Before Vincent could explain further, Kurt came up behind me. Gripping my hips, he gently moved me out of the doorway so he could face off against Vincent. “Why am I not surprised to find you trying to flirt with Willa?”
“What’re you doing here?” Vincent asked.
Kurt leaned against the doorframe. “Taking care of Willa since she doesn’t have any family in town.”
Vincent stepped into Kurt’s space, going toe-to-toe with him. “You can go now. My next shift isn’t for another two days, and she’ll be better by then. I’ve got her.”
“Oh, hell no. We’re not fucking doing this.” Kurt shoved him farther into the hallway. “You’re a paramedic. You damn well know that the last thing Willa needs is to get worked up.”
“I’m not trying to upset her.” Vincent glared at him before turning his pleading gaze toward me. “I just want to help you. Please tell me you know that, Willa.”
My hand went up to my neck as I mumbled, “I-I–”
Kurt shot a worried look my way before shaking his head. “That’s it. You’re done here.”
“I’m not going to leave her alone with you,” Vincent spat, wedging his foot in the doorway before Kurt could slam it shut.
“You might not want me to be the one to take care of her, but Willa’s dad is more than happy for her to be in my hands.”
“Her dad? I-I didn’t know,” he sputtered.
“Why would you? You’re just her neighbor after all.” Vincent looked wounded by that comment, and Kurt took full advantage by slamming the door in his face.
“That was super weird.” I stared up at Kurt with wide eyes, trying to wrap my brain around what had just happened. “I barely know the guy. Why was he so determined to be the one to take care of me?”
“Excellent question,” he murmured, pulling me into his arms for a quick hug before brushing a kiss against the top of my head. “But not one we’re going to worry about right now.”
I darted a glance at the wall I shared with Vincent. “I feel weird knowing he’s so close while I’m not feeling one-hundred-percent.”
“Now, that is something we don’t need to wait another day to fix.” Interlacing our fingers, he tugged me toward my bedroom. “Pack whatever we need. We’ll stay at my place instead.”
Under normal circumstances, there was no way I would have agreed to his suggestion. But Kurt had proven the nurse from yesterday right—he was one of the good guys. He’d put my well-being ahead of his sexual needs when things had gotten hot and heavy between us last night. I was safe with him. Besides, how could I turn down the chance to see where he lived and learn more about him? So I did what he asked and tossed a bunch of stuff into a suitcase. Way more than I needed for the next couple of days, but he didn’t seem to mind that I packed enough to last me until classes started next week.
We were quiet during the ride across town, but the silence was oddly comfortable. I liked that neither of us felt the need to fill it with pointless chatter and could just be together without saying anything.
The building he pulled into was impressive, with a keypad to get into the garage and a passcode to use the elevator. Once the door to his condo shut behind us, Kurt looked almost as relaxed as he’d been when I’d watched him sleeping. Seeing the tension leave his body made me happy that I’d agreed to come to his place even though we barely knew each other. And my dad would appreciate the extra security…when I finally got around to telling him what happened. I’d need to send him a text soon so he didn’t worry, but I wasn’t ready to let him know about the mugging and my concussion. Maybe it was selfish of me, but I wanted this time with Kurt before he came charging into town to make sure I was okay.
“Great place,” I murmured as I scanned the living area. His condo had an open floor plan, so I was able to take in the brown leather couch and chair, dark oak tables, and eighty-inch flat-screen television in the living room, along with the granite countertops and stainless-steel appliances in the kitchen. The apartment my dad had gotten me was nice, but Kurt’s home was in a different league.
“I would’ve gone with a house for the extra privacy, but between my responsibilities at the hospital and with the Silver Saints, the last thing I wanted to worry about was yard work and shit.” He rolled my suitcase with one hand while keeping the other on my lower back as he led me past the kitchen and toward the bedrooms. “One of my club brothers did some soundproofing so I don’t have to worry about my neighbors hearing something they shouldn’t.”