Page 107 of Heartbeats & Highways

“Okay.”

He unclasped his seat belt. “Let me get you to the door and then I’m going for a long ride. Don’t worry, babe. I’ll be back before bedtime.”

He returned from his ride when I was dozing on the couch. He carried me to bed and worshipped me with his body, as if apologizing the only way he knew how.

I fell asleep in his arms, my naked body wrapped around his.

The first night he was gone on his run to Idaho, I forced myself to lay in the middle of the bed, at a diagonal.

His scent was on the sheets, but it wasn’t enough to lull me to sleep.

I was still awake at three a.m.

I rolled over to reach for my phone, wanting to text him, but not wanting to wake him up if he’d somehow managed to fall asleep.

With a sigh, I got up. I went to the refrigerator and pulled out the leftover dessert Savage had picked up a few days ago from a hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant.

I was just sticking a fork into the cheesecake when I heard sounds outside my door.

Frowning, I tiptoed to the peephole and looked through it and saw my neighbor across the hall setting something down onto my doormat.

I quickly unlocked the door and yanked it open, causing the young woman to squeak and pull back. “Gah!”

“Sorry,” I said. “I heard someone moving around out here and I thought I’d finally introduce myself.”

“Maybe don’t startle the neighbor who leaves you gifts, or the gifts might stop. Did I wake you?”

“No. I was already awake.” I looked down at the mat. “What are you leaving me this time?”

A smile touched her lips. “Loose leaf herbal tea.”

“Nice.”

“Yeah.”

I cocked my head to the side. “You don’t sleep much, do you?”

“I sleep.” She defended.

“Hmm. The purple shadows underneath your eyes say otherwise.” I gestured to my apartment. “I’m awake and working my way through a plethora of Italian desserts. You want to join me?”

She bit her lip. “You sure?”

“I’m sure.”

“What about your boyfriend? The biker one.”

“Ah, you’ve been watching me through the peephole, have you?”

She had the grace to blush.

I laughed. “He’s gone for the next week or so. Come on. We got Italian a few days ago and I need to finish the desserts.” I waved her across the threshold and then picked up the gift she’d left me. “It’s past time we got acquainted; don’t you think?”

“Probably, yeah. I’m not good at small talk though. It’s why I haven’t introduced myself.”

“I’m Evie.”

“Cozy. Short for Cozette, but please don’t call me that.”

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