Breck looks up from the terminal across the room, and his chair scrapes against the floor. “What the hell?”
My thoughts exactly.
The heavy steel door slams shut with a pneumatic hiss that echoes off the concrete walls. Red emergency lights flicker on, bathing everything in crimson.
I pull up the security interface on my tablet. “Someone triggered the containment protocol. The entire sublevel is locked down.”
Breck crosses to the door and tests the handle. It doesn’t budge.
It was worth a shot, I guess.
I scan through the system logs, each line of code making my stomach drop. “No. It’s a hard lock. Once it’s engaged, we’re stuck here until security manually resets it from the outside.”
Of course. Because the tension between us wasn’t complicated enough.
My tablet chimes with an internal message. I read it, then look up at Breck. “Security says there was a perimeter breach detected. False alarm, but protocol requires a full sweep before they can release the locks. Thirty minutes minimum.”
“Thirty minutes.” He exhales sharply. “Fantastic. So, we’re trapped.”
My mind immediately goes to places it shouldn’t about how we could fill that time.
The silence lingers, filled only by the constant hum of servers and the occasional beep from monitoring equipment. The emergency lighting casts shadows that make the already cramped space feel smaller.
Breck moves to the chair beside mine. “Could be worse.” He looks around. “At least the air circulation is working. And you’re better company than Enzo, so there’s that.” He looks at me. “Silver linings.”
A smile plays on my lips. I glance at the vents, confirming the steady flow, but still feeling warm, despite the cool air.
“This actually gives us time to talk about something that’s been on my mind.” He rests his hand on my shoulder, and I hold my breath at his touch. “It’s been different between us since the bar.”
My hands are still on the keyboard. “I haven’t noticed.”
It’s a lie.
“Remy…” And my name on his lips sounds like an invitation to trust him.
I keep my eyes on the screen, watching lines of code scroll past without really seeing them. “We both had too much to drink. It didn’t mean anything.”
“That’s bullshit, and we both know it.”
The certainty in his response makes me look up. He’s watching me with an intensity I’ve never seen from him before. This is Breck stripped bare, raw and honest.
My throat tightens. “What do you want me to say?”
Breck leans forward, elbows on his knees. “You pulled away from me that night, but I need you to understand why I let you go. It wasn’t because I didn’t want you.”
My pulse kicks up. “Breck, when Damon and I dated, I remember how many women you were with. The same is true for Enzo and Ansel. There was a constant revolving door of beautiful women. And how long did any of those relationships last? A week? Two? Even though we didn’t interact much during that time, I was with Damon long enough to watch the pattern repeat itself.”
He blinks, like he’s absorbing the blow. “You’re right. We did. But none of them were you.”
I turn and give him an incredulous look.
“I’ve been falling for you since the first day you walked into that interview.” The confession rushes out like he’s been holding it back for too long. “You were fierce and brilliant and the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met.”
I can’t process what he’s saying to me.
The words keep tumbling over each other. “And then you kept being amazing. How you fixed that presentation error in the car. How you handled Damon’s bullshit with more grace than he deserved. How you fixed the breach and have saved our asses countless times since.”
I hold up a hand. “Stop.”
