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  Freezing by then, Kelsey decided that she had no option but try to limp the last two blocks home, pain or not. Maybe she could just hop on one foot. Taking a deep breath and bracing herself for the pain, she pushed up with all her might to stand on her good leg. Immediately, she felt lightheaded from the anticipation of knowing she’d need to put the other foot down. Kelsey already suspected her wrist was broken, but she couldn’t worry about that right now. She just needed to reach her apartment and then get some help.

  Clenching her jaw, Kelsey stepped forward with her right leg. As soon as it touched the ground, the intensity of the pain resulted in her collapsing back down the icy, cement ground.

  “Stupid, stupid Kelsey!” she moaned to herself. What was she going to do now? There were no houses around since she always used the back alleys to get to and from work. “Now you’ll finally get your wish and freeze to death out here. You’ll die a slow, painful death!” Kelsey continued to scold herself, lost as to what her next step should be. If she weren’t so cold and desperate, she’d probably be able to laugh at her situation.

  “Do you need help?”

  The masculine voice right next to her startled Kelsey into screaming. She flung her head up to see a dark-haired man with brown eyes staring down at her.

  “Are you hurt, miss? Why are you on the ground? Can I help you?”

  The man’s voice was strong, yet soothing. Kelsey noticed he had a slight accent, although she couldn’t pinpoint what kind. He was wearing a dark trench coat and was towering over her. His eyes immediately held her captive, and a shudder ran down her spine. Kelsey wasn’t so sure if it was from the cold or this stranger who was glaring down on her. Although he looked concerned, she felt the warning signals. Her instincts told her to run, yet she couldn’t even look away. It was as if a spell had been casted on her, and she was frozen.

  “Miss, can I call somebody to help you? I’m beginning to worry about you.”

  The spell broke, and Kelsey shook her head to bring herself back to reality. “Um, I think I hurt myself. I sort of slipped…” Kelsey quickly turned away because his eyes continued to penetrate her soul.

  “Where are you hurt? Shall I call for an ambulance?” The stranger squatted down next to her. Should she be scared of him? He certainly looked intimidating with his tall frame and his broad, muscular build.

  “My ankle and my wrist, I think,” Kelsey mumbled.

  “Not really sure what you’re doing out here at this time of the night anyway. There are some terrible people who can hurt more than your ankle and your wrist.” Suddenly his voice wasn’t soothing anymore. It was downright dangerous.

  “Look, mister. I don’t need your help, okay?” Kelsey put on a brave front and made sure her voice sounded strong.

  “On the contrary, I think you do need my help.”

  Before Kelsey could respond, he picked her up to carry her in his arms. Kelsey gasped in shock, instantly terrified of the proximity. She was completely helpless and at this stranger’s mercy.

  “Please, what do you want from me?” she asked, trying to weigh her options. Should she scream? Should she try to fight?

  “I am trying to help you. Do you live around here? I will take you to your place since you clearly are not able to walk.” The stranger sounded annoyed as his grip tightened.

  What choice did she have anyway? A part of her trusted him and yet, the other part of her was petrified of him.

  “I live only two more blocks away in an apartment complex,” she finally answered.

  The stranger followed her directions without another word. Kelsey had no idea what to say either, so she continued to focus on providing the directions. Maybe once she was in the elevator, he would leave. She definitely did not want him to come inside her apartment. He hadn’t even told her his name. Either way, she couldn’t deny being held close to him at least kept the cold away. There wasn’t much she could do about the situation, so she decided to let the chips fall where they may.

  In no time, they reached her building. “Give me your keys. I will take you to your apartment,” the stranger said abruptly.

  “That’s okay. I can make it. You can put me down now. Thank you,” Kelsey replied, hoping he would listen.

  “No, I will take you to your apartment. I will not rest until I see you safe. You might need to go to the hospital as well.”

  “I will go to the hospital. I can handle it all now. Please put me down.” Although Kelsey’s heart was racing, she remained stern.

