Orleans were notorious assholes and tended to ignore anyone hailing them that could mess up their interiors. Soaking as she was, Gia would qualify. Getting anyone to stop for her would be a miracle.
She pushed back the internal complaining and powered through, trying not to notice the thickening clouds and how dark the sky had grown as the trail dipped and she moved closer and closer toward her building. The sky was nearly pitch dark now, and the flood lights around the trail and at the back of the building came on as the path curved to the left and another incline brought her closer. The rain cut against her face, and Gia moved her head down, her vision obscured as she watched the pavement under her feet, trying to avoid the pelting rain as it fell right into her eyes. Then, she blinked, grabbing for her cell as she spotted the back entrance of the building, eager to retrieve her security pass, but her vision was obscured by the water collecting in her lashes and the hair that had slipped free from her loosening bun and Gia didn’t see the loosened paver right in front of her until she tripped on it.
She flew forward, dropping her phone to catch herself on the muddy grass next to the trail, crawling on her hands and knees when the cell slid down the incline and tumbled into the drain pooling the gushing water that ran from the street.
“Motherfucker!” Gia yelled, reaching for the cell, slipping herself then wincing when her ankle gave out. “Seriously?” She lay back, arms wide, welcoming the downpour, eyes opened to the black sky above her, wondering if her life really could be this ridiculous. “What else you got?” she said to whoever was listening above her, convinced that the universe or whoever controlled it was having the greatest laugh at her expense. But Gia knew better than to tempt fate. She knew laying down a challenge, however flippantly, was courting drama.
It came to her in a thunder of running steps. It came to her in the slowly shifting smile that moved over her head as she blinked at the pouring black clouds.
“Are you alive?” Kai said, his smile shifting, as though he really wanted to laugh, but was still unsure if she was only irritated and not hurt. When she nodded but didn’t speak, he knelt down, holding out his hand for her to take. “You hurt?” His voice was loud as he spoke over the cracking thunder around them. Gia nodded again and that threatening smile left his face. He reached for her head, rubbing the back, the sides and Gia allowed herself the smallest moment to inhale his scent and enjoy the warmth of his body so close to her.
Kai was beautiful. She was attracted to him. Even if she had to keep herself from him for reasons that were logical and rational, she could at least be honest with herself about what impact he had on her.
“No cuts, no bumps,” he announced, looking down at her.
“It’s my ankle,” she told him, pulling his hands out of her hair. “I think I can make it, but I dropped my cell and my keycard in the damn drain. It’s gonna be a pain in the ass replacing all that shit!” She nodded to the offending grate and Kai glanced toward it, his head shaking. He seemed to understand her frustration. It would take forever to get a new keycard from the super and she’d have to waste an entire morning replacing her license at the DMV. Not to mention waiting on a new cell.
He turned back, moving his hand over her chest, nodding after several seconds before Gia slapped his hand away. “What are you doing?”
“Seeing if you still had a heartbeat,” he yelled, looking as ridiculous as Gia felt with his hair matted to his head as they continued to get drenched.
“Of course I still have a heartbeat. I’d be dead if I didn’t!”
“Uh huh,” he said, standing. “Then you don’t have a damn thing to complain about.”
“You can’t let me have even a second of complaining, can you?” she asked, taking his hand, knowing she sounded ridiculous, likely incredibly bratty. But it had been a long day and longer afternoon. She was tired. She was exhausted and, as she lifted to her feet and tried putting weight on her right foot, she realized, she was in more pain than her irritation and adrenaline allowed