“Is this the elevator?” She jerks her thumb to the corridor to the left that says private access, and I nod.
My throat bobs as I finally move my feet toward her.
“Sure is, you’d just enter these doors here with the keypad,” I say, punching in my code.
Once the door unlocks and we walk through, there’s a set of elevators that goes directly up to the fifth floor. It’s not the highest in the building, and I’m thankful for that considering I’m not too keen on heights.
“Rob works at the front desk. He’ll make sure you don’t have any issues getting in, and of course the code is different for each resident on our floor.”
“Ourfloor?” she says, raising a brow at me as the elevator is rising.
I just smile. I’ll let the building speak for itself. I haven’t been in the apartment next to mine in well over a year, but I remember the ins and outs of it. The old tenants were a couple who owned some kind of gym franchise around the area, and I’d played poker with the husband there a handful of times.
“It’s probably nice having a private elevator. No one can come up without you knowing.”
“It has its perks.”
She glances at me from the corner of her eye before shifting her observant gaze back to the touchscreen where it shows us moving up.
The elevator dings and the doors slide open, making a killer first impression with the giant windows overlooking the water. Demi’s eyes widen, and I smile seeing her body perk up.
“Wow,” she breathes out.
Wow, indeed.
I’ve lived in nice places before. I mean, my ex-husband plays in the NBA and has the most high-end taste of anyone I’ve ever met, but this building I’ve been in for the last ten minutes feels like I’m in a resort.
And not because of the architecture, although it’s very fancy on the outside with fountains and valet. But it’s everything inside the building that feels so welcoming—despite my internal protest—Liam is making it feel like home already.
“Two apartments down to the right, and we’re over here on the left.” He points to the long hallway to his right and then tilts his head to the left.
I roll my eyes at his constant word choices.Us, we, ours.But I follow him down the hall, along the hardwood flooring that looks sparkling clean and smells like citrus.
“I’m right here,” Liam says, stopping in front of a black door. “So, you know, if you ever need anything. Eggs, milk, a movie companion. I don’t do bugs, though, we can call Rob for that.”
He grins at me, staying in place longer than I thought he would. He stalls for a moment, and I watch the sharp edge of his jaw twist.
“No one knows where I live. I mean, my friends and my brother do. But that’s about six people.” His eyes dart to the floor beneath his feet. His crisp white sneakers taking the smallest step back, as if he’s working on letting me into his space.
It’s surprising behavior from him. Before the last few days I probably would’ve made some comment about him bringing all his female guests here, but it doesn’t seem appropriate now.
“And yet you’re telling me where you live. Showing me, in fact,” I say softly, my eyes eagerly searching his for whatever reason.
Liam has a pull that constantly makes me want to know more about him, and I keep having to stop myself.
“I guess I trust you.” He shoves his hands into the pockets of his black athletic shorts, and I don’t miss his forearms flex as I glance down.
It feels like Liam has layers no one even knows about. I can’t help but wonder if it relates back to his childhood or what. His throat clears, shaking me out of the curiosity spinning. I’m a reporter after all, and it’s hard for me not to want the whole story.
“All right, and now for your new humble abode,” he says, gesturing to the last door at the end of the hall.
“We’ll see about that.”
“Rob gave me the master key for this instance. I don’t just have a key to this place,” he says as he twists the handle on the door and it swings open.
Holy shit. I mean, holyfuckingshit. This apartment is amazing. I expected to walk into a place that was gaudy and had too much space for just one person, but somehow it’s exactly what I need.
There’s a sliding glass door that’s the first thing you see when you enter the apartment with a small patio area just beyond it. The kitchen is off to the left with a spacious island and great light fixtures hanging from the ceiling. There isn’t a big dining room space, but I’m thankful for that. I was never the one who liked to entertain in my last house—all the entertainment spaces were Brandon’s needs.
