“Well, looks like we’re stopped. Might be a glitch, might be a loss of power.” I keep my hand on her hip to steady her in case the nerves are getting the better of her and press a button. When nothing happens, I punch another. The soft glow flickers then fizzles out.
“Does that mean the cameras are out, too?” She is teasing, attempting to either put her mind at ease or reassure me for some reason. I’d like to say I’ve never been put in this situation, except I have. I work at a hospital. The only plus side from their elevators doing similar is that the backup generators bring everything back to life pretty quickly.
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you? It wouldn’t inconvenience us at all from what we started.” I brush a stray curl behind her ear once I realize the buttons are a lost cause.
“I would probably call it a dose of fate, depending on how you look at it.” A bubble of laughter echoes in the enclosed area, surprising me.
“We’ll call it whatever we need to.” As long as Coralynn doesn’t panic. Here with the doors sealed, the world shut out, and her scent surrounding me, allowing me to catch the faint scent of peppermint from her drink and hair products, the sexual tension rises like no fucking other.
I’m about to press my lips against hers when the lights decide to go from bright, almost blinding, to dim. “Fuck.”
“Okay, I hate to put the brakes on our kiss, but I’m, like, ten seconds away from freaking out. Being in close spaces, no big deal. Being in closed spaces with little to no light, big deal. Huge fucking deal.”
“We’ll be fine.” I step closer, dropping my voice to more of an intimate rumble.
“I’m glad you’re sure of that, because falling to my death tonight isn’t on my to-do list.” My eyes linger on her lips, tempted as hell to take them and kiss her worries away.
“You won’t,” I promise, then add, “You’re safe.” She gives me a nod when I finish the sentence, “With me.”
“Yeah, you’re right, and there’s no one else I’d rather be in this situation with than you.” The emergency phone comes to life with a loud shrill, more than likely confirming help will be on their way. But I don’t hurry to answer, and neither does Coralynn.
“Fuck, the last thing I want to do is pause this conversation. But we’ve got a lot of friends and family who will take matters into their own hands if no one responds.” My hand moves down from her hip, blazing a trail until I’m met with smooth bare skin. Christ, her dress is making it impossible to leave her, even if it’s only to move a foot away.
“Tony.” Her voice is warm, wrapping around me like a call that claims you with just a touch.
“Hold that thought.” I keep my eyes on hers as I pick up the phone, and the high-pitched noise finally stops. The elevator trembles again, a nudge, and Coralynn moves closer to me, holding the railing until she’s huddled into my side.
“Hello,” I answer.
“Hi, this is Selma with the hotel. I want to assure you that we’re aware of the elevator malfunctioning. The fire department has been called and should be here in a few minutes. Is there anything we can do to ease your discomfort until they arrive?”
“We’re good. Thank you for letting us know. Can you do me a favor and alert Jagger Steele, Asher Fontaine, and Jude Ellison about what’s happening?” Those three can do damage control and not alert Luke and Shae about what’s happening. It seems this whole weekend has been putting out fires neither one of us set.
“I’ll do so now. Oh, the firefighters are here as we speak. Would you like me to stay on the phone?”
“No. Thank you, though.” We hang up. Coralynn heard most of the conversation. She sends me a nod and settles her head on my chest.
“You realize we have about two seconds until the cavalry arrives,” she says into the fabric of my shirt.
“Fire department!” It appears she is right, as usual. “We’re going to get you out. Just hang tight,” someone calls out. The minute Asher finds out where we’re at, he’ll be helping this crew figure things out.
“Thank you,” I reply. Coralynn exhales, and the tension dissipates from her shoulders. I wrap my arms around her, my hands rubbing up and down her back.
“Tony?” She trembles in my hold. The last thing I want to do is let her go, but when she pulls back, I’m forced to.
“You’re shaking. Are you okay?” I cup her cheek, and my thumb sweeps along her trembling jaw.
“Adrenaline.” She pauses. “I think.” My other hand squeezes her side gently. She looks into my eyes, the armor she’s kept in place cracked wide open. She’s vulnerable, and at first, I’m concerned. “I’m okay. At first, I wasn’t. Honestly, I was terrified for a minute, not because we’re stuck.”
“Then why?” I drop my tone, dip my knees, and look into her cerulean-blue eyes that suck me in so deeply I could be drowning in the sea, and I’d find my way out with the thought of them alone.
“Because I realized that if something happened, I’d have never been able to tell you.” She pauses. There’s a tremble in her voice when she continues, “Well, Tony, I think…I think I love you.” The world blurs. The noise from the firefighters and everything else disappears.
“Fuck, Coralynn. I should have known you’d switch it up on me. I was supposed to say it first. Ti amo, trouble. I love you, Coralynn Parker. Never doubt that.”
“I really need you to kiss me now.” Her eyes close, and my lips land on hers in a searing kiss. My tongue slides inside, and my hands move, fisting one in her hair and the other pulling at the fabric of her skirt, needing to feel her. All of her.
The clanking of metal, the smell of smoke from the firefighter's gear, and the adrenaline buzzing in our veins, it feels like our world has settled exactly where it’s meant to.