  “I sense fear in you. I will not hurt you. Now, where are your keys?”

  Kelsey took a deep breath and pulled her keys out of her purse. She had no idea what made her want to believe him when he said he wouldn’t hurt her.

  The stranger opened the front door and reached the elevator with his long strides. “What is your apartment number?”

  “703. It’s apartment 703.” Kelsey stumbled over her words, unable to tear her gaze away from his piercing brown eyes. What was wrong with her? Why was she permitting this complete stranger to come inside her apartment? Forcing herself to turn away, she was at least thankful that if he should try something foul, she could always scream. This time, her neighbors would be able to hear her.

  He opened the door to her apartment with her keys and brought her in. Still not saying a word, he carried her to the sofa. Once he put her down, Kelsey stared up at him in awe. He suddenly appeared a lot bigger in her small, one-bedroom apartment. She hadn’t noticed his black, wild hair, his striking face, and his strong jawline, which made him look even more powerful.

  “Would you like me to call somebody to take you to the hospital?” The stranger interrupted her thoughts.

  Before she could respond, Tom jumped on the sofa, placing himself between Kelsey and the stranger. After hissing at him, Tom released a low growl. Surprised at his behavior, Kelsey felt even more uneasy.

  “No, thank you. I’m good,” she replied, hoping he would leave.

  “Your cat does not like me much,” he said, glaring at the cat.

  Tom didn’t back down and released another hiss.

  “I don’t know why he’s behaving this way. He’s just very protective of me, I suppose,” Kelsey explained. “I didn’t catch your name?”

  “Damien,” he swiftly replied.

  After clearing her throat, Kelsey said, “I’m Kelsey.”

  Damien held her gaze and said, “Kelsey, I hope you learned your lesson. You do not need to be roaming in the alleys of New York City at this time of the night. You do realize how dangerous it is, right?”

  Without waiting for a reply, Damien turned on his heels and marched out of the front door, shutting it behind him.

  Kelsey released a sigh of relief.

  Two

  Just as predicted, Kelsey had a fractured wrist. Luckily, her ankle was not broken. It was, however, severely sprained. She had asked Tina, one of her work colleagues, to take her to the doctor’s the next day. Tina was one of the few people she trusted.

  With the injuries, Kelsey knew she would be off of work for a couple of weeks. She couldn’t use the crutches because of her broken wrist, which was now casted, and she was not allowed to put weight on that ankle until it healed.

  Kelsey cursed herself again for her stupidity. What in the world was she going to do with all this extra time? This was always the worst time of the year for her…with Halloween only a few weeks away. Every year, around Halloween, she found herself on the ledge of the museum almost nightly. Now, she would have to suffer alone in this depressing apartment.

  She lounged around most of the day. Luckily, Tina was kind enough to fill up her groceries. Most of the meals were microwaveable for ease. Kelsey learned to hop around on her left leg to get around in her small apartment. Alternating between watching TV and sleeping most of the day, she finally decided to take a shower. Maybe that might help her feel somewhat better.

  “I know I’m a total loser, Tom. I can’t believe I’m taking a shower at ni
ne o’clock at night.”

  Tom meowed and followed her around the apartment, content he got to see more of her that day.

  After the shower, Kelsey put her robe on and realized her stomach was grumbling.

  “Damn! I haven’t eaten much today, Tom. I’m in no mood to eat those frozen dinners. Yuck!” Kelsey continued to complain to him, weighing out her options.

  Just when she was about to place the frozen dinner into the microwave, she was surprised to hear the knock at her door. Who would be here at this time of the night? Even if Tina was going to stop by, she would have called. Kelsey was such a loner, she never allowed herself to get close to anybody—certainly not enough where they would feel comfortable to stop by without a phone call.

  Tom ran to the door and began hissing. Kelsey wondered why he had been acting strange lately. Tom had always been a friendly, mild-tempered cat.

