“Trouble? Were you thinking of doing something tonight? Something that could get you arrested again?”
She chuckles, her voice low and soft. It has no right to be that seductive and sweet all at once. “No. My trouble-making days are done.”
“Then let me walk you up,” I say, before placing a hand at the small of her back.
“Thank you,” she whispers, her eyes shining with gratitude.
I’m glad I decided to walk her to her door. A couple of her neighbors are in the building’s foyer, gossiping. They perk up when they see her, but their faces immediately fall when they notice me walking beside her. My glare alone is enough to stop them from approaching us. Neither of them so much as looks at us until we are in the elevator.
Amelia lets out a relieved sigh beside me, her back falling against the elevator wall in exhaustion.
“They looked terrified of you,” she says quietly, eyes closed with relief.
“Everyone’s terrified of me.”
“I’m not,” she whispers after a moment. “Thank you for today, Hunter.”
“I was only doing my job,” I say, even though I know that’s not exactly true. In all my years of working as a cop, I’ve never let myself feel the way I do for Amelia. I’ve never allowed myself to cross over the professional line but with her, I have done that and then some.
“Either way, I’m glad it’s you I ran into.”
I wait until she’s unlocked her door before pushing back and away from her. “Well, Amelia. I guess I’ll be on my…”
“Wait!” she calls out. With the way her eyes widen, I can tell the words slipped out. “I need your help. That is, if you don’t mind.”
“My help?”
“Yes,” she whispers, looking up and down the hallway before grabbing me by my shirt and dragging me into her apartment. The door slams closed behind us.
“Amelia …”
“I know it doesn’t look like it but this dress has been killing me all day. It’s so heavy and after everything, my muscles are tired from carrying it around.”
Is she seriously—
“I know this is a weird request … I just can’t reach all the buttons myself.”
Christ.
“It’s okay if you don’t want to,” she whispers nervously.
“I’ll do it,” I say before stepping behind her.
“Are you sure?”
My cock throbs in my pants at the thought of finally getting to see her skin. Or at least, see the little bit doing this will allow.
“Hunter?”
“Yes,” I say quickly. “Yes, I’m sure.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
She wasn’t lying about the buttons. There must be dozens of them, tiny and lined up from her nape down to her … skirt. She sucks in a sharp breath when she feels my hand on her back, trying to push her long hair over her shoulder so that it doesn’t get in the way.
One by one, I start to undo the buttons.
Chapter Five