fob?” She grabs it from where she left it on the arm of the sofa and holds it up. “Come on, then.”
She follows me to the apartment door and down the stairs. When we reach the bottom, I turn, and her eyes go wide as she notices the new door at the entrance to the staff area.
“You had a door put on?” she asks, her voice not hiding her surprise.
I nod. “What happened last weekend made me realize just how shit the security is in this place. Anyone can get back here, and honestly, I’m surprised no one has tried over the years. Pass me the fob and I’ll show you how it works. It’s pretty simple.” She passes me the fob and I walk to the small gray box on the wall by the door. “There’s one of these panels on either side of the door and you’ll need the fob to get in and out. Hold it against the panel and the door will open.” I demonstrate and pull the door open.
When I let the door close, I turn around and she throws her arms around my neck. I don’t hesitate in pulling her against me, winding my arms around her waist. She’s up on her tiptoes and her head rests on my chest.
“Thank you,” she says quietly. “You don’t know how much safer I feel knowing no one can get back here.”
I increase my hold on her, hating that she’s been scared. “Is that why you haven’t been out of the apartment all week?” I ask softly, inhaling the vanilla scent of her shampoo. When she doesn’t answer, I lean back out of our embrace.
She screws up her nose. “Maybe.”
I sigh. “I wish you’d called or messaged me.”
“I felt stupid.”
