“What? Nothing. Everett, come back,” I cry as he hightails it out of the building.
I follow, and the second I round the corner, I find Everett bent over, glaring at his sister through her window.
Parker puts the window down, and I back away as he starts barking at her for making me cry, giving them some privacy.
By the time he rejoins me in the lobby, my tears have dried up.
“Was that necessary?” I ask, hands on my hips, the bag of leftovers hanging from my left wrist.
His eyes track down the length of me. I don’t know why he bothers; I’m still wearing my salon tunic that is getting way too tight around the middle, my leggings that are nearly threadbare between my thighs, and I can only imagine the state of my hair and makeup.
My chest tightens, and I’m pretty sure I stop breathing when his eyes come back to mine. My core clenches as the air crackles between us.
I forget about everything in that moment, everything I made him agree to, because the only thing I can focus on is his hands on me.
“What’s that?” he asks, his deep rasp dragging me from a place my head certainly shouldn’t be.
“W-what’s what?” I stutter.
“In your hand,” he says, ripping his eyes from me and glancing down. “What is it?”
“Oh, leftover Chinese. I couldn’t eat much, so the girls made sure to send it home with me for later.”
He bites down on his bottom lip, and the sight does ungodly things to me.
“Is there enough to share?” he asks.
I pretend to think for a moment. “I’m not sure. I’m feeling quite hungry again now, so…”
“Goddamn it.”
“If you wanted some, you should have said,” I tease.
His lips turn down at the corners. “I’ve already had dinner,” he mutters before taking my free hand and towing me into the elevator. He presses the button, and in seconds, the doors are closed and we’re heading toward the top floor of the building.
“I hope you weren’t horrible to your sister,” I mutter as he continues to gaze down at me.
“I’m never horrible to my sister,” he counters.
“Hmm…”
“She’s too scary to be horrible to. Unpredictable, too,” he confesses, shuffling a little closer, ensuring the only thing I can think about is his proximity.
“I’ll make sure to tell her that.”
“Don’t you dare, sweetheart.”
My heart stutters as he lifts his hand and tucks a lock of hair behind my ear.
“Did you have fun tonight?”
“I did. You’ve got great friends.”
“They’re Linc and Parker’s friends, really. I just?—”
“Don’t do that,” I interrupt.
A frown pinches his brows. “Do what?”
