Page 52 of Crossing Paths
Dash cleared his throat, and she realized she’d been standing there, silently staring at his home for who knew how long. “I like it,” she said.
His grunt sounded satisfied as he put a hand on her lower back as if to usher her farther in. She resisted his light touch long enough to take off her shoes and then let him nudge her to the couch.
“It’s surprising but also not.” She wasn’t sure if that made sense but continued anyway as she sank into the cushy depths of the sofa. “It reminds me of you.”
“Surprising but not?”
“Yes.” She watched as he settled next to her, far enough away that they weren’t touching but close enough that it wouldn’t be hard to make contact if they made the slightest effort. “You’re made up of bits and pieces that shouldn’t fit together, but it all somehow works.”
His brows drew together as he made a thoughtful sound in his throat. “Not sure if that’s a compliment.”
“It is,” she assured him, meaning every word. “I like both you and your home.”
His eyes narrowed and darkened in a fascinating way, so fascinating that she couldn’t look away as he leaned closer. Her heartbeat picked up speed as she tipped toward him. She hadn’t thought they’d get to the making-out part of the evening so quickly, but she didn’t really have any dating experience to pull from, so maybe they were following the usual schedule.
Before their lips could meet, he pulled away, making her frown. Even though she hadn’t expected the kissing part to come so quickly, she definitely wasn’topposedto it.
He grimaced slightly as he stood. “Forgot to ask. Want a drink? Hungry?”
For a moment, she blinked at him, more taken off guard by the reason he’d moved away from her than his verbal shorthand. She wasn’t thinking about food or drink at the moment. Would it be rude to just ask for more kissing instead? She figured it probably was, or at least it would be awkward. “Um…water?”
With a clipped nod, he moved to the kitchen area. Pulling her feet up and crossing her legs, she turned sideways so she could watch him over the back of the couch. She loved how he moved, so smooth and ninja-like. It was another one of those shouldn’t-fit-but-it-works-for-Dash things, since she’d assumed such a big, muscle-bound guy would make some noise when he walked.
“How’d your thing with Cara go?” he asked, pulling out a water pitcher from the fridge.
“Really well, actually.” She beamed as she thought of how unexpectedlyniceChloe had been and how easy—well, once she got past the awkward part—it’d been to chat with her. “I talked to Chloe. I like her.”
Pausing with two glasses in his hands, he looked over his shoulder as if checking to see if she meant what she said. After a moment, he set the glasses on the counter. “Good. Think she’s wrapped up in Leifsen’s…nonsense?”
As usual, his effort at not swearing was endearing, a partof what made up Dash. His question quickly erased her smile though. “I don’t know.” Drawing up a knee, she rested her chin on it. “I hope not. She’s so much better than him.”
His grunt sounded like agreement as he poured the water and returned the pitcher to the fridge.
“We should probably go see her band play on Saturday just in case he shows up.” Jitters made her nerves feel electrified when she realized she was in the process of asking Dash out on a date. It might have a work element to it, but if being with Dash at Dutch’s could feel like a date, then going to an intimate concert under the stars would certainly qualify.
“Where?” Walking back over, he handed one of the glasses to her before retaking his seat on the couch. It might have been her imagination, but she was fairly sure—at least sixty-five percent sure—that he’d placed himself slightly closer to her. If she moved her left knee even a half inch, they’d be touching. Knowing that made it impossible to move a muscle, but at the same time, she felt like she’d burst out of her skin if shedidn’tmove.
“Um…” It took some effort to recall the question. “It’s an outdoor show at Saturn Canyon, close to McCann, which is a tiny town with an illogical number of residents.” When Dash looked at her blankly, she hurried to add, “In the mountains west of Denver.”
During the following pause, Norah thought that her heart would stop. If he rejected her, she didn’t think she’d ever be able to get up the nerve to ask anyone out ever again.
“I’ll drive us.”
Just like that, her heart started beating again. Their date wasplanned. Maybe their fourth? She mentally ran over their lunch and then Dutch’s and tonight—but should she count their last training session? There had been kissing after all—
Acrashof glass cut her thoughts off abruptly. The heavy blinds covering the left-side window billowed toward them, and something heavy thudded onto the floor right below the sill. Norah stared at the dark shape, her mind trying to process what was happening, but Dash was already up off the couch. He moved so he was standing in front of her, blocking her view of the object and that entire wall of the apartment. The silence after seemed extra loud until Norah couldn’t take not knowing what was happening anymore.
“What is it?” she whispered, wincing at how loud her voice sounded in the echoing quiet.
“Looks like a rock. Stay there.”
A rock?She immediately wanted to ask more questions, but she managed to keep her mouth closed and her seat on the couch as he moved even more soundlessly than usual to the entrance. The room went dark, and Norah’s heart pounded for a few beats of panic before she realized that he’d intentionally shut off the lights. Her brain seemed to be functioning a step behind how it usually worked, and she took a few breaths, frustrated by her inability to figure out what was happening.
Her eyes gradually adjusted to the dim ambient light coming through the small kitchen window—the only one without blinds covering it. She saw Dash’s dark form slip over to the window next to the broken one and shift the blinds slightly so he could peer out onto the alley below.
Another slightly more muffled crash came from behind the door next to one of the bookshelves, and Norah jumped in place. She needed to do something rather than just sit there as all of Dash’s windows were broken—probably by one of her stalkers. Why had she come to Dash’s home when she suspected Leifsen or Fridley were following her? She clenched her fists until her short nails dug into her palms. It was her fault Dash had been dragged into all this.
She needed to do something. “Should I call the police?”
