AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Nick glares at him for a beat, but then he smirks, raising his hands in surrender. “Okay, boss. You ruined the moment, anyway.”
It isn’t a convincing forfeit, and it takes Kai a moment to let him go. But when he does, Nick slides away and heads toward the stairs. He begins to descend them, but he turns around once more. His lazy eyes meet mine and then Kai’s. “You can have her. She’s probably a bore in the sack anyway. The innocent ones always are.”
“Get. Out.” Kai’s voice is surprisingly calm in its firmness.
Nick sets his jaw. He breathes heavily, staring at Kai. He starts to open his mouth, but thinks better of it and silently meets my gaze one last time before finally disappearing from view.
Kai turns to me, and his face softens immediately. “Are you ok?” He crosses the hall and sets his hands gently on my shoulders.
I’m still plastered against the wall in shock, and I can feel myself shaking, still vibrating in fear. But relief quickly replaces the terror that has built up inside me. A knot forms in my throat, and I want to say yes, but all I can do is nod as a single tear escapes my eye.
I want to hug him. I want to bury myself in his chest; in the safety I feel with him now.
I want to, but I don’t.
He’s still breathing hard from the exchange, but his expression relaxes even more as he runs his hands along my upper arms. “This is your place, right?” He points at the door next to us.
I nod again, reaching down to pick up my bag and retrieve my key. I take a shaking breath as I try to line it up with the slot, but my hands are too unsteady. Metal clanks against metal in my failed attempt.
“Here, let me,” Kai says gently, taking the key from my fingers and sliding it easily into the lock.
He pushes the door open, and we both step inside. He closes it and twists the lock behind him, and then he takes my shaking shoulders again and guides me to sit down on a kitchen chair.
“Did he hurt you?” He eyes me with concern.
I shake my head, sniffling through the embarrassing quantity of tears that are still falling onto my cheeks.
His jaw twitches in anger, but his breathing is returning to normal. He eyes a box of tissues on the counter and gets one for me.
“Thank you… I’m sorry,” I croak as I take it from him, wiping the tears from my cheeks and remembering how nasty I was to him when he tried to help me earlier.
The guilt is strong.
He’s silent as he sits down next to me.
“I’m so stupid,” I whisper through shaking breaths.
“Why do you say that?” Kai asks softly.
I stare at the floor. “I didn’t think he’d actually go that far.”
He’s quiet for a moment, and from the corner of my eye, I see him rest his hands together on his lap. He sighs. “Well, it won’t happen again. I’m calling George in the morning.”
I look up at him quickly. His figure is wavy beyond the tears that still rim my eyes. “What?”
He shakes his head. “Nick should have never been hired for the job in the first place, and now, he’ll have a heck of a time getting another one.” He points at the door. “There are security cameras in the hallway.”
I drop my head to my hands, waiting for him to say ‘I told you so.’
But it never comes.
“I’m so embarrassed.” I sniffle.
Kai rests his hand on my back. “You have absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about.”
I grimace. “Maybe I led him on—”
“Nope,” Kai replies firmly before I can continue. “Don’t even think about blaming yourself.”
