He walked out the front doors and stood under the overhang, hugging his briefcase against his chest, and made a run for it.
He collided with another person coming out of a store a few doors down. His briefcase and a box went flying as his hands came out to the person to keep them from falling to the concrete.
“Whoa, shit. I’m sorry.”
He stared down at the person in his arms and couldn’t believe it was Aleena, and she was as drenched as he was. The water dripped from their hair and noses, and their clothes were soaked through.
“Aleena, honey. Did I hurt you?”
She gawked up at him in shock. “No, I’m okay. Did I hurt you?”
Kaleb grinned. He was twice her size, and she was worried about him. “No, baby. Do you remember me from your office?”
“Yes.”
“My name is Kaleb.”
“It’s nice to meet you.”
He smiled at her politeness while standing in the middle of a storm.
“Where’s my box?” she asked and looked around frantically.
He bent and picked up her box and his briefcase. “I’ve got it. Where are you headed?”
“Home.”
“Did you drive?”
She shook her head. “No, I don’t have a driver’s license.”
“How did you plan on getting home?”
“The bus.”
Something in his stomach knotted at the thought of her on her own in one of the city buses. He was afraid a lot of bad people rode them, and he didn’t like the idea of her around them.
“How about I take you home?”
She bit her lip and looked around at the mostly deserted street.
“I’m safe, baby. I really am a good friend of Gregory and Lana. They’ve known me for many years. If you’d like, we could go inside, and you could call them.”
She relaxed and looked up at him. “No, it’s okay.”
Kaleb clutched her box under his arm and held on to his briefcase with that hand. Then he reached out with his other one and was pleased she took it right away.
He got them to his Lincoln Escalade within a minute, threw the things in the back seat, and boosted her up in the front.
After starting the car, he looked over at her and scowled when he noticed how white her complexion was and the shivers that racked her body. He flipped on the heat on high, reached into the back of his vehicle, and grabbed the suit jacket he’d left in the car.
“Lean forward, baby.” He draped the jacket over her shoulders and then buttoned it. Then he slowly moved over toward her and wrapped his arms around her.
Kaleb didn’t like how cold she felt and how much she shivered. “I just want to get you warm. Let me hold you for a minute until you feel warmer.”
Aleena nodded and burrowed into his arms.
He rubbed a hand over her back and arm, hoping to warm her quicker. “How are you doing?” he asked when her shivers subsided.