I’m exhausted.

I could sleep for a week, and I’ve only been awake for a few hours. The day is still young, but I’ve aged a hundred years in the past twenty minutes. I watch as Ben gently speaks to Katie, how he gets her safe with her mother and watches them as they depart. When he turns to look back at me, my whole body goes numb with relief.

He saved us.

I stared death in the face, and he was my avenging angel, crashing in just in time. Who knows what would have happened if he hadn’t come? How did he even know to come here in the first place? I can’t help but ask the question.

“How did you know?”

He shrugs and walks toward me, one step, two. He walks slowly, like he’s scared I might startle and run away.

“I had a bad feeling. When we stopped at the restaurant, Paul told us where you had gone and that things weren’t quite right. I didn’t ask questions after that. I acted.”

“You saved our lives.” My voice is loaded with wonder and gratitude and any number of emotions I don’t want to name right now.

He takes another step forward and reaches out his hand. His palm cradles my face as he stares into my eyes. “I got lucky. Sometimes that happens.”

“I don’t believe in luck. You have a skill.”

His chuckle is gentle as his thumb strokes my chin. I’m cherished and warm, and my exhaustion lets up a bit at his touch.

“Let’s say it takes a little bit of both in this job and leave it at that. You don’t have to disagree with me at every turn, you know. We could agree, sometimes.”

He’s trying to cheer me up, and to my surprise, it’s working. My mouth twitches with the hint of a smile as I gaze up at him. In this moment, he is like the sun, bringing life to my entire world.

Uh oh.

“Maybe. I’ll think about it.”

“Do that. In the meantime, we need to get you home safe.”

“In the meantime, I need to get back to work.”

“I thought you said you weren’t going to fight me on everything.”

“I said I’d consider it. I have a restaurant I need to open, and a sous chef to inform. Paul needs to know what’s happened, and to open up shop.”

Ben places his palms on my shoulders, and his eyes bore into mine, willing me to listen carefully. “Now hear this. You experienced a crime. Going back to work is inadvisable at best and dangerous at worst. You could go into shock while waiting on customers. Do you want to faint on the job?”

“I’m not that feeble,” I protest.

Ben doesn’t move. “I never said you were. Everyone goes into shock after being attacked, Naomi. Trust me, I’ve seen enough of it to know. Are you willing to trust my expertise here?”

I stare up at him, and I want to say no. I want to protest. I want to go to work and be busy and get my mind off of what just happened. The look in his eyes tells me that won’t be happening today.

“Fine, but we need to let Paul know.”

His lip twitches into the ghost of a smile, and he nods. “We can let Paul know. Are you ready to go home?”

I’ve never been more ready to go home in my entire life than I am in this moment. My hand instinctively goes to my back pocket, and I remember that my phone is on the ground by the chair. I glance in that direction, and Ben’s gaze follows. He sees my phone and takes action, stepping over the couch to grab it before he hands it to me. I palm it and place it back in my pocket.

“Thanks. Yes, I’m ready.”

“Just one more thing,” he says.

I stare up at him with curiosity, and without warning he wraps me in his arms and holds me close to him. At first, I’m taken off guard, but the warmth of him has me melting, and I rest my body against his. He’s so strong and powerful, but so gentle all at once. It’s a cocktail I can’t help but imbibe, and it soothes my battered soul. His hand strokes my back, and I listen to the sound of his heartbeat as I allow the gentle rhythm to calm my tattered nerves.

When he pulls away, I’m left hollow. I only feel whole when he’s holding me, but I don’t want to ask him to again. I want to leave this place and try never to relive this morning again.

Of course, that will never happen. It will likely haunt my dreams.

Ben laces his fingers with mine and escorts me from the building. He turns and closes the door behind us. We walk down the sidewalk, and we could be any couple going for a stroll, rather than a cop escorting a victim back to her house. I wish we were the former.

I wish it so badly.

We reach my front door, and I realize I left my keys in the restaurant. I tell Ben as much, and he holds fast to my hand as he leads us down the back alley to the kitchen. When we step inside, Paul’s worried expression greets us.

“Where’s Katie?” he asks.

I’m grateful for Ben as he updates Paul on the situation.

“The restaurant will need to remain closed for the day. You can open tomorrow.”

Paul looks to me to confirm this. He’s not taking orders from Ben. He’s taking them from me, and I respect him for it.

