Page 71 of Off the Wall

Itcan’tbe happening.

I suck in a breath, holding the air in my lungs, freezing our moment in time together. This is only my imagination. Not real life.

Don’t blink, Nori, or Cash will disappear.

Behind me there’s a click of a latch, and the door to the bathroom opens. Cash emerges in a cloud of steam, a towel sitting low on his hips. The dusting of hair on his torso is damp, and his abs clench as our eyes meet.

Am I still dreaming?

“Good morning.” A sheepish smile drifts across his face. “I thought you were still asleep.”

“No.” I fight the whole-body shiver traversing my spine. “I’m wide awake.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

Cash

Nori’s gazedips to my bare chest, and I clutch the towel more tightly around my middle. I would’ve gone directly from the bathroom into the bedroom to get dressed, but I didn’t want to disturb her. Still, the way her brow flies up, I can conclude my half-naked body’s plenty disconcerting.

“I’ll just go throw something on,” I blurt, heading toward my bedroom.

“It’s fine,” she says. “I was planning to grab my clothes and go.”

“No rush,” I call over my shoulder. “And you can keep my sweats. Your clothes still felt a little damp to me, and the steam from my shower didn’t help.”

In my closet, I debate what to wear and end up tugging on a clean pair of scrubs and running shoes because scrubs are always the quickest, easiest wardrobe option. Besides, I’m heading to the hospital anyway, and at least I’ll be prepared if a case comes up.

When I return to the living room, I’m happy to see Nori’s still here, seated at the dining room table. She’s on the phone,still wearing my sweats, looking down at her own clothes in her lap. When she ends the call, she glances up, her bottom lip tucked under her teeth.

“Everything all right?” I ask.

“That was Jemma.” Nori’s eyes meet mine, and an awareness passes between us. I know what that conversation was about. “She apologized—a lot—and said Swipe Rite is committed to being a safe space. He’s permanently blocked from the app.”

He.

Nori doesn’t even want to use Warren’s name now.

“That’s a good start.” My voice is full of grit.

“It is.” Nori nods. Swallows. “She also assured me the rest of my dates will go through extra rounds of screening.”

My pulse ticks up a notch. “After what happened last night, I thought maybe you’d want to take a break from the whole dating app thing.”

“I can’t.” She shakes her head. “Even with the second half of the promotion money, I’ll barely be able to cover car repairs and the shortfall with my loan.”

My jaw goes tense. “And you won’t ask your brother for help.”

“Definitely not.”

I rake a hand through my damp hair. “How much more do you need?”

“If all goes well with Swipe Rite, just a couple thousand dollars.” Her shoulders edge up. “At that point, I’ll be close to draining my savings, which is scary. But I’ve been playing things safe my entire life. Part of that was to avoid worrying East, but I was also avoiding failure.” She winces. “I really hate to fail.”

I bite back a chuckle. “Does anyone actuallylikefailure?”

“Good point.” The corner of her mouth lifts. “But I wantto trust myself to take bigger risks now. I’m ready to walk the tightrope without my usual safety net.”

As Nori rises to her feet, hoisting up my too-big sweats, the urge to protect her builds inside me again. Words claw up my throat ready to spew out—an offer for the rest of the money she needs. But I slam my mouth shut, even as my chest constricts.

---