Outside the building his driver was waiting, and he opened the door for Paige to step inside the warmth of the car.
Now what?
Would he kiss her in the car or would he take her home?
Her heart was pounding with anticipation, but instead of following, he leaned inside. “Gavin will drop you home. Get some sleep.”
That was it? That was all he was going to say? “You’re not coming?”
“I’ll walk.” His tone was neutral. “It’s a nice evening. The fresh air will do me good.”
In other words he didn’t want to get in the car with her.
They’d virtually set fire to the elevator shaft and he wasn’t even going to mention it?
That was it?
She sat, bemused, trying to make sense of it. Through a cloud of questions she heard the door of the car slam shut and heard him exchange a few words with the driver.
“Take her home, Gavin... Yeah, right to the door and wait until she’s inside. I want to know she’s okay.”
Paige stared straight ahead. She wasn’t okay.
She was not okay!
What had just happened?
Had she imagined the kiss in the elevator? Had she imagined that raw passion?
She touched her fingers to her mouth. Her lips still tingled and the sensitive skin on her cheeks was a little sore from the rough scrape of his jaw.
No, she hadn’t imagined any of it.
Was he really trying to pretend nothing had happened?
Jake kissed a lot of women—she knew that.
But he didn’t kiss her.
He never, ever kissed her.
So what happened next?
CHAPTER NINE
If you can’t stand the heat, remove a layer of clothing.
—Eva
“SO WAS IT ROMANTIC?” Eva was dancing around the apartment in her pajamas, headphones covering her ears and her hair wrapped in foil when Paige arrived home twenty minutes later.
“It wasn’t a date—it was a venue visit.” Paige dropped her keys on the table, her head still reeling. She studied her friend in disbelief. “You look like something from another planet. What happened to your hair?”
“Mmm?” Eva swayed her hips and her head to a rhythm only she could hear and Paige tugged off one of the earphones.
“Until you learn to lip-read you have to take these off when you’re having a conversation.”
Eva slid them down to her neck. “I’m pampering myself. Coconut oil hair mask. It’s a miracle and magic all-in-one package. You should try it. Leaves your hair feeling like silk. In my case, rumpled silk.”