Chapter Nine

Elle

HIS ARMS WERE warm steel.

He caught me in my semi-slide as I plummeted down the rock wall.

He didn’t manage to catch my entire weight, and my legs jarred as they hit the ground, but he cradled my torso with infinitesimal gentleness.

We stayed like that for far longer than necessary, swaying in each other’s embrace, somehow deleting the stranger danger and becoming acquainted instead.

He cleared his throat, moving back.

I shivered as his arms unraveled, leaving me to my own gravity, removing himself from my orbit.

He waited until I had my balance before striding into the gloom. “Now that we’re in, keep an eye out for security guards.”

Fear multiplied. “Guards? As in guards with guns?”

“Probably. Doesn’t everyone in America own a gun?”

I hated that he was right. Even my father had one locked in a case at home. Not that he’d ever used it—that was why we had bodyguards.

The thought of how different our worlds were made me self-conscious. What would he say if I admitted that the building glowing the brightest on the horizon was mine?

That I crunched numbers and paid bills on a daily basis valued at more than he’d probably seen in his entire life?

He didn’t notice my sudden heavy steps as he slinked through the few bushes and disappeared into the dark.

Following him, I did my best not to imagine monsters in the swaying foliage and remain level-headed. I missed Sage. I missed her whiskers and long, silver tail.

I missed normalcy and a place where ~I~ was in charge and not the universe taking me on a jeopardy-filled odyssey.

But even as homesickness filled part of my heart, freedom filled the other.

The longer I was in his company, the more I found the confidence to be the girl who stood up to crooks in nothing but her bra.

To speak my mind and chase after a man who did strange things to my stomach.

And above all, not to embarrass myself.

Whoever my guide was, he had an air of aloof confidence that made it vital he saw me as strong not weak if I wanted him to notice me and not just pity me.

We didn’t speak as we navigated the bushes. A few lights here and there offered illumination, while the flashlight of a security guard patrolling in the distance made us hug the treeline.

“Where are we going?” I whispered.

“You’ll see.”

Our sneakers scuffed through brush and twigs, so loud to my ears but no doubt unnoticeable by whoever enforced the laws about breaking into this place.

Popping from the undergrowth, we dashed across a path and entered a grassy field with caged baseball courts under the half moon.

“Come on. Hurry.” He held out his hand, guiding me toward the super high chain link fence. “Climb.”

“What?” I peered into the starlit sky. “Are you insane?”

He looked over his shoulder as a branch snapped. “Hurry.” Pushing me upward, he didn’t give me a choice. His hand landed on my ass, searing his fingerprints into my flesh.

A comet somehow fell from the dark velvet above and lodged itself in my chest.

It took every ounce of concentration to climb when all I could think about was his fingers touching me where no other man had before.

He followed me, scaling so much faster with experience. Reaching the top, he slung his body over and just let go. His black-clad body fell with all the grace of a jungle cat.

I didn’t have the balls.

I crawled over the top—thankful there was no barbed wire—and climbed down a few rungs before finally dropping to the stable ground below. My fingers smarted from gripping the harsh metal.

He showed no sign of being affected at touching me in an intimate place so I didn’t either—even though my ass cheek throbbed as if he’d spanked me.

“Won’t they see us in here?” I glanced around for security cameras. I spied one aimed at the home diamond. “Wait.” I hissed.

He turned around, his eyebrow arched in question.

“The camera.” I cocked my chin at the lens glinting in the starlight.

“It doesn’t work.”

The way he said it made it sound as if he knew exactly why it didn’t work. ~So he’s a vandal and a vigilante?~

Fighting my nerves, I paced after him until we stood in the center of the field.

All around us (outside the chain link) were manicured lawns and sweeping trees to give watchers a spot of shade on hot days.

Once in the middle of the playing field, he fell into a cross-legged position and tugged my hand to join him.

I struggled against his weight for a second but finally gave in and joined him. The moment I was sitting, he pushed my shoulder.

My abs clenched against his pressure, trying to stay upright.

But it was no use.

His eyes locked on mine, adding more authority until I gave up fighting and followed his command. Down and down, until my spine kissed the soft grass.

