Falter by Haven Cage Page A

finish up anything you can to help the others, in case we can leave soon.” He nodded with a triumphant grin and disappeared back into the kitchen.  
    I tapped on the door and waited, but no one answered. I knocked again, then nudged the door to open the rest of the way. “Hello? Gavyn?” I called into the stairwell.
    “Come on up.” His distant voice was light and raspy.
    “Hey, sorry to bother you, but I need to talk for a minute,” I said calmly while ascending the stairs. The stairwell was dark except for the dim light at the end, barely seeping out from the apartment above me.  
    When I reached the top, I stepped into the welcoming space and admired the simplicity of Gavyn’s home. The living area and kitchen combined, creating a large, open floor plan. A royal blue futon acted as his couch, stretching the length of the wall across from me. A low, steel-framed table squatted on a black shag rug in front of the futon. Three magazines spread haphazardly over the coffee table’s glass top. One was folded backwards at the spine, open to display a Ford Mustang with a scantily clad blonde perched on its hood.  
    I walked farther into the apartment, running my hand along the brass-studded edging of a black club chair offering a seat just right of the futon. As I stood behind the chair with my hands resting on its back, massaging the soft leather beneath my fingers, I gazed in the opposite direction. One, beautifully plain, bay window in a stark-white frame opened the room to a view of our busy block and the building next to ours. It nearly took up the entire wall. The late afternoon sun shined in through the streak-free glass panels, illuminating the room in a pale gold. I imagined the nighttime view of twinkling lights from our neighboring businesses was probably just as wonderful.  
    I spun around and leaned against the chair, wondering if Gavyn wanted me to find him or if he’d come out to me. I examined the small kitchenette, smirking about the small mess Gavyn had left there. The small sink contained a few dirty dishes, and a neglected pot of coffee sat on the counter. He wasn’t as meticulous up here as he was in the café.
    “Gavyn?” I called out, letting my eyes wander over the little details of his home: loaded bookshelves, retro knick-knacks, and several pictures of a giggling boy playing or posing lovingly with a man in his forties.
    “Hey, yeah, I’m in here. Come down the hall.”
    I followed his voice down a hallway that separated the wall behind the futon from the kitchen. Several feet in, on my right, I looked into a bathroom matching the one downstairs, except it had navy curtains instead of crimson. A little farther down, on the left, was another doorway.  
    “Gavyn?” I stepped in, and my jaw dropped. Shocked to see my boss’s bare chest, I turned my head away, fighting the heat reddening my cheeks. “Oh! I’m so sorry!”
    “Nevaeh, it’s okay. I was just changing shirts. Jason thought it would be funny to throw a bucket of cold water on me. He’s lucky I don’t fire his ass.”  
    In my peripheral, I caught Gavyn taking two quick strides toward a tall dresser in the far corner of his room. I let my gaze chase his movements, impressed with how gorgeous he looked free of the loose fabric he normally wore. My eyes widened and my pulse raced, responding to the seductive body I saw. Those few seconds were all I needed to soak in every detail. Time seemed to move in slow motion just for me.  
    His medium build was composed of the kind of muscle you were born with or acquired through hard, laborious work, not by spending night and day in a gym. Slight ripples undulated under his skin as he fumbled with his shirt. Each steady breath he took caused thick pectorals to bunch and stretch over his torso.  
    His faded jeans hung a little loose, slipping down just enough to hint at the streamlined “v” underneath and accentuate smoothly defined abs when he moved. Seemingly without