The door cracked open, and he straightened, tugging on his tie.
She came out, hands full with her purse, a bag, her keys, and a mug of coffee. She had a bagel in between her teeth, and her lips were painted a light red. Her brown hair was swept into a loose bun, with a few curls hanging free, and she wore a longer pencil skirt and a black blouse this time, instead of white. She had a spot of cream cheese on her cheek, and she blushed as she locked eyes with him.
He’d never seen a more beautiful woman in his life.
The door shut behind her, and she rolled her eyes. She readjusted her grip on her shit, shifted her keys into the same hand as her coffee, and took the bagel out of her mouth. She gave him a once-over. “Seriously?”
Her body vibrated with agitation.
Agitation had never been so damn sexy before.
His lips quirked into a smile, and he closed the distance between them. “What’s wrong?”
“You.” She started for the elevator, leaving him in the dust. Her floral perfume trailed behind her, and he breathed it in. Damn, her scent was intoxicating. “You’re wrong.”
“We live in the same building. Surely you expected to run into me at some point, right?” he asked, keeping his tone light and teasing.
“We’ve run into each other plenty of times. You just didn’t care back then.” She pushed the down button and glanced at him over her shoulder. Her mouth was pinched into a thin line, and she still had cream cheese on her cheek. “How about we go back to that?”
“Impossible,” he said in reply. He gestured toward her face. “You have—”
“Your jacket. I know. I left it in my bedroom. I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine.” He’d never been so jealous of a piece of clothing before. He walked in front of her, stopping when their toes touched. “Keep it, if you want.”
Her breath hitched in her throat as she locked eyes with him. Those brown eyes of hers had flecks of darker brown in them, and he couldn’t stop staring. “What are you doing?”
“You have something…”
Slowly, he reached out and touched her cheek. She jumped slightly, then leaned into his touch, her breath quickening. Through the thin fabric of her shirt, her nipples hardened, pulling at the silk.
So she is attracted. She just hates me.
It took all his control not to back her more firmly against the elevator and kiss her until she stopped hating him and started needing him. But she wasn’t ready. He’d take his time. Show her his true colors. Let her get to know the real him and see that he wasn’t some pompous rich guy who only wanted to get his hand up her pencil skirt. If he wanted to win her over…
He had to play the game smart.
So he simply swiped his finger over her cheek, removed the cream cheese, and stepped back before he did something stupid like press his mouth to hers. She closed her eyes and let out a soft moan. He couldn’t tell if it was from relief or frustration, but either way, it punched him in the gut. His cock hardened, and it was a little more difficult to breathe.
“On your cheek,” he finished, his throat tight and his pants even tighter.
She swallowed, opened her mouth, closed it, and then said, “Thank you.”
“Sure thing.” The doors opened, and he moved to the side, gesturing her forward. “After you.”
She walked past him, and he followed her.
As she walked, several men turned and looked at her, and for a second, an unfamiliar emotion rocked through him. It was green, and ugly, and hot. Could it be…? No. He’d never been jealous in his life, and he wasn’t about to start now.
He rushed ahead of her to open the door.
She stared at him for a second then went through it. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
She readjusted her hold on her bags, stuck the bagel back in her mouth, and pulled sunglasses out of her purse. She slid
them into place, giving her a classic Audrey Hepburn look, and took the bagel out of her mouth. “Why are you trying so hard to be nice to me?”