My heart chugged blood like it was starving.

Untangling his legs, he reclined, slowly slotting his body along mine, stealing my breath, making every cell spring into tiny knife-like blades of sensation.

His gaze landed on my lips, drawing awareness and concentration into overpowering levels. My head swam with the possibility of him kissing me.

His gaze hooded, his own thoughts of kissing me coating his face.

I didn’t know how I felt about him kissing me. Would I let him? Would I scream?

I hated to admit that I ~would~ let him. That I’d probably kiss him back.

That despite my wariness, I trusted him, and if I was going to do something as reckless as kiss a total stranger under the moon in the middle of Central Park, it would be this nameless man.

~Is this what he meant when he said he wanted something from me?~

Did he think I was easy?

A sure thing?

Even with such awful thoughts in my head, my body didn’t buy into the shame.

My chin arched. I licked my lips. The world stood still.

He swayed closer, propping himself up on an elbow to hover his face over mine.

~Oh God, he’s truly going to kiss me.~

My first real kiss.

Something I would remember for the rest of my life, regardless if I remained a spinster to Belle Elle or married a man who would always be second best to my career.

But then…he stopped.

Pulling back, he shook his head and lay back down. “What the fuck am I doing?” Cradling his head in the palm of his hand, he looked up at the moon.

For the shortest glimpse, a tortured need glimmered in his gaze then disappeared.

I sucked in a much-needed breath, trying to decide what the hell just happened.

My mouth went dry. My chest full of feathered wings. Jitters took over my motor skills as I replayed the almost-kiss over and over.

A few minutes ticked past.

The grass rustled as he sat up, digging his hand into his hoodie pocket.

Pulling free a wrapped chocolate bar, he glanced at me with a faint glint of possession and indecision.

My stomach growled at the sight of food, reminding me I hadn’t eaten since a mouthful of spicy beef burrito. He smirked at my noisy tummy then courteously but reluctantly offered me the chocolate.

“Here. You sound hungrier than I am.”

My hand came up, accepting his gift. Waiting to make sure I had hold of it, he dropped his arm. He sighed heavily, finding it hard to tear his gaze away from the chocolate and focus on the moon.

His own stomach gurgled quietly as he placed a splayed hand over his waist and pressed down.

Everything inside me hurt. The vulnerability of him in that moment. The generosity of giving up the only food he had, even though he was most likely starving.

I worked with people on a daily basis who would rather throw out entire platters of food than donate it to those in need.

The news on TV was full of greed and cruelty and rich assholes thinking only of themselves.

And then there was him.

A man I didn’t know. A savior I’d only just met. But someone who had a profound effect on me in the hour we’d been together.

He sighed again, swallowing hard as he finally tore his gaze away and looked at the stars.

When was the last time he ate? Where did he get a candy bar? When was the last time he’d eaten anything more substantial than just chocolate?

My hunger turned to indigestion as I did my best to guess his story. His body hunched as his stomach stopped growling.

His sneaker-covered feet were threadbare and rubber-worn, speaking of so many miles traveled and no sanctuary found.

The silver glint of the moon played on the black of his hoodie, making it seem as if he dressed in liquid mercury.

My hands shook as I opened the candy bar and slowly unwrapped it. His jaw clenched at the noise of the wrapper. The soft rustling of grass hinted he wasn’t as relaxed as he appeared.

The tension rippling off him was that of a starving wolf wanting to attack its prey but finding restraint—barely.

I couldn’t stop staring at him. Couldn’t stop my heart from pushing through my ribs to go to him. To demand his name, his background, to know how he had such a power over me.

~What is this…magic…between us?~

Was it like this between any boy and girl? Was the desire to cuddle close and listen as much as the need to curl close and kiss the basis of...~dare I say it...~attraction?

I scoffed.

~Attraction?~

What do you know about attraction, Elle?

You’re a closet romantic who knows nothing but spreadsheets and merchandise.~

I was an idiot to believe there was something going on between us—known or unknown, unique or mundane.

The chocolate bar melted a little in my fingers. My tummy churned; I did the only thing I could do.

I had to accept his gift now; otherwise, he would know I suspected he was homeless and hungry and would never tolerate my pity.