  “What’s the matter with you, boy?” she softly asked while she hopped to the door. “Who is it?” This time, she raised her voice, so the person could hear her from the other side.

  “Damien,” the voice answered.

  What the hell was he doing here? Instinctively, she flung the door open, and instantly, she regretted it. As he filled her doorway, her heartbeat tripled. She had no idea if it was because he looked gorgeous standing there, or because the dangerous aura radiating out of him terrified her.

  “Hello, Kelsey,” Damien drawled.

  As the chills ran up and down her spine, Kelsey suddenly realized that she was standing in a mere robe. Hugging it tighter around her, she said, “What are you doing here, Damien?”

  “I figured you would be hungry. Being that you are injured, I thought I would stop by with some food. Chinese?” He held up the brown bags to show her.

  Kelsey frowned and replied, “Are you serious? It’s late. Probably past ten!”

  “Twenty after ten to be precise,” Damien said, smirking.

  “I’m going to bed now. You can’t come in.” She had to admit that seeing him in his black trench coat, looking dangerous and sexy, messed with her mind.

  “You are going to sleep? I am pretty sure you stay up until the wee hours, Kelsey.” Damien’s voice was so soft, it took a few extra seconds for Kelsey to recover.

  Swallowing hard, she said, “Well, you wouldn’t really know that about me. As a matter of fact, you don’t know me at all. Just like I don’t know you. And, I don’t like people I don’t know to just stop by whenever they feel like it—especially this time of the night. Thank you for helping me yesterday, but I’m good now. Take care, Damien.”

  Closing the door, Kelsey leaned against it, trying to catch her breath. No longer could her leg support her. Kelsey closed her eyes and lowered herself to the floor. Why was her entire body shaking? What was wrong with her?

  After sitting for ten minutes, she finally was able to compose herself enough to think rationally. When she realized he must be gone, she gathered enough strength to stand back up to open the door and peek out. She released a sigh of relief when she didn’t see him. However, she noticed he left the food for her in the hallway. Should she take it? Chinese did sound pretty good right about then.

  Without giving herself a chance to change her mind, Kelsey seized the bags and quickly shut the door, her heart pounding. She had no explanation for her irrational behavior, but she latched the deadbolt as well.

  Hopping to the kitchen, she snatched the food out of the bag. The aroma of the spices made her stomach growl, and she realized how hungry she truly was. After devouring the chicken fried rice to the last crumb, she decided it was time to call it a night.

  In the bathroom, her thoughts drifted to Damien. Maybe she was too harsh toward him. After all, he was simply trying to help her. If it weren’t for him, God only knew what would have happened to her out there last night. What was wrong with her? Maybe she should be grateful to him, instead of being a complete bitch.

  “Tom, I have no idea why you don’t like Damien, but that food was delicious. I was such an ass. I mean, he didn’t do anything to deserve that type of treatment.”

  Tom ignored her and left the bathroom to eat his own food.

  After brushing her teeth, Kelsey made it to her bedroom and crashed. She was determined to get some rest and stop thinking about Damien.

  That night, her dreams were filled with a dark, brooding stranger carrying her in his arms. That was the first night she didn’t dream of her family screaming for help while the fire engulfed them.

  Three

  The next day, Kelsey was even more miserable. Not being at work was driving her crazy. How was she going to get past all these days? She tried watching the television and reading books. It was impossible for her to focus. She felt useless, and the extra time on her hands made her more depressed. She even contemplated calling Tina and asking her stop by after work.

  “Tom, what do you do all day? I don’t think I can last much longer like this.”

  Tom purred while rubbing against her leg.

  Having no desire to get up to do anything—including a shower—Kelsey crawled back into her bed.

  Later that night, when Tom sprinted to the door growling, the first thought that popped into her mind was Damien. Could he really be out there again? She made it clear to him he was not allowed to stop by. Would he have ignored her wishes?

