The Life She Wants

“What about Luis?”

She was as surprised by his question as they’d both been by hers.

“What about him?”

“Isn’t he staying here?”

“He’s in New York.” Why did he care so much about Luis? “Look, if you don’t want coffee, just say so. Thanks for the ride.”

She turned away, shutting the car door firmly. The invitation had been a mistake. It would be best for everyone if he just left. She’d almost made it to the stairs when she heard his door open behind her.

“Hold up. Coffee sounds good. No sense trying to get any sleep at this hour.”

Mel nodded. “Come on, then.”

“You use a fire escape to get to your back door?” He followed her up the stairs. “Just when I thought this town couldn’t get any weirder.”

Mel unlocked her door. “Using the downstairs entrance means disarming and rearming the café alarm system. This is much easier.” The door swung open and she flipped on the light. “Nora told me the story behind the fire escapes once. Something about a huge fire decades ago and the town made it law for a while that every level of every building had to have a fire escape.”

“It’s not the classiest way to come into your home, is it?”

It was odd having him here, in her space. Shane exuded a raw power that made the air in the small loft almost sizzle. Not in a frightening way. But it was still scary because it was so unfamiliar to Mel. She wasn’t used to men who excited her without setting off all her alarms.