But I couldn’t eat it all because if he ~was~ homeless, what else would he have? How long would that eighty dollars last him in a city that was so expensive just to survive?

Tearing the chocolate in half, I sat up and placed his half on his knee. “Thank you.”

His eyes found mine as his hand latched over the candy. His gaze danced over my face, lips, and hands.

His fingers curled almost unconsciously around the chocolate with a feral gleam, just daring me to take it away.

Slowly, he nodded, accepting that I knew things he didn’t want to say and agreed to eat because, if nothing else, there was trust between us.

I gave him some space by looking away.

Taking my time, I nibbled on the chocolate, nougat, and caramel, doing my best to focus on taste rather than my physical awareness of him.

It was impossible.

The entire evening—from the perfumed park, to the dewy grass, to the silent man inhaling half a chocolate bar—seared on my mind like an old-fashioned photograph, developing from blurred to sharp with hasty capture.

A memory created by this man, this night, and this sugary confectionery. I would never again walk through Central Park without remembering him or how much he’d shaken up my innocent, boring world.

Taking tiny bites to make the treat last longer, I didn’t expect conversation. So when a soft murmur interrupted the silence of the park, I jolted.

“Do you come here often?”

I wanted to giggle. It sounded like a cheesy pick-up line. He didn’t crack a smile or soften. He was serious.

I looked at him through the waterfall of blonde hair that’d fallen over my shoulder. He’d already finished his dinner (or was that breakfast or lunch or a midnight snack?)

Once again, the shadows of his beard and the silver-light made him seem mystical and not quite real. Too handsome to be real. Too ~much~ to be real.

I swallowed my nerves and chocolate. “Not as much as I would like.”

“Why?”

“Because I work all hours of the day. I rarely get to leave the office.”

He shifted his eyes from the open field to the tall buildings in the distance with their glowing windows and adult obligations. Belle Elle was the brightest jewel, mocking me, telling me to come home.

“Do you like it? Being cooped up all day with no freedom?”

I shrugged. “Who truly loves their work?”

He didn’t reply.

“I get satisfaction from doing a job well done. I like knowing I’ve done something worthwhile.” I looked down. “So yes, I guess I do enjoy it.”

He kept his attention on the buildings, glaring at Belle Elle as if he already knew it owned my life and soul, and that whatever this was, it was nothing compared to contracts and lifetime legacies.

“It must be nice to afford expensive things like birthday necklaces.”

I licked my fingers free of my final bite of candy. “Do you know much about jewelry?”

He threw me a caustic look. “I’m not completely ignorant. Just because I’m—” He cut himself off, returning to stare at the cityscape. “I know enough.”

“I’m not saying you didn’t.”

“Just drop it.”

“For your information, I didn’t buy that necklace. It was a gift. I did mention that.”

He tensed. “From a boyfriend?”

“Would it bother you if I said yes?”

He laughed harshly. “Why would it bother me?”

I shook my head, my cheeks pinking in embarrassment. I had no idea why I’d asked or why it hurt so much that he’d found my question funny. “No reason.”

I couldn’t look up. The grass was suddenly incredibly interesting. I plucked a few blades, running them through my fingers.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him twist slightly, his face hidden. Slowly, his hand came up, his fingers nudging my chin. I didn’t want to look at him, but his pressure gave me no choice.

I let him raise my head. Our eyes locked and breathing became a task I could no longer perform.

“Do you trust me?”

I trembled as his fingers slowly unfurled from guiding my head up to linking around my nape.

I couldn’t speak.

I managed the smallest nod.

His fingers tightened, pulling my face toward his. I sucked in a shallow breath as his gaze dove deeper into mine and his tongue wetted his lips. “I—I won’t hurt you.”

His whisper landed on my mouth just before he pulled me hard.

Our lips connected.

I froze.

The scent of grass and strange male hit my nostrils. The wildness of open skies and midnight made me uninhibited and free.

My eyes grew heavy, closing of their own accord as he added pressure to the kiss, tilting my head with his grip behind my neck.

I gave up every control without a thought. My spine turned to water. My insides to steam.

He groaned a little, understanding my submission even when I didn’t.

