Liam: I’ll buzz you in. Apartment 302.
Swallowing past a lump of uncertainty that’s lodged in my throat, I tug on the curved handle of the door once it buzzes.
Swinging it open, I strut through and head straight across the small lobby to an elevator.
The floors are polished marble in a decorative pattern that might have been popular decades ago. Worn woodwork lines the ceiling and a door labeledcustodianis next to the elevator.
This building is full of charm, just like the one I live in.
Drawing in a shaky breath, I step into the elevator once the door slides open.
This is it. I’m about to come face-to-face with the man who has been on my mind for days.
A smile curves my lips as the narrow elevator starts upward with an unsteady lurch and a groan.
CHAPTER TEN
Liam
There’ssomething about this woman that sets me on fire whenever I’m near her.
I stand at the open door of my apartment and take it all in.
She’s beautiful. It’s not just Athena’s face that is striking. It’s everything about her.
The soft smile on her lips, the wisps of hair that are trailing across her cheek, and the subtle way she’s tilting her head as she rakes me from head-to-toe make her hot as fuck in my eyes.
I had no idea if she’d show up with the bouquet.
I placed the order online this morning, hoping that she’d get a laugh out of it. I half-expected her to send someone else to put the flowers in my hand, but I’m glad she’s here.
“You ordered asurprise thembouquet, so surprise,” she says with a laugh.
I glance down at the small blue-hued bouquet that’s sitting in a circular vase. Did she lug that here from her store? The woman is fearless if she took a breakable vase filled with water on a journey around Manhattan.
“I didn’t realize it came with that,” I point out, taking the flowers from her.
The vase has some weight to it.
“It doesn’t,” she says, edging a few inches to the left. “I didn’t know if you’d have anything to put the flowers in, so I threw it in at no cost.”
I owe her again.
I’m a lucky bastard.
I watch as her gaze flits from my face to the room behind me. She’s checking out my apartment. It’s not large, but it’s comfortable.
A one-bedroom with a view of the river was what sold me on the place.
“Do you want to come in for a bit?”
She studies me, her brow knitting in concentration. I admit I didn’t expect a pause, so I fill in the silence with a question. “Do you need to be somewhere else?”
A shake of her head confirms what I already suspected. “No.”
“I don’t have any alcohol to offer you, but I’ve got sparkling water.”
A half-step forward and a nod of her chin are all I need. I step aside to let Athena into my home.
