Wait a minute—did he sayus? Did that mean he was staying with me?
“Botherus?” I repeated, getting agitated.
Oh God! No. No. No.
If Neil and I stayed together in the same apartment for several hours, I would come out completely obliterated, wrung-out, and consumed by his desires. I could already imagine the demands he’d make of me and the things he’d try to start when we were in bed together that night. I was never able to think rationally or make sensible decisions when I was with him, let alone try to resist him when he came on to me like he always did.
“You want me to leave you there alone?” he asked, shooting me a penetrating glance.
“No,” I answered too quickly, obviously agitated. “I just thought that you’d go home and I’d be staying in the apartment, that’s all,” I explained, rubbing my hands together awkwardly. Neil pulled a pack of Winstons out of the jacket and extracted a cigarette with his teeth.
Did he seriously want to smoke in here with all the windows rolled up and the heater on? I would die of asphyxiation.
“Maybe don’t—” I started to say, but he lifted up a hand to stop me.
“It’s my car, and I’ll smoke in it when I want,” he cut me off. “Don’t start busting my balls, Babygirl,” he said calmly, as though he’d just given me some friendly advice.
Well, this was shaping up to be a fantastic evening!
I rolled my eyes and searched for the button that would roll down the window so some of the fog could dissipate.
“How long are you staying? Does your mother know you’re here?”
His question unsettled me, and I felt a stab of angst in my chest. I had never lied to my mother before, and I knew, deep down, that it had been the wrong thing to do. But I also knew that I had to meet Neil in New York, no matter what the cost.
“No,” I admitted. “She thinks I’m hanging out with my friend Bailey and that I’ll be back tomorrow.” I cleared my throat, glancing up at the skyscrapers towering all around us.
“I figured,” he commented with a smug smile. I looked at him with a frown. I was about to ask him what made him so confident, but before I could demand to know, we pulled into a parking garage, and I was completely distracted. “Here we are, Tinkerbell,” he told me, shutting off theengine, as the garage attendant stepped up to take the key and give Neil a ticket for the car.
He turned his bright gaze on me, maybe waiting for me to react. I offered him a shaky little smile. He stared at my mouth, and I was positive he could sense my uncertainty.
“Relax,” he said in a low, seductive voice. “I don’t bite.” He winked at me and then got out of the car. I followed him, bag in hand. Neil didn’t make a move to take it, choosing to let me carry it instead, something that didn’t surprise me at all.
Neil Miller, not a gentleman—more news at eleven.
He led me to the elevator, and we stepped through the sliding doors. I forced myself not to look at him, even though his good smell was the flame to the fuse of my desire.
The ride up put me on edge.
I leaned back against the mirror behind me and observed Neil, intent on watching me in silence. The serious, intense expression on his face communicated a poorly concealed desire to make me his. Immediately.
The deadly draw that filled the air between us shocked me to the spirit.
I caught my breath at the devastating emotions that were ravaging my heart, and Neil gave me a satisfied little smile, knowing full well that every bat of his eyelashes had the power to shake my soul.
I cleared my throat, awkward as always, and turned my attention to the floor numbers above the door slowly lighting up one by one.
None of them, however, seemed to be our destination. When were we going to get there?
I rocked back on my heels and dropped my eyes, embarrassed.
How bizarre that the two of us, who were always on the brink of tearing off each other’s clothes, couldn’t manage to start a conversation. I gave a sigh of relief when, finally, the elevator opened on the fiftieth floor, allowing us access to the enormous apartment’s door. The rare wood and gold fixtures on the door gave me a sneak peek at the luxury I would find inside.
After all, Mia wasn’t the kind to spare any expense, just like Matt.
“I forgot to mention it, but it’s the penthouse,” Neil said as he opened the door and gestured for me to go inside.
Wow!