Scooting closer, his lips parted. The tip of his tongue darted out to test me. Test to see if I trusted him enough to let him kiss me in an empty park. Trust him enough not to go too far or hurt me.

I answered back in the only language I currently knew. My lips opened, my tongue hesitantly touching his with truth.

The explosion of chocolate made me moan under my breath as he licked deep inside my mouth.

He didn’t hesitate.

There was no sloppiness or confusion. His hand held me steady, his mouth worked mine, and every part of me flared with drowning, dark desire.

He shifted until his knees nudged mine, his arm wrapping around my waist, deleting the space between us.

The awkwardness of sitting on damp grass wrapped in a man I didn’t know didn’t stop the heat of the kiss from escalating.

Our tongues met and retreated.

Our lips slipped and connected.

With every heartbeat, we increased speed and depth until I lost control of the rest of my body and found my fingers in his long dark hair, tugging the lengths, learning the strands weren’t soft like silk but thick and dreadlocked with neglect.

That I was kissing a potentially homeless man didn’t stop me from wanting more. Grabbing a fistful of his hair, I pulled him demandingly into me.

He swayed closer then snapped. He pushed me backward, forcing me to lie down. The moment I was horizontal, he lay down beside me.

One leg pressed over mine, his thigh deliberately going between my legs. His body weight pinned me down.

I tried to fight, doing my best to hold on to some semblance of decency, but the moment he lay half on top of me, wedging our bodies together as if this was ~exactly~ what we were born to do—with his erection against my hip, and his arm around my waist, and his tongue in my mouth, and his touch on my neck... I gave in.

I wasn’t afraid.

I wasn’t lost.

Not like I was an hour ago when two men pressed their unwanted pieces of anatomy against me. This man... I ~wanted~ him to. This man I didn’t know but shared an intoxicating connection with.

Lights flashed in my eyes as his tongue dove deeper, dragging another moan from every crevice left inside me.

I looped my leg around his, arching my hips, pressing against his hardness, feeling myself swell and heat and melt and ~yearn.~

He groaned long and low as our hips fought to get closer. Impatience I’d never felt before suddenly hated denim and zippers and rules.

Nineteen and never been kissed.

I would do it all over again if this was my first true sexual experience.

If every firework going off in my eardrums and eyelids was because of him, I would gladly be celibate for the rest of my days to deserve more.

Because of him, I was unhinged and grinding with insanity, giving into madness I’d never understood.

How had my night ended like this?

Where had this spontaneity come from?

This recklessness?

My teeth caught his bottom lip, dragging a slip tide of violence and need from him. He growled into my mouth, nipping and licking exactly like the starving wolf I thought he was.

“Fuck, what—what are you doing to me?” His breathless grunt did things. Glorious, ~delicious~ things. His voice created knots and bows with my insides.

It filled my stomach with whirlwinds; it affected my core until my panties grew as damp as the grass we lay upon.

I loved knowing I affected him the way he affected me.

Adored that we were in this craziness together—tripping into whatever rabbit hole we’d found and deciding to kiss and kiss until we splatted against the bottom.

His hands roamed, skating over my sides, keeping to the boundaries of pleasure. I arched, twisting a little to intercept his fingers as they swooped up and found my breast.

We both gasped, stealing oxygen from each other’s lungs and sharing a moan-filled shudder. My hands felt empty—I needed to touch something of his.

Something I’d never touched before and didn’t know how but I wanted to. So. Damn. Much.

Lights appeared again. I was delirious with need but with no experience or knowledge on how to relieve such desire.

I wanted him to do something. Touch something. Remove this tingling sparkling supernova deep in my belly.

But he tore his lips from mine, his head flying upward in a rain of messy hair and smeared chocolate.

“Shit.” He pulled away, leaving my body wanting and unsatisfied. “We’ve got to go. Now!”

The lights were brighter with my eyes open.

It wasn’t him.

It was security.

“Hey, you!” A flashlight shone directly on us.

Kissing forgotten, he jumped to his feet and grabbed my hand. He hauled me effortlessly upright and yanked me into a run. “Go!”

I didn’t hesitate.