“He’s right. Let’s close shop today and recover. I don’t expect Katie to be back tomorrow or even the day after that, so I’ll take on serving duties. You will be compensated for the day, Paul.”

He shakes his head. “That’s not what you need to worry about right now. I’m fine. I’ll make sure everything’s set for tomorrow and put up the sign. Please take care of yourself, Naomi.”

“She will be safe, I assure you,” Ben says. We leave Paul behind to complete his tasks. I grab my keys from my office, and we head back to my place. Ben opens the door for me, and we walk inside together, our hands still clasped. It’s a lifeline that I desperately need, and I’m glad that he isn’t pulling away.

My gaze shoots to my busted-up window, and I frown. I remember that I’m not entirely safe here, either. Still, this is my home, and it’s the only place in the world I want to be right now.

With Ben.

“Why don’t you get comfortable on the sofa and put on something mindless? I’ll make us something to eat.” He drags his cell out of his pocket. “I’ve got to put in a call to the department too.”

“You can eat at a time like this?”

He lifts an eyebrow at me. “I’ve eaten after men were killed two feet in front of me. If we don’t eat, we don’t have the strength to carry on.”

I stare up at him. There’s so much about Ben that I don’t know. I can tell he wants to do something, to be busy and useful, so I nod.

I don’t feel particularly hungry, but maybe I will if Ben is the one providing the meal.

“Kitchen’s stocked. Feel free to make whatever you want.”

“Good, now lie down here and get comfortable.”

He leads me to the couch and guides me to a sitting position. He pulls a blanket from the other couch and flings it into the air and lowers it over me. He’s taking care of me.

It’s a nice feeling. Jordan never took care of me a day in his life. I could get used to this.

He kisses the top of my head, and he dashes over to the kitchen. I want to watch him. I want to see what he’s making, but he ordered me to rest and watch TV. Who am I to disobey such a request?

I turn on the television, but nothing good is on in the middle of the afternoon on a weekday. I switch it over to music and put on my favorite playlist. I’m lost in thought when Ben returns with a plate filled with a variety of fresh fruit, chopped into bite-sized pieces. I can’t help but laugh.

“This is your gourmet feast?”

His smile is boyish, and I want to kiss it right off his face. “You’re the chef. I’m a tinkerer.”

“A what?”

“I like to play with cars.”

“Oh,” I say. I glance down at the plate. He has arranged the fruit in a pleasing way, I must say. It’s not exactly a hearty clam chowder, but my stomach aches a little at the sight of it. Perhaps I am a little hungry after all.

Ben lifts a strawberry from the plate and holds it out to me for a bite. I smirk at him.

“I’m not that battle weary. I can feed myself.”

“I know. Just… humor me.”

The look in his eyes tells me that this isn’t a caregiver’s request. He wants to watch me put the fruit in my mouth, like I like to watch him put his tongue in my cunt. In spite of everything, or maybe because of it, my pussy tingles with excitement, and I want Ben all over me, now.

I lock eyes with him as I lean forward. He brings the ruby-colored fruit to my lips, and I open up to take a bite. My teeth come down against the succulent flesh of the fruit, and I chew and swallow it all while maintaining eye contact with Ben. When he breaks our connection, it’s because his gaze has traveled down to my lips. He captures my chin between his thumb and his index finger and gently pulls me forward.

I close my eyes as his lips touch mine.

He’s gentle, tentative even. He wants to make sure I’m not too fragile or even broken. My tongue darts out to lick his lips, to let him know that I’m stronger than he may think. It’s enough to convince him, because he scoots closer and lifts me off the couch and onto his lap. I can feel his erection beneath his jeans as my ass settles comfortably against him, and I kiss him with everything I’ve got.

Ben’s hands continue to cradle my face, and he kisses me, his tongue gentle and firm all at once. I breathe him in, and I enjoy the tingling sensation that’s taken over my entire body. The world around us dissolves, and he is my entire world.

One hand leaves my face and drifts south to cup my breast. It doesn’t linger there. Instead, it sinks lower until it’s at the hem of my cotton dress. His mouth stays hard on mine as his fingers dip between my legs, and he strokes my clit through my underwear.

My head swims with excitement and desire. And one other thing.

It’s occurred to me in this moment that I am falling in love with Ben. For the first time in my life, this thought doesn’t make me feel afraid.