Chapter 2
Chapter Two
JAY
Two weeks. That’s exactly how long it had been since I’d had a full night of sleep. As much as I wanted my own space away from my parents and two younger sisters, this was not what I’d imagined it would be like when I agreed to sublet an apartment from my friend Owen.
The all-night crying had been enough to have me pulling my hair out, and now this.
I was standing outside my neighbor’s apartment in nothing but a pair of gym shorts.
The door vibrated against my fist as I banged hard on it for the third time.
Intuition was telling me that something wasn’t right.
At twenty-five, I was one of the youngest guys at the fire station, but my dad liked to remind me that I had been born with instincts that made me a good firefighter.
Apparently, it was ingrained in the men in our family, a trait passed down from one Mitchell to another.
I wasn’t sure about all that. But I couldn’t deny that my gut was screaming at me. Between the smoke detector and the wailing baby—not that the crying was new in this apartment—something was off. This wasn’t a fussy baby. This one sounded scared.
As I stepped back once again, waiting for my neighbor to answer the door, a thin stream of smoke billowed out from under the door.
Shit.
My training took over then. I stepped back, lifted my foot, and kicked hard at the doorknob, praying she didn’t have the damn thing dead-bolted. Thankfully, the lock disengaged, and the door swung open.
Instantly, smoke wafted into the hallway. Visibility wasn’t terrible, but a thick band of smoke came from the kitchen. My guess would be some type of cooking oil. Depending on which type, burning oil could easily create a lot of smoke. And very quickly.
I turned one way, then the other, taking in my surroundings.
The baby stood, crying in some type of play pen.
The plastic box off to the left could hardly be called a crib.
The sound of coughing from the kitchen area caught my attention.
Through the smoke, I could just make out a tall woman standing by the window.
“Fire department,” I called out, hoping I wouldn’t frighten her as I came around the island and into the kitchen.
But between the loud alarm and the baby crying a few feet away, I wasn’t sure she could hear me.
As I moved closer to her, I surveyed the stove, and my shoulders relaxed a fraction.
There was no fire, and she’d already turned off the burner.
“Is this stupid thing glued shut or what? I swear this shit only happens to me. Just wanted a nice quiet night,” she rambled, grunting and tugging on the window that wouldn’t budge.
Although I was annoyed with the situation, I couldn’t hold back the smirk and the snarky remark on the tip of my tongue. “Yeah, me too.”
The tall blonde jumped and spun to face me with wide eyes.
Her face was stricken with fear. Though, for a second, I was sure her gaze dropped down to my bare chest. I hadn’t really pictured my neighbor as I cursed the crying night after night, but if I had, I would not have envisioned a beautiful young blonde.
She coughed again, and the baby echoed the same sound from a few feet away.
I stepped toward the gorgeous, frightened woman. “Move, please.”
“What?” She shook her head, her brows furrowed.
“Move so I can open the window and let some smoke out.”
With another cough, she stepped to the side. Quickly, I took over and yanked the window up before I moved past her to slide the patio door open.
The baby coughed again, sending a niggle of worry up my spine. I turned and studied her quickly, then focused on the blonde. Her eyes were still wide as she surveyed the front door, then squinted at me.
“Did you just break into my apartment?” Her green eyes narrowed, but the crack in her voice ruined the tough-girl stance.
“Technically,” I hedged, rubbing at the back of my neck, “yes.”
She turned suddenly, putting herself between me and the baby, then hurried over to the crib.
“I said ‘fire department’ when I came in, though.” I crossed my arms in front of my chest. She was acting like I’d broken in to do her harm rather than to help her out.
She spun again, her brows almost to her hairline. “The fire department is here?”
The woman and the baby coughed in unison, and worry pulled at the corners of the blonde’s mouth.
Dropping my arms, I shook my head. “No. Just me.”
I took a step toward her, concerned about her breathing as well as her daughter’s, but as I did, she startled and took a matching step back.
She was a skittish thing. Or maybe I was just an asshole dressed in nothing but gym shorts, who’d broken into her apartment and scared the shit out of her.
Regardless of my intentions, I needed to get her and her baby out of here.
And probably give Owen a call. They should be checked out.
“I’m Jay. I live in the apartment next to you. ”
“Oh.” Her shoulders relaxed a bit. “You moved in a couple weeks ago, right?”
Nodding, I slowly moved toward the door and waved for her to follow me into the hallway. “Come on, let’s go to my place. My buddy Owen is a paramedic and lives in the building around the corner. I can give him a call to come check you two out.”