My sneakers dug into the grass, propelling me as fast as I could.

“Stop!” The security guard gave chase, his flashlight bouncing erratically.

He skirted the outside of the baseball field but most likely had keys as he jogged breathlessly toward the stands rather than try to outrun us as we bolted for the other side of the fence.

Reaching the chain link, the nameless man I’d just kissed grabbed my hips and boosted me a foot into the air. “Climb. Fast.” His voice wasn’t out of breath but throbbed with urgency.

He rippled with the need to bolt.

I clutched the metal and scurried as fast as I could with my shoes barely fitting into the holes. The fence wobbled as he scaled it faster than I could, swinging over the top and dropping down.

“Come on!” he hissed.

I climbed faster, curling myself over the top.

He paced below, holding his arms out. “Jump. I’ll catch you.”

“What…~again~?” That he’d already demanded to catch me twice in our short relationship almost made me laugh. Had we formed habits already?

Hysteria at being chased made jumbled emotions run riot. Laughter became nervousness. Attraction became anxiety.

“Do it, Elle.” His tone gave no argument.

The security guard had vanished, but it didn’t mean he wouldn’t pop up any second. Clinging to the other side, I looped my fingers tight.

“I’m here.” He braced his legs, waiting.

Giving him one last glance, hoping to God he was a man of his word, I squeezed my eyes and let go.

The fall set my stomach tangling with my throat. I landed awkwardly like a bride who’d fallen from the altar into her groom’s arms.

He grunted, pulling my horizontal form into his embrace. He stumbled but didn’t drop me. Our eyes met; a half-smirk hijacked his lips. “Couldn’t stay away from me, huh?”

I swatted his shoulder. “You’re the one who told me to jump.”

His face darkened. “I’m also the one who kissed you.”

A flashlight appeared; a garbled shout was closer.

“Shit.” He let my legs go, swinging me to vertical. The instant my feet touched the ground, he grabbed my hand and yanked me forward.

We ran.

Air and speed and night-sky.

More flashlights appeared from other ends of the park, dancing with rays of righteousness as back-up guards arrived, chasing us like hounds.

“Oh, my God!” I yelled. “What do we do?”

“Keep running.” He pulled me forward, slipping into a faster gear.

I wasn’t unfit (thanks to my regular gym sessions) but I couldn’t keep up with his pace. My lungs burned. My mouth opened wide, gulping at unhelpful air.

A security guard appeared to our left, bursting from the night-shrouded bushes. Behind him ran four men in uniform.

Police.

~Holy shit.~

Why are the police involved?~

We hadn’t vandalized property or hurt anyone. We’d gone for a stroll and kissed under the moon. What was so wrong with that?

“Fuck!” Nameless squeezed my hand, doing his best to drag me faster. “Come on!”

I shook my head, stumbling, dragging him back. “Can’t.” Tugging on his grip, I did my best for him to release me. “My legs are cramping. Let me go.”

“No.” His fingers locked tighter. “I won’t let you get arrested because of me.”

~Arrested?~

That awful word and terrifying implications gave me a final shot of energy. I ran as fast as I could, for as long as I could. The flashlights slowly lost ground but then sped up to match us.

~It’s no use.~

Lactic acid built up and up until I limped rather than ran. He had no choice but to either let me go or slow down.

I didn’t want him to leave, but I also didn’t want him to face a situation he didn’t need to.

“Go on.” I gasped. “Run. I’ll catch up.”

He glowered at my lie. “You won’t catch up. They’ll take you into custody.” He punched a sapling as we sprinted past. “Fuck!

“This is all fucked up!” Sweat glistened on his brow, his black hood streamed behind him. The soft slaps of our shoes on the pavement matched our ragged breathing.

He wasn’t afraid of a reprimand. He was livid at being caught. I was sure we weren’t the first to jump the wall and find some private time together. He was wrong to think we’d be arrested…surely?

But it was more than that to him. Whatever existence he lived was a dangerous one.

I didn’t know what he had survived, yet here he was, pulling me forward on false energy granted from half a chocolate bar.

I had no right to get him caught. Not when I hindered him while he tried to do the right thing by keeping me safe. For the second time.

