Or someone had made the sound as a fake out to get behind her. An arm came around her throat and she suddenly couldn’t breathe.
She tried to kick back, tried to get her cane back far enough that she could hit him with it. Whoever was behind her kicked it away, and she felt her knee buckle. Her muscles, the ones she worked so hard to keep strong, failed her.
The arm tightened and her head was light. Panic threatened but she couldn’t do anything about it.
The world went dark and she was sure she was done.
* * * *
Hutch glanced down at his watch again. It was a smartwatch that connected to just about everything, a true tech-junkie’s watch, but right now all he needed from it was the time.
Noelle was late. A full ten minutes late.
He’d texted her when he’d reached the building and pulled into a parking space. He’d kind of thought she would be waiting in the roundabout, not wanting to give him another reason to get his hands on her.
That would be a smart move on her part. He would take any excuse she gave him because he’d thought about that kiss all freaking day.
It was stupid. It had been a kiss. It hadn’t even been real since he’d done it to establish his place in her life for the op. Yeah, he was going to keep telling himself that.
She’d been ridiculously soft in his arms, and he would bet a lot that somewhere in the middle of that kiss, she’d forgotten why they’d been kissing. She’d forgotten they had an audience and she’d let go. He’d felt the second she’d truly given herself over to the moment, and she’d responded to him in a way no woman ever had before—openly and with a pure need that called to his own.
His whole body had been on edge since that kiss, but not in a bad way. He’d enjoyed the ache he’d had all day. It meant he wanted something. Her. He wanted Noelle.
And he’d decided to have her.
He could play it vanilla. He didn’t need to tie her up and clamp those pretty tits. He didn’t need to see her laid out over his lap, feel her squirm while waiting for his hand to land on that spectacular ass of hers.
Nope. He could do it.
But she had to come down for him to start his very vanilla seduction. He’d already prepped because he had everything ready for dinner. After thoroughly checking her place for any listening devices, he’d marinaded some chicken breasts and put together a salad. While MaeBe had taught Kyle how to properly shut off some of the functions on Noelle’s smart TV and her smart speaker systems, he’d gotten a couple of potatoes ready to bake.
He’d thought about telling Kyle he was on his own. It would be nicer to send Kyle out to find his own dinner while he fed Noelle and got time alone with her. There was a fast-food place within walking distance. But he had to play the nice guy here. And Noelle hadn’t been interested in hunky Kyle. She’d been interested in him.
“Did you call her?” Kyle strode up. He’d been much happier in Noelle’s sedan, but much grumpier the minute MaeBe had left to go home. “She’s late.”
He managed to not give Kyle a childish “duh.” He actually wasn’t a bad dude, and he had better taste in women than Hutch would have given him credit for. Kyle seemed fascinated with MaeBe. It was a good thing because he wasn’t going to let the guy get close to Noelle.
Damn. He was getting possessive fast. That didn’t happen. He was laid back. He was live and let live. He wasn’t the guy who thought someone belonged to him.
But maybe he hadn’t met the woman who belonged to him up until today.
She was also the woman who was making him nervous because she wasn’t replying to his texts. “I’m going to call.”
“Have you thought about the fact that she might not have her phone?” Kyle asked.
“She’s got her watch. She can reply with her watch.” She’d told him she worked out after she finished up in her lab. She could be in the shower.
He didn’t like it. She would have texted him if she was going to be late. She was a careful woman, and a woman who tried not to cause trouble for others. He’d read back through her file again, and simply looking around her apartment told him that. She had a calendar on her bar where she reminded herself to call her family and friends on certain days. Her mail had three charitable donations waiting to be sent out. She wasn’t a woman who kept others waiting.
“I’m going in.” He started for the front of the building because her phone was going straight to voice mail.