I forced a weak smile. “That’s sweet. Thank you.”
He stepped closer and brushed a lock of hair behind my ear. “I mean it. I like you. You’re smart, beautiful, and driven. I know it’s early, but I feel like what’s going on between us is a really good thing. It has legs.”
I swallowed. I really did like him, too. But something was keeping me from jumping in with both feet. His words were what every single, twenty-eight-year-old woman wanted to hear from a great guy. Yet…I wasn’t there yet.
He read it on my face.
Pulling back, he said, “I’m freaking you out, aren’t I?”
I hated to make him feel bad, because I really did like him. “No…not at all. I like you, too. I just…I just think we should take it slow at the beginning. I haven’t had much luck in the relationship department, and I tend to be gun-shy, I guess.”
He nodded. And although he smiled, I could tell he was disappointed with my response. Hell, I was disappointed with my response. I’d been trying to talk myself into being crazy about him for a while now.
But that’s what was missing—that crazy feeling I should have had. This early on, butterflies should have been flapping their colorful wings when he said those things or looked at me like he did when he opened the door. I was determined to keep trying. He seemed worth it.
Even though Bryant said he agreed we should take things slow, a damper was cast on the rest of the night. Still, I was relieved that I wouldn’t have to make the choice about sleeping with him if things went in that direction. Because I’d realized I wasn’t ready yet. As the night came to an early end, I wondered if I would ever be.
Chapter 5
Reese
“I really need to start taking taxis,” I grumbled under my breath as I rushed up the subway stairs and headed down the block toward the building I would have already been at had my train not been stuck for twenty minutes. My interview was at eleven, and it was already eleven-oh-one. Perhaps changing my outfit eight times this morning hadn’t helped my punctuality either.
The Maxim building was a modern¸ all-glass highrise with more than fifty floors. Inside the massive, sleek lobby, it took me a minute to even figure out where the company directory was—everything was silver and shiny. Finding it, I scanned for Parker Industries and ran my finger across the glass to locate the corresponding location. Floor thirty-three.
Running to the elevator bank, I saw that one car was just about to close, so I stuck my foot in to stop it. It worked but almost took off my toes in the process.
“Shit. Ouch.” The doors bounced open, and I hobbled my way inside, unknowingly sticking my shoe’s thin heel in the small gap of the door track. With my heel stuck, my body kept going, yet my foot didn’t, and I wobbled, falling forward. An arm caught me and kept me from landing on my face.
“Goddamn it,” I cursed under my breath, realizing my shoe was now completely off my foot and stuck in the elevator track.
“Nice to see you too, Reese.”
My head whipped up as I realized for the first time exactly who was keeping me from falling. “You’ve got to be kidding me. How many bad impressions can one person possibly make on another?”
After steadying me, Chase kneeled and pried my wedged footwear loose from the elevator. He tapped my calf to signal me to lift my bare leg and then slipped the shoe back onto my foot.
“Definitely not a bad impression,” he said, lingering on his knees longer than necessary. “You have great legs.”
“Thank you—for unjamming my shoe, I mean.”
He stood, and his eyebrows rose. “So you’re not thanking me for complimenting your sexy legs, then?”
I felt a blush creeping up and was relieved when he turned his attention to the button panel. “What floor?”
“Umm…thirty-three?” Is his company on more than one floor?
“You’re coming to Parker Industries? Are you here to meet Sam?”
“Yes. And Josh Lange.”
“Josh?”
“Yes. He’s who I’m interviewing with, right? The vice president of marketing?”
“Right. Yes. Josh is the VP of marketing,” he agreed, but I had the distinct feeling Chase hadn’t known I was coming to interview today.
We rode the elevator up in uncomfortable silence. When the doors slid open, he held out his arm for me to exit first, and we walked to the glass double doors of Parker Industries together.
The reception desk was empty.
“Why don’t you have a seat, and I’ll let them know you’re here?” he said.
“Thank you.”
A minute or two after he went inside, the receptionist returned to her desk. “Hi. Sorry, I had to make some copies. I hope you weren’t waiting long.”
“Not at all. Actually, I came in with Chase, and he was going to let Samantha Richmond and Josh Lange know I was here.”