We arrived at Erika’s apartment building thirty minutes later, the night ruined, but far from over. Christ, we’d been so close to losing it on that dance floor, but all of that tension had been erased by one simple phone call.

I paid the cab driver while Erika rushed up the steps ahead of me. I followed her, rushing just as much as she was, though my wide stride made up for her harried footsteps. She was gorgeous, even as she ran with panic written all over her face.

Christ, it made this even more difficult. Made me want to hold her. Protect her. Do things I’d never envisioned doing, not once, not fucking ever.

We hit the elevator and Erika punched the button for the third floor, frantically.

“Hey, easy,” I said, and shifted her hand from the pad. “It’s going to be all right.”

“But she’s not answering her phone,” Erika replied, but set her jaw. She wasn’t hysterical, just worried, and I took her hand in mine and squeezed it. “Just want to know she’s all right.”

“She’ll be fine,” I said, as the elevator doors rolled open. We stepped out into the hall and our feet squelched on the carpeting.

“Huh?” Erika looked down at her fancy shoes. “Oh my god. There’s water everywhere. Everywhere.”

I pointed to her apartment door, which was open, and which appeared to be the source of the flood. Water trickled out of it and into the hall. A few of the other residents had come out to assess the situation.

“Luna!” Erika yelled, and her friend finally made her appearance, detaching from a group of people at the other end of the hall and rushing over, her feet splooshing with every step. This would’ve been humorous if not for the sheer horror in her expression.

“Well, shit,” I said, and scratched a hand through my hair.

“There you are.” Luna halted in front of us, breathless. “Oh—my. It’s the—oh.”

“What happened?” Erika asked. “The apartment’s flooded?”

“You can say that again.” I stepped forward and peered into the place. Water pumped out of the kitchen, likely from the sink. Or was it?

“It’s a busted pipe or a few of them. Oh gosh, I don’t know what it is, all I know is I was in the bath, enjoying some me-time, when this horrible cranking squeal rang out. And next think I knew… Water, everywhere. Water pouring out from under the sink. I just—the super’s gone to switch off the water for the apartment, but it’s already too late, Ricky. The place is flooded. It’s ruined.”

“Oh my god,” Erika whispered, shaking her head. “I don’t believe it. Can they fix it? Can we still live here?”

“They can and they have to. Goddamn, my parents didn’t buy this apartment for it to flood and put me out of a home. Look, I’ve already called Mom, and she said they’re sorting it out with the building’s board. They’ll fix this, but for now, we’re going to have to relocate.”

“You’re kidding,” Erika said. “I can’t relocate. I’ve got residency with St. Katherine’s.”

Luna bit her bottom lip and shook her head. “I’m sorry, Ricky. It all happened so fast. I—I could ask my folks to help put you up in a hotel until it’s fixed.”

“No!” Erika responded. “No. No, I’ll figure something out. Don’t worry about me.”

“You can stay with me,” I said, without thinking first. She can do what now? Have you fucking lost it? But my brain was detached from my mouth. “Yeah, I live close to the hospital, and I’ve got plenty of spare rooms in the suite.”

“Suite?” Erika asked. Both women stared at me as if I’d grown an extra head.

“Penthouse,” I replied.

Luna’s jaw dropped. “Well, OK then. All’s well that ends well, right?”

“No, not right,” Erika replied, and squelched a step closer to me. “Noah, look, that’s really kind of you, but I don’t think it’s the best idea for us to be staying together.”

“Kind of me? So much for that tough, bad-boy exterior,” I said and quirked my lip in a half-smile. “It’s not open for discussion. You can bet your ass, if I call Marc right now and tell him what happened, he’ll practically fucking beg me to take you under my wing.”

“Sure, that makes it so much more appealing,” Erika said. “I love being a charity case.”

“Well, it’s this or invest in a scuba suit.” I nodded to the apartment. The water had finally been shut off, but the place was practically fucking swimming.

“Very funny,” I replied.

“You should go with him,” Luna said. “I mean, my mom is driving down to check this place out, and after that, we’re heading straight back up to Syracuse.” She stepped closer to Erika and lowered her voice, but I could still make out every single word. “Seriously, just take this opportunity to get to know him better. Maybe you’ll discover something you like.”

“Luna,” Erika hissed.

