I’d bought a place only a few streets over from the hospital a few years ago, since my whole world revolved around work.
“Just here. Great. Do you want to come up and see my place?” I asked them, and they looked at me like I’d asked them to cut off my hand.
I had to laugh. “You don’t have to. I can just go change and come back, and we can go to the hospital, if you like.”
“I’ll come,” Jay said, popping out of the back seat and opening the door for me.
Taylor and Dexter stayed firmly in the car. “We’ll wait for you. No problem.”
I turned away to hide my smile. These men had taken on bears set on ripping them apart, and not shown any fear. The idea of going in an elevator and entering a human apartment? I could see the terror on their faces.
“Let’s go, Jay.”
Jay walked next to me, not so close as to touch me, but like my shadow, moving as I did.
We went into the building, up the elevator and along the corridor to my sixth-floor apartment.
“You okay?” I asked him.
Jay nodded, swallowing hard. “Yeah. I’m not used to being this far off the ground.”
I shrugged. “I don’t even think about it, really. It was the best I could afford when I was a resident. I paid it off and haven’t really looked for anything better since. I’m barely at home anyway, to be honest.”
I kept a spare key in a lock box at the end of the hall and as I grabbed it, my stomach tightened with unease.
What was I doing back here? At my old apartment that I never really liked anyway?
Oh, stop it. Now you’re just being silly.
I palmed the key and walked over to my apartment. Number three.
The irony of that made me smile as I opened the door.
Jay walked in behind me and whistled as he looked around. “Nice.”
I tried to see my sterile living space the way he did. As a flashy new piece of technology with all the mod cons.
“Yeah, thanks. Let me change and we can go.”
I went straight to my bedroom and pulled out a pair of black slacks and a long, grey sweater.
Comfortable, covered and professional. Always, unless I could help it.
I reached for my old, comfortable cotton nickers and hesitated. If the guys came back to my place tonight… no.
My hand hovered over the lace.
Yes. I grabbed my nicest bra and panties—the only matching set I owned.
They’d love it, I was sure.
I rushed back out and found Jay in the same spot I’d left him.
“Wow, you look great.”
I smiled in thanks. I didn’t feel that great. Nor that comfortable back here, actually. I’d thought I’d be relieved to be back home, with all my familiar things. But it was more disappointing that I’d expected.
Then again, considering I did little more than sleep in my apartment, I shouldn’t be that surprised.