Paul leaned in to me, his arm dangled around my shoulder. “You’re too humble. You can’t be that way in this cutthroat business. And you smell so good. You always do. Did I tell you that you look damn hot in that dress?”
In trying to politely push him away, I lost my footing and stumbled backward, bumping into someone. Paul stood there with a Cheshire cat grin on his face while his unfocused eyes watched me. Strong arms steadied me and I pivoted around to apologize when the scent ofhimwafted around me. I stood still, barely breathing.It can’t be.But it was. All at once, I was acutely aware of his fingers on my skin, his breath on my shoulders, and his hard chest pressed against my back. The room grew small and a suffocating heat consumed me. I slowly turned around to face the man who’d put my emotions through the wringer for the past week.
Slowly and seductively, his gaze slid downward, taking in every inch of me as my skin tingled and my pulse pounded. The one thing I could count on was my body’s reaction to Trace Prescott. No matter how hard I tried, it just wouldn’t behave.
“Congratulations.” He squeezed my upper arm. “You did a fantastic job with this launch. You must be proud.”
I lifted my chin as I pulled away from him. “I am.”
Paul came closer and dangled his arm around my shoulder again. I wanted to push him away, but the glint of anger in Trace’s eyes made me laugh and bat my eyes at Paul. Totally high school, but the sting of seeing him with a beautiful, elegant-looking woman was still there.
He darted his gaze between the two of us, then said, “I can see you’re busy. I just came over to congratulate you.” He spun around and disappeared into the crowd. When I couldn’t see him any longer, I elbowed Paul and walked away.
As the evening progressed, I snuck too many peeks at Trace and his blonde date, and drank too many flutes of champagne. Self-pity crept in, and even though the unveiling of the new phone was a smash and everyone congratulated me, loneliness spread through me. I was in a packed room on one of the biggest nights of my career, and I felt lonely as hell. All of a sudden, excited voices became fingernails on a chalkboard, aromatic scents of rosemary and thyme became repugnant, and champagne became my enemy. I couldn’t breathe. The room was closing in on me, and I had to get out of there.
I teetered toward the French doors and slipped out onto the patio, the cool night air a welcome change to the stuffiness inside. Tilting my head back, I inhaled and exhaled deeply, letting the crisp, briny air fill my lungs. The city lights twinkled on the bay, and I watched them shimmer across the water in the light spring breeze. I had to clear my head. Not a jealous person, I was surprised how upset I was about Trace’s date. I had to forget about him, and if I couldn’t, I needed to leave Velocity and find work with another company.
I looked behind me. I didn’t want to go back inside. I liked the fresh air, the cover of night, and the mesmerizing effect of the water. I didn’t want to think about anything anymore. Especially Trace Prescott.
I sighed and stared at the ocean.
