She nodded her pretty head. “Sure.”
“All right, man.” Archer offered an outstretched hand. “Let me know what you find out with the security footage.”
“I will, don’t you worry.” He grabbed the man’s hand and pulled him in for a half-hug, half-back slap. “And…thanks. For racing over here, and the clothes and all that.”
“Never have to thank me for that. Now, go.” Arher’s head tipped toward Lucky’s car. “Get out of here. And stay safe.”
“You, too.”
The two teammates shared a look before Archer turned to leave. As he did, Lucky and Ellie opened their respective doors and climbed into his Challenger. They were half a mile down the road when Ellie’s soft voice sounded from the passenger seat.
“I never even thought about where I’m going to stay tonight.” She looked over at him. “I guess you can just drop me off at a hotel. Thankfully, I brought my purse with me to the club, so I have all of my credit cards, my driver’s license, and all that.”
“You’re not staying in a fucking hotel,” Lucky barked.Nice, jackass. Very smooth.“Sorry.” He cleared his throat and switched lanes. “What I meant to say was that I’m taking you to my place.”
“Your place? Lucky, no,” Ellie began to argue. “You’ve already gone above and beyond for me. I can’t ask you to let me invade your home just because mine no longer exists.”
“First of all, you didn’t ask. I offered.” He switched lanes again. “Second, hotels are shit when comes to security, and lastly, my apartment is one of the most secure spaces in the city.” Lucky looked away from the road long enough to meet her gazeand make his point clear. “No one, and I meanno one, is getting to you there.”
Not by fucking fire or any other means.
Ellie held his stare a beat before returning her focus to the darkened scenery blurring past. Silence filled the car’s interior for so long, he was certain she was going to contest the idea further.
Much to his relief, she didn’t.
“If you really think that’s the safest place for me to be…”
“I do.”
Her gaze shifted back to his. With a slight dip of her chin, Ellie said, “Okay.”
She grew quiet again, and for the remainder of the ride, they both became lost in their own thoughts. Lucky had no idea what was going through her head, but he could only imagine.
Losing a home to a fire like that was devastating for anyone. Knowing it had been intentionally set…and that, most likely, the bastard had done so in her fucking apartment…
Lucky’s grip on his steering wheel tightened to the point he was surprised the damn thing didn’t bend from the pressure. No one deserved to have their home destroyed by some sick, twisted freak. Especially not Ellie.
He slid a hidden glance her way. She was staring out the passenger window, her head turned from his so that her beautiful face was hidden. Lucky’s heart ached for what she’d been through.
The shooting. The fire. And what terrified him was wondering what the bastard would try next.
He’s going to keep coming for her. He’s going to try again. But next time…next time I’ll be ready.
Something else he knew he’d lose sleep over were all the what-ifs. What if they’d been inside the apartment when the sonof a bitch had showed up? Would they have been trapped by the fire, unable to escape?
The thought left his gut churning with fury.
Thank God we left to go dancing when we did.
Just like that, a flash of a memory filled his mind’s eye. Lucky could see Ellie back on that dance floor. Her hips swaying back and forth as she became lost in the slow, steady beat of the drum.
His fingers curled tighter around the steering wheel as he remembered the way those hips had felt beneath his touch. His dick grew hard and painfully full as Lucky imagined the way her body had pressed flush against his.
The entire ride home, he’d imagined their bodies moving as they had on that dance floor…except in his fantasy, they’d been naked and in bed. For a moment, there, he’d considered saying fuck it to the rules. But then they’d arrived at her building only to find the damn thing engulfed in flames.
Flames that had been purposely created by a sick freak targeting Ellie.
Lucky looked over at her once more. She was still silent. Still staring out the window. His fingers itched to reach for her, but instead, he kept his hands on the wheel and his focus returned to the road.