It worked. She looked at him in shock, but it had pushed the panic from her mind enough for him to regain some control.
He leaned down and kissed her, and all the panic and the fear she had felt moments before melted away. She stood up and they wrapped their arms around each other, kissing again as though it was the only thing in the world that could keep them safe.
In a way, it was. She wasn’t hysterical anymore, and he was able to keep himself under control.
They parted, breathless, to the sound of the kitchen door being forced open.
“Are you ready?”
She nodded, still unable to speak.
“Get behind me. I need you to phone the police, OK?”
“OK,” it was barely a squeak but at least it was something. Matt was thundering up the stairs.
She dialled in the number and hurriedly told the
