I gnawed on my lip. “But … what if he was in just a little bit of danger? Like, not enough for you to feel it, but enough for him not to be able to get back to us …” I sucked in another breath. “Holy Hell, I think I might be having a panic attack.” I bent double, resting my hands on my knees and trying to take deep breaths through lungs that felt as if they were shrinking. “I can’t cope with him being in even a little bit of danger!”

“He’s a big boy, Jemma,” Ezra reminded me, his hand soothing along my spine. “He is more than capable of coping with a little bit of danger.”

“But I don’t want him to have to cope with danger!” I wailed. “I want him safe! And here with me! I want him back here with me …” I sucked desperately for air as a pounding sound thudded in my brain. Or was it the front door?

It was definitely the front door.

“Will someone please answer that?” I begged, rubbing at my forehead. The events of the last twenty-four hours were really starting to catch up with me. “Oh crap!” I squawked, scrambling for the coffee table. “What if it’s the landlord? We need to tidy up!”

I hurriedly stacked the pizza boxes and scooped them up, turning towards the kitchen. “Shit … shit! Do you think I can just stuff these in the⁠—”

“Hello, Mouse.”

I froze, my lips parting on a shocked gasp.

He stood in the doorway, his human form exuding all that sexy fanfiction Draco Malfoy mojo. His eyes were the most intense silver, and they gobbled me up, leaving me trembling. He looked immaculate in dark grey, butt-hugging jeans and a black shirt, unbuttoned at the collar.

And in his arms, he held the biggest box of gluten-free donuts I’d seen since … well, since he taunted me with his eighty donuts that first day we met.

“I brought donuts,” he explained, his voice sheepish, earnest.

“I …” I blathered, but no other words would come out. I drank him in, standing there like a fool with a pile of empty pizza boxes in my arms.

“I think I need to go home … take a shower … call work and tell them I’m taking a personal day,” Joe mumbled, all but sprinting for the door. “I’ll call you later, Jem, once you’ve … yeah …”

And he disappeared.

“Oh! I just realised that I have an … a very early pottery class to teach!” Humphrey blurted. “And … Ez, didn’t you say you wanted to come along? Your throwing needs some serious work!”

Ezra coughed, but I couldn’t drag my eyes from SJ, who waited just inside the door, holding his donuts, gazing at me like he wanted to simultaneously devour me and wrap me up in a warm embrace.