“Ah,” she said, looking back up at him, her glasses slipping down her nose. She took one hand and used the back of it to push her glasses back up and brush a stray whip of hair out of her face. He noticed that her fingers were stained with something dark and red and he wondered just what the hell she had been doing next door. “No,” she managed to say, her voice soft, “it’s fine.”

He straightened and took a step forward. “Are you sure? I don’t mind.” What the hell ...