CHAPTER 1
ALESSIA
The sightof the silver elevator doors closing before I could reach them caused my chest to clamp tight with desperation.
“Hold the doors,please!” I called out over the clatter of my stilettos on the marble floor.
Hiding from my boss would be so much harder if I didn’t get my ass tucked away in my office before he arrived. If he’d simply been the overly chatty sort or socially awkward, I wouldn’t bother with my elaborate evasion schemes, but it was so much worse than that. I would do whatever I could to avoid spending a single unnecessary minute with that man.
If I missed this elevator, would I beforced to ride the next one with my boss? He’d be arriving at the building any minute. Ten floors, alone, in an enclosed space with the creep.
My heart seized painfully.
A second before the doors could seal shut, they froze with a jerk, then retracted, allowing me to scramble aboard.
“Thank you so much. You really don’t understand—” My words trailed away when my eyes landed on the man who had saved me from potential misery.
He was masculine beauty personified—dark hair, perfectly styled back and closely cropped on the sides. He had a dusting of dark hair on his angular jaw, and his deep-set eyes were so dark that they were almost black. Without saying a word, easy confidence wafted from his expensively suited form like steam from a rain-soaked summer street.
I had never seen him before. I’d come to recognize many of the building’s occupants, but there was no chance I would have forgotten the sight of him.
He was the most breathtaking man I’d ever seen.
Towering over me, despite my four-inch heels, he owned every square inch of the small elevator car. While he was only a few years older than me, he had the powerful presence of a much older man.
“What don’t I understand?” The amused purr of his voice was a warm caress that stole the air from my lungs.
Fortunately, the elevator doors closing behind me jarred me from my trance, reminding me I’d been unabashedly devouring him with my eyes. I exhaled a shaky breath as I turned and pushed the button for the tenth floor.
“Just that I needed to get upstairs. Don’t want to be late for work.” I forced an awkward chuckle, looking anywhere but at the gorgeous man directly across from me until Irealized I could feel the penetrating touch of his eyes. I didn’t have to look up to know he was staring at me, daring me to meet his gaze. Unable to ignore his unspoken command, I lifted my eyes and peered at him through my lashes.
When my gaze reached his face, one corner of his mouth quirked up just a fraction. Had I not been so keenly aware of the man, I would have missed the fleeting movement. Leaning back against the wall, hands clasped casually in front of him, he was perfectly at ease, amused by my flustered reaction.
I, on the other hand, was coming apart under his scrutiny.
Why was I so affected by a man I’d never even met? He was nobody to me. What did I care what he thought of me? There were loads of attractive men in the city.
This man is different.
His commanding stare stripped my defenses and left me raw and vulnerable.
Just when I thought I would blurt something to fill the uncomfortable silence, the elevator shuddered, then ground to a stop, lights flickering. My hand darted out to catch myself against the wall, and I gasped in surprise. The man, on the other hand, needed no such balance assistance. Aside from a glance around the elevator car, he was seemingly unfazed.
Why should the laws of physics affect someone so clearly not of this world?
“Looks like we’re stuck,” I murmured after it became clear the doors were not opening, nor were we resuming motion. “I suppose we should call for help.” I glanced down at the phone labeled for emergency use on my side of theelevator, and when I looked back up, the man’s piercing gaze was still fixed on me.
He pulled away from the wall and closed the space between us, making my breath catch in my throat. Leaning across me, just inches from touching me, he opened the call box and retrieved the phone. I released a shaky exhale and took a small step back to give him room and to collect myself.
“Yes, my companion and I are stuck in one of the elevators in the Triton building … No emergencies, just stuck … Thank you.” He hung up the receiver and turned to where I now stood in the back corner, having inched away from him as he spoke. “They’ve sent someone to check on the situation, but there’s no telling how long it will be.” His deep voice resonated throughout the small space, each syllable oozing control. The sound was the perfect complement to his unflappable demeanor.
My heart pounded so fast, I became lightheaded. I’d been around assertive men all my life, but this man’s presence filled up the small space so completely, there was no oxygen left to breathe. My eyes flitted to his, and I offered him a glimpse of a smile. “It’s not the first time I’ve been stuck in an elevator. Live in the city long enough, and you come to expect these things.” Relief coursed through my veins when I managed to utter something semi-intelligible.
“You work in the building?” Leaning his shoulder against the side wall, he continued to focus all his attention on me, not returning to his side of the elevator.
“Yes, I work at Triton. You?”
“No, I’m here to meet someone.”
