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I lock my jaw and try to appear invisible. “Hi.” I sigh because there’s no dignified way out of this.
He swipes a keycard and then punches the penthouse button. Of course, he lives in the penthouse.
“Give me a break,” I grumble to myself. At least it was supposed to be to myself.
From the way his mouth twitches, I realize I muttered it out loud. Almost a smile. “Long day?” He leans against the mirrored wall, crossing his arms. I try not to gape, but holy hell. Up close, he’s even more devastating. The lines of his jaw could cut glass. His eyes pin me in place, dark and bottomless, and I swear my heart does a somersault in my chest. His suit hugs every stupidly perfect muscle, and when he folds his arms, the fabric strains across his biceps.
My brain short-circuits. All I can think about is what those arms would feel like wrapped around me. I bet he could lift me like I weigh nothing. My cheeks flush so hard I probably look like a ripe tomato.
He just stares. Intense. Unblinking, and my freaking knees go weirdly wobbly.
Good grief. I need adult supervision.
“The longest.” I try to sound casual, but my voice does that embarrassing warble it gets when I’m nervous.
He doesn’t respond right away. The silence builds, an avalanche rolling slowly down the mountain. I stare straight ahead and watch our distorted reflections in the steel. His gaze is fixed on mine, dark and bottomless, as if he’s trying to solve a puzzle that no one else even sees.
When the numbers flash past six, he finally speaks. “About this morning. I shouldn’t have yelled.”
I blink. “You didn’t exactly yell. More like…” I wiggle my fingers, searching for the right word. “Growled.” He blinks several times, and thank the universe, the elevator stops at my floor before he’s able to come up with a response to my babbling. He’s still staring at my reflection, not at me directly. It’s weirdly intense. The doors ping open, and I scramble out with a muttered, “Sorry again.”
The doors seal with a soft thunk, and I stand there in the hallway, still holding my breath.