~He doesn’t even know me, yet he’s claimed responsibility for me.~

My heart lurched, doing its best to force out lactic acid and provide life-granting blood to my suffering legs. But I was done. There was nothing left to do but stop and accept the punishment.

“Listen!” I tugged again, planting my feet to create drag. “You go. I’m slowing you down.”

“Shut up. Just trust me.” He didn’t look back or let go. “Run!”

I had money for lawyers if it came down to being arrested. He most likely didn’t. I couldn’t be responsible for taking his freedom away.

“No! Just let me go!”

Looking over his shoulder, he eyed the police slowly catching up. A decision flashed in his gaze just before his feet changed direction and he hurled me into the bushes off the path.

We crashed into branches and leaves. The world became an evergreen maze.

But then he shoved my back against a trunk, wedged his body against mine, and kissed me so damn hard, so crazily thorough, I suffocated from running and kissing and every dangerous passion he poured down my throat.

My hands came up, clutching his hoodie as his tongue tangled with mine, knotting and licking, stealing every last breath I had.

Pulling away, he rested his forehead on mine, a roguish smile replacing his grimace. “I’m not letting you go.

“I’ve only just found you.” A tenderness glowed in his brown eyes that I’d never seen from another other than family.

My knees trembled. “You don’t even know me.”

He placed a whisper-kiss on my mouth. “I don’t have to know you. I ~feel~ you.” His hand slowly threaded up my side, taking liberties I’d given him in a moment of insanity on a baseball field.

Never looking away, he cupped my breast, running his thumb over my flesh.

I moaned a little, my jaw going slack as desire sprang thick.

He kissed me again, stealing my cry, pressing his hips against mine. “I feel you like this.” He squeezed my breast softly. “And I feel you like this.” He rocked erotically.

“But I feel you most of all with this.” His touch climbed from my breast to my heart, pressing down over the rapidly beating muscle. “I don’t care that I don’t know you. I know enough.”

I didn’t know what to say.

This couldn’t be real.

How had my night gone from alley robbery to bush-filled kisses? How had I transcended from lonely workaholic to falling for a man I’d only just met?

A man who lived on the opposite scale of me in every little thing. Wealth and poverty. Safety and danger.

“Come home with me.” If I were older with my own apartment, that invitation would’ve reeked with sex. But I wasn’t older and didn’t live alone.

My need for him to be with me wasn’t just about me but him, too. I wanted to protect him, shelter him—to give him a better chance than the world had so far.

He chuckled, brushing his mouth over mine. Deliberately ignoring my demand, he murmured, “You asked me before if I would’ve been pissed if a boyfriend gave you that necklace.”

I stiffened then melted as his tongue licked mine sweetly. “The answer is yes. I would’ve been fucking pissed.”

My face burned. My lips tingled. I couldn’t help my stupid grin. “It was my father.”

His hand lashed out, dragging my face to his for another messy half-violent, half-tender kiss. I sucked in a breath as the same intoxicating arousal billowed. I bit his bottom lip.

He groaned, nipping me back.

“This is crazy.” I hugged him close.

“All things worth fighting for are crazy.” He kissed my forehead.

“But I don’t even know your name—”

And then we were flying.

Something heavy and brutal knocked us sideways, tackling us as a flashlight split through our sanctuary of bushes, showing the silhouette of a hulking security guard as he threw us to the ground.

Twigs sliced through my jacket, pebbles and dirt smeared my hands, and Nameless grunted in agony as another guard landed on top of him.

My shoulder screamed as I rolled incorrectly. The earlier punch to my temple pounded in sympathy, making the park swim.

Curse words and limbs flew as Nameless fought. “Get the fuck off us!”

“Easy, kid.” Another guard appeared, grabbing a flailing foot. “It’s over. Give it up.”

The man who’d landed on me slowly stood up, towering with smug victory on his chubby face. “Can’t run, girl. You’re surrounded.”

I glowered, scooting closer in the dirt to Nameless while he punched and fought.

“Let him go!” I clambered to my knees, whacking the back of some pudgy guy in a high-vis jacket. “Get off him!”

My arms were pinned behind my back.

