S I X

Avoiding Colton since their incident had been easier than Kate thought. He had started bringing women home again, and although the woman screamed and wailed and the bedhead banged viciously against the thin wall, Kate kept quiet. She didn’t want to draw his attention to her, and to be fair, after their time together, she understood. She hadn’t seen much of Austin and had been thankful for that too.

But she knew it wouldn’t last forever.

Returning home from her run, Kate climbed the staircase, wiping the sweat from her brow. She froze at the sight of his shirtless torso, his back once again covered in scratches, his hair messy and damp. He inhaled a deep draw of his cigarette and turned away.

Kate’s stomach dropped. She hadn’t known what to expect but she thought it would be a snide comment, at the least. Scolding herself for wanting his attention, she skipped up the remaining steps and unlocked her front door.

“You shouldn’t be smoking in the hallway. You sho