Just Like That

Chapter 3

MEL

The snow swirls around us, clinging to my hair as we stare at each other in silence. Pete’s nostrils are flaring, and my chest is heaving. Did he say he’d spank me if I didn’t do what I was told?

I should tell him where he can shove his flash of alpha-ness. I should slap him and leave. I should do something other than stand here and stare at him. He went from mild-mannered suit to alpha-hole in two seconds flat. It was actually kinda hot.

“Fine.” I huff a sigh. “We’ll leave. But only because I promised I would for a kiss.”

And holy hell, did he deliver. I can still feel his stubble against my cheeks, his lips hard on mine, his tongue moving in my mouth. My cheeks heat as I let him usher me back through the door.

There is absolute silence in the elevator – I guess the music only runs during business hours – broken only when Pete speaks, looking across at me from where he has placed himself as far away as possible in the small space.

“So, how did you really know the key code?”

I shrug, shoving my hands in my coat pockets. “I did an internship here last summer. They haven’t changed it since.”

He nods, turning his face to look at the polished metal doors.

“We could be arrested for trespassing.”

I mean…I guess. But the view is killer. This isn’t the first time I’ve come back here.

“It would have been worth it for that view.”

He makes a sound of disbelief. I turn my eyes back to him, running them over his thick woolen coat and shiny leather shoes. Fancy overcoat, the suit he is wearing is definitely tailored, those shoes look expensive. I know he said his sleek black BMW was a company car, but it looked customized on the inside.

“I’m guessing you’re privy to better views,” I remark drily. He shrugs, still watching the doors and the red number changing as we sink.

Yeah. He’s totally rich. Like, family money rich. He’s too young to have made it all on his own without being some nationwide famous success story.

“I showed you my view,” I hint, wanting to see a more spectacular one. A small smile plays across his lips.

“I believe we agreed we weren’t suited, Tinker Bell.”

Oh, yeah. Well, that’s when I didn’t see that hot streak of his.

“You’re right,” I agree cheerfully. “I’ll wait until after I graduate to find a killer view.”

“And when is that?” He’s looking at me now, squinting across the elevator car.

“Five months.” And it can’t come soon enough.

He nods thoughtfully. “And you have a job lined up?”

“Nope. Still looking.”

“Here in Seattle?”

I laugh drily. “As far away as I can get.”

The elevator stops moving, dinging, the doors sliding open. Pete gestures, and I obediently lead him back to his car, which this time doesn’t have a wheel clamp on it. He gallantly holds the door open for me, waiting until I slide into the buttery seat and closes it firmly.

“Your real address?” he asks as he slides into, starting the engine and pulling slowly out onto the snowy streets. Grinning, I recite my address, and he punches it into the car’s GPS unit.

“Are you from Seattle originally?”

I glance across at him sharply. Given we had driven in complete silence for ten minutes, I hadn’t expected any conversation.

“Uh, no. Mt. Vernon.”

“And you want to branch out? Leave Washington?”

“Leave Seattle, the state, all of it.”

“Why?”

Sighing, I rest my head against the window, smoothing my skirt over my thighs.

“My best friend and I were going to stay here in Seattle and work. But that’s not happening anymore, and I don’t want to do it alone.”

“What happened with your friend?”

My eyes dart across at him. Pete is still watching the road carefully, but his eyes keep sliding across to me.

“She’s getting married. She just dropped out of college.”

Pete frowns, glancing sharply over at me. “Five months before graduation?”

“Yeah.” My lips twist into a wry smile. “That’s what I sounded like when she told me.”

“Why not just graduate first?”

“Your guess is as good as mine.” I laugh, though I don’t find the subject amusing. “You like damsels in distress. If we were dating and I said I was going to drop out, wouldn’t that make you feel like I needed you and everything?”

“We’re not dating,” he replies sharply. I roll my eyes. Focusing on the wrong part of the conversation, isn’t he? “But if we were and you wanted to drop out five months before graduation, I would tell you that it wasn’t an option.”

My eyebrows rise as I lift my head, turning fully to look at him. Not the answer I was expecting off my rich kid companion.

“Why wouldn’t it be an option? Couldn’t you afford to look after me?”

I grin and bat my lashes as he looks over at me, his mouth in a thin line.

“I think not seeing something you have agreed to through to the end is a character flaw.”

He’s not kidding. I can hear it in his voice and see it in his face.

“I told her it was stupid to drop out,” I supply cheerfully. “She didn’t talk to me for a month.”

“I can see why you are thinking of moving.”

He doesn’t offer any more insight, turning up the radio as we lapse into silence. At least with his answers, I feel vindicated about the stance I took with Bee. Philip Schofield was wrong. She should have stuck it out. Even fancy, rich Pete Rampwood thinks so.

There’s a spot near the front of my building, and Pete smoothly pulls his BMW into it, leaving the engine idling as I reach for my seatbelt. I look over at him, a mischievous grin tugging at my lips.

“Not walking me up?”