“Stranger things have happened,” I put in, and both women blushed. “I have a guest room with an ensuite bathroom, Erika.”

“Fine,” she said at last.

Apparently, the bathroom had sold her. Maybe it was the prospect of a shower after a long and sweaty night. Or maybe, it was just the fact she had nowhere else to go. Either way, I’d fucking take it. What I’d said about Marc? Total bullshit. He’d probably go into anaphylactic shock if I mentioned his sister was staying with me.

Much like Erika, he was still caught up on the old Noah. He saw me as the guy who got women and left them, rather than one who had no interest in anything other than what I did for a living. Fuck it, it would be nice to have someone else in the apartment. Some noise other than the distant hum of traffic downtown.

I waited for Erika to say her goodbyes to Luna and trudge into her bedroom to collect a bag of clothes, hopefully not ruined. I took it from her when she came out and carried it to the elevator. She followed me, silent, shaking her head.

“It’s going to be OK,” I said.

She shrugged. “It has to be,” she replied, then looked over at me. “Thanks for doing this, Noah. I know it’s not what you want.”

“Isn’t it?”

But she looked away before I could drive that point home. She wanted me as bad as I wanted her, and the guise of despising me would fall away soon enough. This was dangerous, having her living with me, the temptation there all the fucking time.

This wasn’t part of the plan, but I couldn’t back out now. Couldn’t imagine her struggling, paying for a motel close to the hospital while she waited for shit to get sorted out.

I called a cab, and we rode to my apartment building in silence. She sat against the opposite door, staring out at the passing streets. I gave her the time to gather her thoughts. Fuck it, I needed the time myself.

What would happen when we were up there together? Fuck, I’d always gone for what I wanted in the past and gotten it. Why would I stop now? I’d already involved myself in her life, pushed too far and too hard.

Was I whipped? Was this what it felt like?

If I closed my eyes now, pictured her gone, back in Chicago, zero complications, I was instantly hollow inside. Christ.

The cab pulled up outside my building, which overlooked Central Park, and I got out and opened the door for her, carried her bag inside.

“Wow,” she said, stopping short of the front doors. “This is a nice place.”

“I like it,” I replied. “Come on, Erika, it’s late.”

She didn’t budge. “You’re the only one who talks to me like they think I’ll do what they say.”

“It’s just who I am,” I replied, and that was true. Years of this much swagger hadn’t dulled my original confidence. People fell around me. I was the rock, I weathered the storm, and she was cut from the same cloth as me. She wouldn’t have mentioned it otherwise.

“Do you know who I am?” Erika asked.

I stared at her without answering. Cars rushed past, the normal stream of traffic, no matter the time of day or night.

She nodded. “That’s what I thought.” Erika walked past me, delectable in that red dress, her heels clicking on the concrete.

I entered after her and nodded to the doorman as we passed. I hit the button on the elevator, and we rode up to the top floor. The elevator opened up on the apartment. I led her into the massive living room, windows overlooking the park, the lights, the buildings.

She stalled just past the now-closed elevator doors. “Holy shit,” she said.

“Thanks,” I replied, and laughed. “I hardly see it anymore.” I checked my watch. “In fact, I’ve got an early appointment tomorrow morning.” It was an excuse, of course. Sure, I had that appointment, but we both had a day of work ahead of us, and the longer I spent around her, the more I lost the grasp on what I fucking wanted.

Her? Or more than her? More than just a night, a week? A conquest?

“OK, sure,” she said and slipped off her heels. She lifted them in one hand and padded across the marble floor. “Where should I, um, sleep?”

“This way,” I said, and walked across the living room. “Kitchen’s through there.” I gestured. “Main bedroom. Bathroom one. Guest room with ensuite. This is yours. Let me know if you need anything. I’ll be up a little while longer.”

“Thanks,” Erika said and squeezed past me, and I almost fucking lost it again. I inhaled her scent and held it in. “I’m sure I’ll be fine.” She faced me again. “Seriously, thank you for this. I really do appreciate it.”

“No problem. What are, uh—fuck, whatever. Look, it’s no big deal.” I handed her the bag, then walked off down the hall, each step faster than the last. The more space I put between us, the easier it became.

No emotions. Just sex. That was the rule. So what was this hot fucking lump sitting in the center of my chest whenever I thought about her? This had to stop, now.