  Curiosity getting the best of her, Kelsey hopped to the door. When she didn’t see anybody through the peephole, she swung the door open. Relieved, yet disappointed at not seeing Damien standing there, she noticed a bag on the floor. When she picked it up, there was a note attached to it.

  I figured you would be hungry again. Hope you like Mexican.

  Shocked, Kelsey stared down the hall, wondering how he was gone so quickly.

  “Damien? Are you still here?” she whispered, knowing there would be no response.

  Closing the door, she hopped to the kitchen with the food. Once again, she realized she had barely eaten all day. After finishing the chicken burrito, she felt a little better. She wondered what exactly it was that Damien wanted from her. Why did he bring her food two nights in a row? He owed nothing to her, especially after the way she’d treated him last night.

  At that instant, she made up her mind to find out more about this mysterious Damien if he should come back again tomorrow.

  Kelsey woke up the next day with a completely different attitude. She felt revived and actually took a shower. After staring into her closet for good fifteen minutes, she decided to put on her snug t-shirt and her faded, blue jeans. She had no idea why she was taking the extra care to get ready more than usual. Hopping around the apartment, she even tried to clean up as best as she could.

  The last two nights, Damien had arrived around ten o’clock. Not confident if he would come tonight, she still made sure to brush her hair and check her makeup one last time. She sighed at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, content with her appearance. The waves of her light, brown hair with natural red highlights cascaded down her back, and her almond-shaped, hazel eyes sparkled especially bright. She had been complimented numerous times about her looks in the past, but she’d never given it a second thought. She frowned as she continued to stare at her reflection, rattled by the way she was acting. Deciding not to analyze it further, she hopped back out of the bathroom.

  Kelsey parked herself on the sofa, staring at the door. Her irrational behavior made her angry, but she seemed to have no power over her actions. As soon as she saw Tom leaping off of the chair to dash to the door hissing, she also hopped to the door as fast as she could. She swung the door open to find Damien leaning forward to place the food by her door.

  For a few seconds, neither said anything. Damien didn’t smile. He simply straightened himself back up, waiting for her to make the next move.

  After clearing her throat, Kelsey said, “Would you like to come in?”

  “You are actually inviting me in after you told me I was not welcome the other night?”
/>   “I changed my mind, okay? Are you coming in or not?” Kelsey asked, frustrated he was giving her a hard time.

  “Are you sure your cat won’t kill me?”

  Surprised to find Damien actually grinning, Kelsey hid her own smile. “Come in and find out,” she answered, stepping out of the way so he could enter.

  As soon as Damien marched in, Tom growled and hissed even louder, his fur on the back of his neck erect. Kelsey decided to place him in the bedroom and close the door. She could not focus with Tom acting like he was going to pounce on Damien any second.

  “He really doesn’t like you,” she said, wondering if maybe Tom was jealous. She had never had much company in the past, especially a male.

  “No, he does not,” Damien drawled.

  His powerful presence made Kelsey feel almost trapped. He seemed to fill the tiny space in her apartment, and instantly, the same sense of uneasiness returned. Kelsey intentionally pushed the feeling away, determined to find out what he wanted from her.

  “Here is pizza for the night. Hope you like pepperoni.” Damien placed the pizza box on the table. “I see you have gotten pretty good with the hopping.”

  “Look, I do appreciate you doing all this. I mean you probably saved my life the other night. But, umm, I don’t understand why you’re still around. What exactly do you want from me?” She had always preferred the direct approach.

  Damien tightened his jaw and strolled into the living room. Standing there, he began to take his gloves off. “I have been concerned about you, Kelsey.”

  When she noticed that he was taking his coat off, Kelsey hopped over to take it from him. Damien shook his head and hung the long, dark coat on the back of the chair. Kelsey couldn’t help but notice his black turtleneck hugging his muscular torso and his black jeans fitting him perfectly over his strong thighs. Damien must be at least six feet three inches, and she was astonished by his powerful build.