Vigilant

“You’re not ready for that,” she told him, once he came up for air. “Neither am I.”

“That’s not true.”

She laughed and ran her hand over his head, feeling the soft, buzzed hair. “It’s complicated,” she said, repeating what he’d told her on another night. “I know we’ve got this thing and it’s good, but rushing this seems crazy. We’re both pretty independent people. I mean, we like random hook-ups in bars. You spend your nights trolling for bad guys. I like to spend mine watching reality TV with Oliver.”

“That bar situation was a one-time thing,” he said.

“Right,” she said, rolling her eyes. “When my parents died, something in me just stopped. I went through the motions, working, running, hanging out with Oliver. But underneath I had this numbness. The only way I could find a flicker of my old self was through the tattoos or going to the club. Taking risks.” She looked up into Davis’s face. “You make the numbness go away. And I don’t want that to stop, but I’ve got to figure out how to survive on my own. Especially now.”

He sighed and rolled so he faced her. Picking up her hand, he laced his fingers through hers. “So wow, you really don’t want to get traditional with me?”

“By living over a gym of sweaty teenage boys and dealing with their emotional crises all day? Not yet.”

In the darkened room, Ari saw his eyes narrowed. “But ‘not yet’ isn’t a full ‘no’, right?”

“I suppose not,” she said. He dropped her hand and his fingers wandered over her exposed flesh. Unable to resist, Ari climbed across his body and settled over his hips. His body trembled against hers and butterflies rippled through her stomach in response. This was another reason she needed space. Davis almost gave her too much life. They might not ever leave the bedroom if she moved in for real. “I need to go home and figure out my life. Get my courage back. Make dinner for Oliver.”

He traced the edge of her body with a finger, eliciting a shiver. “Can I still sneak in your room at night?”

She smiled and gave him a kiss, tugging on his bottom lip. “Anytime.”

* * *

Moving home took her a month, three coats of paint, new furniture, bedding, and an upgraded security system on her bedroom windows. Plus, Oliver promising to sleep at the end of her bed.

“You going to be okay?” Davis asked from the bottom step of her front porch. Colored lights wove around the porch railings and columns. A surprise from Oliver for her homecoming. Ari stared at the man in front

of her, handsome and strong. Caring and obscenely compassionate. She realized that Christmas was two weeks away. Even though she’d spent the last month living in his house—sharing his bed—she had no idea if she should get him a present.

Maybe this was what Davis meant by “complicated”.

“I’ll be fine,” Ari told him. Her hands were shoved in the big pocket of her sweatshirt, but she longed to touch his face. Feel the burn of heat from his skin. Even after all this, he was the one who made her feel alive, but even so, she needed to go home.

“The boys will be watching,” he told her. “You let me know if anything happens, alright?”

“Okay. I will. I promise.”

“Take care, Ari,” he told her, like he wouldn’t see her for a while. Maybe he wouldn’t. She didn’t know where things went from there.

“Bye, Davis.”

He leaned in to kiss her, hard and possessive, cradling her back with one arm. She kept her balance by gripping his shoulder, growing lightheaded from his intensity. Even when he pulled back, he kissed her twice more. Okay then, she would be seeing him again. Soon.

Ari entered the house knowing that he was probably still out there, and if it wasn’t him, he had members of his crew posted to watch. She should have minded but she didn’t. They made her feel safe.

Shutting the door, she found Oliver, waiting with Thai food, still in their plastic containers. Just how she liked it. She sat next to him, crossing her legs and getting comfortable.

“You spoil me,” she said, reaching for a fork.

“You have no idea. I recorded all your favorite shows while you were gone and saved them all for when you came back. I’m dying to find out who got kicked off Survivor.”

“You did that for me?” she asked, tears welling in her eyes.

“I love you, Ari. Don’t forget it.”

“I won’t,” she said.

Snuggled next to Oliver, Ari shut out the danger and men with super powers and gifts that made no sense. She shut out the bad guys waiting for their next chance. Because if she learned anything during the past months it was that she wanted to live. She wanted to learn how to feel again, push herself and continue to help those in need.