Cadence covered the short distance back to her apartment building as quickly as she could. Hopeful that the tears would wait until she reached the solace of her room to start again, she avoided contact with everyone in the lobby as she made her way to the elevator and climbed to the twenty-second floor. She was slightly distracted by the number of messages she was receiving on the IAC, and though many of them were positive, she decided to turn it off. It would be better if she simply did not think about tonight’s events at all.

After what seemed like an eternity, the elevator door finally opened. Stepping out of the elevator, she was surprised to see Christian leaning against her apartment door. He was still wearing the same clothes he had on for the hunt. He looked almost as despondent as she felt, and even though she was in no mood to discuss the events that had transpired, she was happy to see him.

As she approached, he opened his arms and she let him envelop her, burying her head in his chest, her tears held back only by sheer will power. He smelled of leather and a slight hint of cigarette smoke, something Cadence had never noticed before. Perhaps her renegade actions had driven him to lighting up. His arms were strong, and she felt solace in his embrace.

After a few moments, he spoke, concern and sympathy evident in his tone. “You holding up?”

Cadence pulled back a step, but he did not loosen his grip around her. “I’ll be all right,” she said, hoping it was true.

“Good,” he replied. “What you did out there tonight was incredible. I’ve never seen anything like it. To think that it wasn’t completely appreciated makes me furious. I just wanted to make sure you are all right, that Aaron didn’t tear you down too much, and to let you know that I, for one, am convinced that you are a superhero.”

She had to smile at that last bit. She didn’t feel like a superhero, not right now anyway. “Thank you,” she said, using the same quiet tone he had spoken in. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your support.”

It was getting late, and Cadence was tired. She was also very aware that Aaron could return to his apartment at any moment, and while she honestly didn’t care if he saw her talking to Christian or not, she was not prepared to have to see him again so soon. She tried pulling away again, and this time Christian allowed her to, moving his hand to her hip. For reasons unbeknownst to her, she did not push his hand away.

She dug in her pocket for her key, absently thinking about how much easier it would be when they updated the lock on her door, inserted the key, and pushed the door slightly ajar.

Fully aware that Christian’s hand was now caressing her side, she hesitated for a brief second, knowing that inviting him in would complicate matters. Yet, she was suddenly quite attracted to him, and it was getting more difficult by the minute to send him away. Taking a deep breath, she asked, “Would you like to come in for a few minutes?”

In reply, he leaned forward, bringing his lips down on hers hungrily. With one hand, he pushed open the door, gently guiding her inside of the apartment with the other. He continued to kiss her, leading her over to the couch, not bothering to turn on the light, releasing her only long enough to allow her to drop down on the sofa and then joining her, finding her lips again.

Cadence quickly found herself breathless. Her mind was already cloudy with the events of earlier, and she found it much simpler to let her body respond, rather than lending any thought to what was happening. As his mouth explored her neck, her earlobe, she became extremely aware of his hands. She was hesitant; having only been intimate with Jack, she wasn’t sure that she was ready to take her relationship with Christian so far within the first few days. In fact, until this very moment, he had been nothing to her but an attractive friend. Now, with his lips caressing the nape of her neck, she realized she had a decision to make, one she needed to make rather quickly.

“Christian,” she said quietly, unsure of her own voice, “I think we better stop.” She intended to push him back, but her hands were not responding the way she had hoped they would. If he heard her, he did not comply. His teeth gently nipped the tip of her earlobe, and she began to feel as if she were floating. It was only the incessant idea that she was in no state of mind to make this sort of decision that kept nagging at her to stop. Once more, she gave him a gentle nudge with her hands, this time a bit harder and said, “Christian? Christian! Stop.”

He seemed to get the message that time and sat up abruptly, straightening his clothing as he did so. Cadence sat up as well, pulling her shirt down completely and glancing down to see if it was still buttoned. “I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “It’s nothing against you—at all. It’s just been a very long, emotional day.”

“No, I understand,” Christian interjected. “It really wasn’t fair of me to put you in that situation. I’m just extremely attracted to you, Cadence, that’s all.”

She wasn’t sure what to say. Of course, she found him attractive, too, but saying so wouldn’t help her present cause. She smiled, shyly, feeling herself begin to blush. “Thank you,” she said quietly. She wanted to say something more, but no fitting words would come to mind.

Christian looked around the room awkwardly. Finally, he said, “Well, I should let you get some rest.”

He stood and walked slowly toward the door. Cadence followed, still searching for something, anything, to say. She opened her mouth briefly but closed it again. Every sentence that popped into her mind sounded ridiculous.

Opening the door, Christian paused for a moment and turned back to face her. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay?” Cadence nodded, and he slowly leaned down and kissed her softly one last time before exiting her apartment.

Cadence rubbed her eyes with the palms of her hands. Her life was becoming increasingly more complicated by the second, and in that moment, all she really wanted to do was get some sleep. She resisted the urge to bang her head against the door and instead made her way toward her bedroom, hoping for sleep and the mental clarity morning may bring.

* * *

As Christian made his way back to his own apartment on the sixth floor, he couldn’t help but feel a bit defeated. Though he certainly didn’t wish to take advantage of Cadence’s emotional vulnerability, he had been hopeful that she would confirm his suspicion that she was as physically attracted to him as he was to her. Now, he wasn’t quite so convinced he had been reading her signals correctly. He certainly hadn’t allowed anyone else to view their interaction on the IAC, but he had been recording it. He had a bit of a fetish for such things. Now, however, he was thinking he should review the footage to see exactly where he went wrong. He was hopeful that he would have another opportunity with Cadence, and the next time, he wanted to make sure her answer wasn’t no.