Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 44459 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 222(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 148(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44459 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 222(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 148(@300wpm)
I was jerked away from the wall, corralled through the doorway, and pushed out into a passageway that reminded me of a bomb shelter. It probably was. The concrete walls were lit by primitive bulbs on a strand that draped along the ceiling.
“What should we do with him?” one asked the other.
“Fuck if I know. Let’s send him up and let them figure it out.”
Each of them had a hold of my elbow, and their grip was painfully strong, squeezing right on my pressure points. It made my knees wobble, so when we turned a corner and I was tossed forward, my legs nearly buckled underneath me.
“Fourth floor,” the first guy said.
Only he wasn’t talking to his partner.
It was because I was in the elevator car again, and Chelsea stood beside its operating lever. She nodded to the security guys before setting her sights on me.
Maybe I was imagining the warmth in her eyes because I wanted it to be there, but she looked fucking thrilled to see me. I had to latch a hand onto the railing to combat the effect this had on me.
Had she gotten even hotter since the last time I’d seen her?
One of the security guys pulled the gate closed, but I ignored that and locked my gaze on Chelsea as she pushed the lever to close the door. As soon as it slid shut and we were alone, she couldn’t hold it in any longer.
“You did it.” She stared at me as if I’d climbed Everest—she was that impressed. And then she added softly, “I was hoping we’d see each other again.”
I let out a tight breath, excitement surging through my veins. “Me too.”
The moment was suspended between us. I wanted to move closer, to put a hand on her narrow waist and capture her lips with mine. She’d melt and sigh like she’d been waiting all night for my kiss, and her hands would grab fistfuls of my shirt, pulling me tight to her.
Her head tilted and she smiled, perplexed. “What are you thinking about?”
In my head, I pictured my fingers on the zipper at the center of her corset, tugging it down until her perfect breasts spilled free. Heat short-circuited my brain.
“Kissing you.”
Wait.
Why the fuck did I just say that?
Her smile froze in place, and shields went up in her eyes, protecting her thoughts.
“I’m sorry,” I said quickly. “I don’t know what’s going on with me. Forget I said that because it was really fucking inappropriate. You’re working, and you shouldn’t have to deal with some random guy talking about kissing you.” I couldn’t get my mouth to stop. “We don’t know each other, and I don’t know if you’re with someone, or if you’re even—”
“I’m not.” Her voice was hushed. “With someone, I mean.”
“Oh.” She was single . . . and she wanted me to know that. Hope sparked inside me. “Yeah, me neither.”
Maybe the drug I thought had been a placebo hadn’t been one after all, because I was all out of sorts. Coming on to her, especially so suddenly, wasn’t the way I normally operated. But her gaze swept over me at a languid pace, setting me on fire. She looked at me like she was thinking about doing a hell of a lot more than kissing, and my heart rushed in my chest.
I’d never wanted someone so badly, and I’d met her less than an hour ago. It was wild and exhilarating. Lust at first sight but on steroids.
When her seductive gaze returned to meet my eyes, it lingered for a moment before her expression filled with disappointment. “You can’t kiss me though,” she said quietly. “You don’t have time.”
I was going to tell her I’d make time, but she punched the button for the fourth floor, and the elevator began to move. As it traveled upward, it sent reality crashing down on me. I wasn’t done with Void, and as soon as we arrived at the fourth floor, I’d have to leave her.
I wasn’t skilled at asking women out.
I didn’t have any slick lines or the courage to just come out and say what I wanted. Shy seemed like too strong a word to describe me, but I didn’t like rejection. Which meant I didn’t ask unless I was 99 percent sure she was going to say yes.
Except . . . I wasn’t the same guy I’d been when I’d walked into this place earlier, was I?
Maybe tonight I was the kind of man who had confidence in spades, the kind of guy who wasn’t afraid to ask Chelsea for her number, even when she was way out of my league. I formed the words in my head as the numbers ticked by, but my mouth went as dry as a desert. Sweat broke out on the back of my neck.