“We’re fine.” She shook her head. “That’s not necessary.”
The baby coughed into her shoulder, and I cocked an eyebrow.
“Okay.” Her body deflated, and she let out a sigh. “Just to be sure Nora’s all right.” Pulling the baby closer and cradling her head, she shuffled out into the hallway in front of me.
Once I’d gotten the woman—Sarah—and the baby settled on the sofa in my living room, I stepped away to call Owen. As I went, I snagged my T-shirt from the back of the chair, where I’d discarded it earlier. I’d been getting ready to jump in the shower when the smoke detector went off next door.
I tapped Owen’s name in my recent call log and slipped the T-shirt over my head. I had just brought the phone to my ear when the call connected. “Hey, need a favor.”
“What’s up?”
“There’s a woman here with a baby—”
“Yours?”
I scrubbed a hand down my face and groaned. “No, asshole. It’s the one next door who cries all the time.”
He chuckled. “What do you need?”
“They need to be checked out for possible smoke inhalation.” I glanced over to where the two sat on my sofa. “The woman almost burned her apartment down with a pan on the stove. Can you come?”
“On my way.”
Five minutes later, Owen stepped through the door.
Living in the same apartment complex came in handy sometimes, though tonight, his presence rubbed me the wrong way.
I couldn’t figure out why it did until the third time Sarah lit up with a smile at something he said.
That’s when it hit me that I wanted that gorgeous smile aimed at me.
Sarah
“Both mom and baby sound fine.” Owen leaned forward and tickled Nora’s belly, causing her to squeal in delight.
This guy was so good with her. He was going to make a good dad in a few months. As he’d looked us over, he’d gushed about his girlfriend, who was five months pregnant, and he’d gone on and on about how he couldn’t wait until their daughter was born.
“Just follow up with her pediatrician tomorrow morning.” With a smile, he stood.
Even as my lawyer’s words rang through my head, I nodded. One wrong move, and Drew could argue that I was an unfit mother. The court would never give Nora to a convicted violent offender, though, right?
“Of course,” I said, holding Nora a little tighter. “Thank you again.”
He nodded and then headed toward where Jay stood near the front door.
The two guys were an unlikely pair. Owen had worn a smile since he walked in and had happily chatted throughout his exam.
Jay, on the other hand, hadn’t stopped scowling.
Almost like he was annoyed that we were here.
He was the one who’d invited us over, so I didn’t get why he thought he had a right to be irritated.
But now that we’d been given the all-clear, we could head back to my apartment. The smoke should have cleared by now.
“Thanks, man.” Jay clasped hands with Owen and slapped his shoulder, promising to follow up if anything else came up.
After Owen left, I headed for the door, ready to get out of Jay’s way.
As I approached, he shut the door behind Owen and spun, almost colliding with me.
He threw his arms out and grasped my shoulders, steadying me.
The warmth of his palms heated my skin through the thin fabric of my top, and a fluttering moved through my stomach.
The scowl he’d sported for the last twenty minutes morphed into something sexier, though it didn’t even remotely resemble a smile. A vision of his muscular chest from earlier and the way his shorts hung low on his hips floated through my mind. Man, this guy was gorgeous.
“Thank you.” I smiled, dipping my head. “You know, for breaking in and checking on us.”
“Of course.”
The deep rumble of his voice was doing stupid things to my body.
Get a grip, Sarah.
His lips turned up slightly, and holy hell, he was even more sexy when he smirked. I’d probably need a cold shower if he donned a full-on smile.
He brushed his hands down my upper arms, and I had to fight the urge to sigh. How long had it been since I’d been touched like this? Was I that deprived of physical affection?
“Let’s go take a look at your door.” Lowering his hands, he stepped around me. A moment later, he returned with tools in hand. “If I can’t fix it tonight, I’ll at least make sure you can close it and secure the dead bolt.”
Without waiting for a response, he stepped out into the hall.
I spent the next twenty minutes trying and failing to not ogle the man. His forearms and back muscles flexed as he worked, and I chastised myself each time I found myself staring.
After he left, my body was lit up in ways I hadn’t experienced in years. Even using my favorite toy in the shower later that night wasn’t enough to satisfy the hunger that had consumed me. Instead, it left me only semi satisfied and feeling stupid for fantasizing about my young neighbor.
I had to get it together. Right now, the last thing I needed was to be distracted by a hot guy.
Keep your head down and don’t do anything stupid. Elliot’s words ran through my mind again.
He was right. If I screwed up, there was a good chance it would cost me my daughter. And that was one loss I’d never be able to live with.