“Do you have my number?”
She licked her lips. “Sort of.”
The other corner twitched now. “From her chart.”
“Yes.”
He groaned and moved closer. Another fraction of an inch, and they’d be kissing. Why weren’t they kissing yet?
“I can’t stop thinking about you.” The raw confession tore loose from his body, his voice grating like he tried to hold it in, because it was an admission that violated everything they had previously agreed to.
“It’s been a long month,” she agreed. She could play this cool, even though her heart hammered against her rib cage as if Owen was offering to go down on her right here, right now.
He smiled, a little wild, just on the edge of control. “I have a question for you.”
The answer was yes. Yes, here in the elevator. Yes, whatever he wanted. Her head swam and her knees threatened to buckle.
The elevator made a sound, a small beep, and then another one. Louder, more persistent this time. Kerry’s hammering heart desperately wanted Owen to ignore it, but that wasn’t his style. And in a building full of first responders, maybe it wasn’t wise to have alarms going off, she could see that ending badly—and publicly.
He stepped back, leaving her pressed against the wall and shaking. He glanced over at the panel, swore under his breath, and pulled the key out. Then he tapped the first floor button.
What?Every cell in her body shrieked in protest. He needed to do the key trick again. They needed more time. She straightened up. “You were asking a question?”
He dragged his hooded gaze down her body.
Yeah. The answer was definitely yes.
“Have dinner with me tomorrow night.” The doors opened and he stepped halfway out of the elevator, leaning his hand against the door to pin it open while she stared at him.
Dinner.
She had been prepared for a hot night of no-holds-barred sex. Not dinner. Not after that scorching pin against the wall, and the grind against the bar at the club, and even the way he’d touched her for the first time at his house. Their connection was dangerously combustible chemistry. She didn’t need to be wined and dined to invite Owen into her bed.
“That’s not a question,” she said, buying herself some time.
Weren’t they about to kiss?
When could she tear his clothes off?
Those were questions.Have dinner with mewas a command.
He smiled, all the way to his eyes. “Would you please have dinner with me? Let me take you out, Kerry. Let’s do this right.”
Her heart liked that a lot. Too much, but whatever, the answer had always been yes. Since the first moment she laid eyes on him, big and grumpy and not looking at anyone as he stalked across the Green Hedgehog. “Yes,” she said in a rush. “Will you pick me up? Do you know where—”
His eyes glittered as he nodded. “I know where you live.”
“Okay then.” She hitched her bag over her shoulder and moved to leave the elevator.
Owen stopped her, his hand grazing down her arm before catching her wrist. He glanced back over his shoulder, then moved them both back into the elevator again. “Fuck it,” he said, closing the door. “I can’t wait another minute.”
Her breathless gasp was lost this time as he covered her lips with his. Her bag hit the floor, he tangled his fingers into her hair, and finally—finally—she learned what the press of his mouth against hers felt like.Warm magic. Like flames appearing from nowhere to gobble up dry kindling, and then perfectly settling into hot, glowing embers. Tender, questing magic, his lips caressing hers as his fingers flexed in her hair. Restraint shook through his entire body.
She softened into his embrace, and by the time he eased back, she was melting in all the right places. She smiled up at him. “I wasn’t sure you were going to kiss me.”
He flushed. “I wanted to kiss you as soon as the doors closed, but I want to do this right.”
She touched her fingers to her lips. “You did. You are.”