“Give it a rest.” Someone hauled me upright. “Don’t assault a security guard, ma’am, unless you want to add that to your misdemeanors tonight?”

I tried to spin. But the man who held me gave no leeway. Yanking me backward, he said to Nameless, “Don’t be a hero. You’re outnumbered. Stop wasting time.”

My eyes connected with the man I’d kissed. He ceased fighting, turning limp rather than scrapping with the security guard.

We didn’t look away as a police officer stepped forward and ducked to grab his wrists.

With a sharp smile, Nameless swung once, twice, then gave up. A last hurrah rather than an attempt at escape.

His head didn’t bow as his arms were yanked behind his back like mine, and the sharp click of handcuffs being fastened interrupted the night.

He breathed hard as the police officer jerked him to his feet, not caring half the garden came with him in a tumble of dried leaves and dirt.

The security guard who’d launched on him stood too, limping a little but with a cruel sneer on his face at winning.

We were marched out of the bushes and made to stand on the pathway where joggers and pram-strollers would walk in a few hours when the sun rose.

For now, it was a processing place for illegal canoodling.

My heart thundered as I twisted my wrists in the cold metal imprisoning me. Tearing my gaze from Nameless, I glanced at the police officer lurking close to his captive.

“Please, you don’t have to arrest us.”

Another police officer with graying hair and a heavy artillery belt rubbed his jaw. “See, that’s where you’re wrong. Trespassing is a serious offense. As is indecent exposure.

“Plenty of crimes committed tonight.”

“Indecent exposure?” I scoffed. “When?”

“Making out in a public place.”

“That’s not illegal.”

“I saw him feeling you up.” A security guard with a sweaty face grunted. “Who knows how far you would’ve gone if I hadn’t interrupted. Sex on a baseball field? That’s a punishable offense.”

My cheeks pinked. I didn’t want to discuss anything to do with sex with these idiots. “That’s your word against ours. We would never go that far. We’re not savages.”

“Speak for yourself.” Nameless chuckled. “You can argue until you pass out, Elle, but you won’t win.” He narrowed his gaze with hate at the guards.

“I know the law, and the law doesn’t give a shit about the truth.”

“Watch your mouth, son.” The cop with the heavy belt pointed in Nameless’s face. “You’re already fucked, so I wouldn’t be adding any more ammunition to your file if I were you.”

File?

~Wait, he has a file?~

Shaking my head, determined not to let questions undermine me, I looked at the officer who seemed to be in charge. “Look, we’re sorry.

“Can we just pay a fine?” I looked at Nameless, suffering such guilt that he’d saved me from being raped, given me one of the best experiences of my life, and now, he would be imprisoned all because I couldn’t run fast enough.

“Let us go. I promise we’ll leave and never come back.”

“No can do, little lady.” The police officer with his heavy belt whispered to a colleague, nodding to something said on the radio clipped to his lapel.

He smirked at Nameless. “According to reports, you were seen beating up two men earlier tonight. They said they found you about to rob and rape a young woman, and they tried to stop you.

“For their troubles, you almost broke one of their cheekbones and cracked a rib or two.”

“Bullshit.” My kisser bared his teeth. “I was the one trying to prevent ~them~ from doing that.” He cocked his chin at me. “That’s the girl they were trying to hurt.”

The officers and security guards all raised an eyebrow. “Is this true, ma’am?”

I shrank a little but nodded. “Yes. He saved me.”

“Saved you?” The officer coughed. “Saved you and then brought you to a closed park to do what?”

I swallowed. “I’m very aware of how this looks, but he’s right. We met when he saved me. They—they were going to hurt me.”

“And ~he~ would’ve hurt you if we hadn’t appeared.”

“No, that’s not true.”

“You don’t know him like we do, miss.”

A police officer came over to pat me down while another patted my savior’s body. My heart stopped when they found the eighty dollars in his hoodie pocket.

“Didn’t rob you, huh?”

“That’s mine, fuck face.” Nameless fought against the handcuffs.

“Of course, it is,” the lead officer said. “How many times do we need to tell you, lying only makes it worse for you?”

I froze.

~How many times?~

How many times had he faced situations like this?

