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 hurried down the hall and turned the corner. Relief swept through me when I saw the familiar shock of pink hair.
Chelsea beamed a smile as I stepped into the elevator beside her. I stayed quiet while she pulled the gate closed, but hopefully she could see how happy I was and knew she was the cause. Sure, I was thankful to have a moment to recover before the next scene, but that wasn’t what had given me a surge of energy.
It was all her.
“Going down?”
Her tone was innocent, but I immediately pictured myself on my knees, my head beneath her skirt and my face buried between her thighs. Fuck, it heated my blood and fogged my brain.
Wait.
Wasn’t I supposed to be doing something?
It came back to me when she pushed the lever, closing the door. I moved in, closing the space so there was nowhere else for her to look but at me. “What are you doing after this?”
She lifted a shoulder. “I don’t have another job lined up, so I can’t afford to stay in New York. I was thinking about going back home for a while.”
Home as in the Chicago suburb? I blinked and cleared my throat. “I meant what are you doing after this tonight?”
“Oh.” Embarrassment flitted through her expression, and her voice turned reluctant. “Um, I have the cast wrap party.”
Because tonight was Void’s final night. Fuck. “Okay. What about tomorrow? Did you want to grab lunch or maybe a cup of—”
A mechanical squeal came from above us, and the elevator jostled, abruptly dropping a few inches before bouncing to a stop. It was just enough to knock Chelsea off-balance, and she collided with my chest. My arms went around her to hold her steady, and if I weren’t so concerned about the elevator, I would have liked how she felt in my embrace.
She peered at me, mirroring the same concern I held. “What the hell? I haven’t put in the floor yet.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but new sounds rang out above us, cutting me off. The muscles in my arms tightened to draw her in, and we both turned our anxious gazes up to the ceiling. It sounded like shearing.
Like metal was tearing.
There came a loud snap, and the lights went out, plunging us into darkness as the elevator car began to fall.
Chapter 9
Chelsea’s horrified scream filled the darkness of the elevator, and she clung to me as we plummeted at a terrifying speed. My stomach launched into my throat, blocking my airway, and I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for impact.
We seemed to fall . . . forever.
At least a hell of a lot longer than five floors, but that could have been because time seemed suspended.
But we didn’t slam into the ground at the basement level. Our descent began to slow. The grinding squeal of the emergency brakes filled the air, along with an awful burning, mechanical smell.
The car finally jerked to a stop, hard enough that it sent me backward. It had me slamming my back against the wall, and since she was in my arms, I pulled Chelsea right along with me.
It was so dark, I couldn’t see a damn thing. Blood whooshed loudly in my ears, and I listened over the sound of it for any signs the elevator might fall again.
But other than us gasping to catch our breath, it was quiet.
“Are you okay?” I asked in a rush.
When she didn’t answer immediately, my worry spiked, but then she sucked in a breath. “Yeah.” She sounded shaky. “I think so. You?”
The tightness in my chest eased a fraction of a degree. “Yeah.”
We stood like that for a long moment, with her clasped in my arms, and I felt the tremble rattling her body.
Finally, she squirmed, but it wasn’t for me to release her. It was so she could press a button on her earpiece. “Control, this is Chelsea. The elevator just broke again, except this time it—”
Whoever was on the other end must have cut her off. She inhaled a sharp breath.
“I don’t know what fucking floor we’re on,” she snapped. “There’s no power, and this isn’t like last time. The elevator just dropped out from beneath us. Like the cable snapped, and seriously, I thought we were going to die.” She paused. “Yeah, us. I have a guest in here with me.” She listened to whatever they were saying, and then frustration colored her voice. “Okay. But, like—hurry.”
She shifted again in my arms, as if settling in.
“They’re sending help.”
I didn’t know what else to say. “That’s good.”
There was a long beat before she spoke again. “I’m sorry I’m up against you like this, but I’m kind of afraid to move. I don’t want the elevator to fall again.”
My hands sunk to the small of her back, and even with everything going on, I couldn’t ignore how good it felt to hold her. Her hair smelled like vanilla, and I breathed in the delicious scent. “It’s okay with me,” I said softly.