We reach the lobby of Zane’s apartment building, and William releases my hand. He approaches the elevator operator at the far right and passes him something. Currency, perhaps. I frown as I follow William into the elevator. Isn’t this the operator Zane warned us about? Mr. Tibbets, the slowest?
My legs are tired after so much walking, so I lean against the rail on one of the side walls. William leans against the opposite wall, and the elevator door closes. He holds my gaze, running a thumb over his bottom lip as the lift begins to move. We haven’t exchanged a word since he took my hand, yet the air between us remains taut and heavy, as if whatever he left unsaid back then continues to plague him now.
Meanwhile, I’m stuck on the things hedidsay.
William called me beautiful.
He calledmebeautiful. My work too.
My lips curl at the corners.
He arches a brow. “What are you grinning about?”
I shrug. “You’re not the worst after all, William. In fact, it sort of feels like we’re becoming friends, don’t you think?”
“That’s where you’re wrong.” He pushes off the wall and saunters toward me. He doesn’t stop until only inches separateus. “A friend wouldn’t want to do the kinds of things I want to do with you.”
My breath hitches. That intensity has returned to his eyes along with no small amount of hunger. He leans forward, eyes never leaving mine, and slides his hands down my hips until they reach my thighs. Then, in a sudden movement, he hefts me up, props my bottom on the rail behind me, and steps between my legs.
He brings his lips close to mine. “Free pass.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
EDWINA
My breaths come out sharp and jagged as my hands land on his chest. Inch by inch my skirt rises higher all on its own, hiking up my thighs as William steps in even closer. I press my back firmer against the elevator wall. My legs have nowhere else to go but around his hips.
His words hang between us.
Free pass.
“You can’t use it here,” I say, voice breathless. I’m not even sure why I’m arguing. Either my rational mind is overriding the desire tingling in my lips and core, or my wicked side is trying to delay William’s gratification. “This is neither of our bedrooms.”
“I’m adding a new rule.” Now that my legs are locked around his hips, he’s dropped his hands to the railing on either side of me, as if to keep himself from touching me more until I agree to let him. “The free pass can be redeemed inanyprivate space, so long as it is after ten in the evening.”
His heart slams against my palm, even through the thick brocade of his waistcoat. I lick my lips, a movement he follows with his eyes. “What if the elevator operator stops to let someone else on? This is quite the compromising position.”
He leans in and drags his nose up the side of my face, then along my jaw. His hot breath has my lashes fluttering. “He won’t,” he says into the crook of my neck. “I gave him five citrine rounds to stop for no one.”
Five rounds? A single citrine round is worth ten chips. I tilt my head back, allowing him to burrow deeper against my neck. He still hasn’t kissed me, only grazed his nose and lips over my flesh. One of my hands moves up his chest to rest at his nape. My words become infused with a breathy whine. “You paid Mr. Tibbets to get me alone?”
He pulls back to hold my gaze, his mouth quirking at one corner. “We have at least five minutes if he takes us at his usual pace, but I told him to take his time. I intend to use every minute wisely. Now, do you agree to my new rule?”
My natural instinct is to argue more, but for once I don’t want to. I have no desire to delay his gratification. The heat searing between my legs tells me I’d only be delaying mine.
Which leaves me with only one answer I can give. “Yes.”
His lips crash into mine, and I part my mouth for him. My legs tighten around his hips as his tongue sweeps into my mouth in a welcome caress. He brings one hand to my cheek while the other skates up my bare side. I arch against him as his hand moves higher, grazing my ribs. He tucks his thumb beneath the front of my bodice, then traces the outer curve of my breast. Heat burns at the apex of my thighs, and I squeeze him tighter with my legs, desperate for some friction. Too many folds of my lace skirt remain between us, giving me only the slightest relief when I rock my hips.
The motion reminds me of the railing I’m propped on and I suddenly picture us from a distance, hyperaware of how sexy this is. I can imagine one of my heroines doing this, though I never could have envisioned an elevator before seeing one firsthand. Yet as I continue to picture how we look together, a scene unfolds in my mind’s eye. Maybe between Johannes and?—
“I’ve lost you, haven’t I?”
I blink, finding William’s face before me. His lips are pink and swollen, his eyelids heavy. Only now do I realize I’ve stopped kissing him and have been staring into space, lost in my imagination.
“I’m sorry,” I rush to say, my words still tangled in breathlessness. I may have stopped kissing him, but my arousal hasn’t abated. I merely drifted elsewhere in my mind. I worry my bottom lip, finding it slick with moisture. I release a few panting breaths. “I do this sometimes when I’m aroused. I start getting scene ideas.”
He tilts my chin gently with his fingertip, expression warm and still rich with desire. “You don’t have to apologize. It’s my duty to bring you back to me and keep you present in your body.”