I tried to catch his eye. To apologize. But he kept his glare on the officer who pocketed the eighty dollars. The money that could’ve bought him a better meal and a roof for a night.

Another person arrived on the scene, his heavy footsteps familiar even before he appeared in the flashlight glow of the security guards. I should’ve known he would turn up.

He had a police scanner and had most likely been looking for me ever since I didn’t call for him to drive me home.

My shoulders rolled, wishing I could melt into the concrete and disappear.

He flashed his credentials I knew stated him as ex-marine and in the employ of myself and my father. David Santos, my driver, bodyguard, sometimes personal assistant.

~Shit.~

He threw me a quick glance then focused his intense black gaze on the lead officer. His barrel chest, large arms, and black suit that matched his ebony skin soaked up the night.

“I’m here for Ms. Charlston. She’s done nothing wrong.”

The police officer standing beside me argued, “She’s been caught trespassing—”

“Wait,” the lead agent stepped forward, shining light onto my bodyguard’s identification. He then beamed the flashlight at my face. “What did you say her name was?”

“Charlston. Noelle Charlston,” David ground his teeth. “Ring any bells?”

I was grateful he was here, but I didn’t want him to fight the battles I’d lost.

“David, it’s fine—”

“Be quiet, Ms. Charlston. Let me handle this.” He stood taller, his gloved hands clenching. “From Belle Elle?”

The lead officer stiffened. “Wait, Joe’s daughter?”

“The one and the same.”

The officer paused.

A second later, he ordered, “Release her.”

Instantly, the handcuffs were unlocked, and I was pushed forward. I shot to the side of the man who’d saved me, kissed me, and given me the best birthday night out I could’ve asked for.

“What about him?”

An officer laughed. “Oh, he’s coming with us.”

“But you—you can’t. He saved me. He did a good thing. Don’t punish him for jumping a fence and enjoying a park.”

The officer smirked. “Oh, we’re not arresting him because of that.”

I couldn’t look away from Nameless’ face. My lips ached to kiss him again. His eyes roamed over me, full of the same tender affection and almost awestruck attraction from before.

I had to be near him until I figured out what this meant. What this was between us.

~They can’t take him away.~

“Then why?” I demanded, living in daydreams of taking him home, giving him the guestroom to shower and rest, cooking him blueberry pancakes, and introducing him to Dad in the morning.

“He hasn’t done anything.”

The officer’s laughed as if all in on a joke I hadn’t heard. “He’s done plenty.”

“He has multiple outstanding warrants. Tonight is our lucky night.” Jerking Nameless to his side, the lead officer added, “He’s going away for a long time.”

Nameless merely hung his head, his jaw working with a violent edge.

“You can’t do that.”

The cop’s face drew with annoyance. “I think you’ll find we can, Ms. Charlston. Now, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll go home with your guard here and forget all about this one.”

He shook Nameless. “Say goodbye because I doubt you’ll be seeing him again.”

I moved forward—to do what I didn’t know. To kiss him, run away with him—somehow fix this, so it didn’t end this way.

He smiled sadly. “Do what he says, Elle. Go home.”

“I can’t go. Not without you.”

“You know the way now. You don’t need a guide to walk you.”

I shook my head. “That isn’t what I meant, and you know it.”

He chuckled. “You said it yourself. It was too crazy to be true.”

I ached to grab his hand, to hug him, but with so many pairs of judging eyes on us, I froze. That would be one of my biggest regrets in life. That I didn’t reach out when he needed me the most.

“Please…tell me your name. I’ll get a lawyer. We’ll fight these stupid claims.”

“All right, time’s up.” An officer marched forward, grabbing Nameless around the elbow and dragging him away.

Tears sprang to my eyes. Uncertainty and fear spiraled at the thought of never seeing him again. “Please! What’s your name?”

Nameless stumbled from another shove, his gaze never leaving mine. He looked sad and pissed and lost and resigned. So many emotions all at once. “It was fun while it lasted.”

“Tell me!”

But he merely gave me a harsh smile, trying to mask the grief on his face. “I really enjoyed kissing you, Elle.”

And then the officer turned him away and marched him into the darkness.