“She was at a store and had several dresses draped over her arm, and said she bumped into a clothing rack on accident. Liam took her to the emergency room because she thinks it might be broken, but I don’t know, it doesn’t seem like the kind of thing that would break an arm. It’s just under her shoulder and above her elbow.”
“Ouch,” I say, wincing at the thought. “Don’t worry. She’ll be fine. I’m sure it was just a freak accident. Are you there with her?”
“No,” she says, and she sounds annoyed that I don’t know where she is. “I’m back at school.” She’s in her senior year of college, and I guess that tracks.
“Hey, keep me updated, okay? Let me know when she’s home.”
“I will.”
We hang up, and I pull into the parking garage and happen to find Maverick waiting for the elevator when I walk into the building. Milton isn’t at his usual desk, but two people are waiting at the counter, so I assume he’s in back looking for a package delivered for them.
Maverick doesn’t acknowledge me, and I feel like I should say something to try to alleviate some of the awkwardness. But I can’t seem to come up with anything to say.
We step onto the elevator together, and it’s just the two of us. I feel like I’m panting. This space is too small for the two of us, and I’m not sure why there’s this sudden magnetism pulling me toward him. I’m quite sure I don’t like it.
At all.
But I feel it.
And then this image of being wrapped in those big arms plows into me, and I have this suddencravingto know what that would feel like. What was it like to be married to him? What was it like to belovedby him…or, hell, even to belikedby him? He doesn’t seem to likeanybody.
I feel his gaze smoldering at me, and my eyes edge over to him in the blurry stainless steel of the elevator door. It’s too hard to tell if he’s looking at me, and I can’t help when my head turns toward him.
Our eyes catch, and my breathing stops for a few seconds. He inclines his head a little, and I think he’s going to move in toward me.
Iwanthim to. The air is charged with sexual energy, and maybe it’s been too long since I’ve had sex, but I just…want it. I want it with him. I want to know what he looks like naked. I want to know what he feels like as he pushes into me. I want to know what his lips feel like against mine, how his tongue would tangle with mine. Would he melt from this vitriolic man full of anger into something kinder and sweeter? Somehow I doubt it, yet I want to see for myself.
I want so badly to not be so attracted to him, but I can’t seem to stop it. It’s like a goddamn freight train barreling at me, and I’m frozen in place, helpless to jump out of the way of impending danger.
I move back a step so I’m leaning against the elevator wall, and just when I think he might pounce, the car glides to a stop and dings to let us know we’ve arrived at our floor.
He gets off first. There’s no gentlemanly holding out of his hand to allow the lady to step off first, but in doing so, he also blocks my view of the person standing by my door waiting for my arrival.
“Billy?” I say, and I freeze in the elevator doorway. Billy’s handsome face with those dark brown eyes and white teethand bright smile breaks out into a grin as he opens his arms to me as if I should walk forward and step into them.
I don’t want to walk into them.
Even less so when he breaks out the “Sweetheart!” and sort of waggles his fingers to beckon me into his arms.
My eyes edge over to Maverick, who isn’t pretending to slide his key into his lock like a normal person might do. Instead, he’s staring daggers at Billy.
Interesting.
I force one foot in front of the other to meet Billy’s outstretched arms. “What are you doing here?” I ask as he wraps his arms around me.
“I told you I was coming into town,” he says.
“Right. I didn’t realize it was, well, now. How did you know where I live?”
“I checked in with your brother so I could surprise you. Is now a bad time?”
I can’t think of what would be agoodtime to have my ex-boyfriend show up on my doorstep, but I guess this is no worse than any other time.
“No, it’s fine,” I say. I hear a grunt in the periphery, and then I say brightly, “Come on in.” I open my front door and disappear inside without so much as a backward glance at Maverick, which I’m sure sets him all the way on edge.
He’s a lit fuse. It’s dangerous to blow at the flame, and yet…that’s basically what I just did.
“So…this is my new place.” I hold my arms up to indicate the place.
