The Truce (London Suits 1)

14

Olivia

Déjà vu. Why did this keep happening to me? My timing was the worst. Yet again, I stumbled into the lift that would take me up to the eighteenth floor, and yet again, the crush of bodies made it almost impossible to move. I tripped over a shiny black loafer and careened backwards, crashing into a solid torso. A pair of hands touched my waist, steadying me.

“Careful,” the low, husky voice murmured in my ear.

Luke.

His hands stayed resting lightly on my sides, his right thumb moving in slow, lazy circles. I was on fire where he was touching me. Why isn’t he letting me go? And why aren’t I telling him to?

He leaned down, his warmth and male scent enveloping me, hints of spice and cedar, and something I couldn’t put my finger on that was uniquely Luke. I shivered.

His nose brushed my neck.

“You smell good,” he whispered, too quietly for anyone else around us to hear him. My breath hitched, goosebumps blossoming all over my skin, and my mind struggled to form a coherent thought.

As usual, the lift mostly emptied out on the fifteenth floor. I made no effort to move from where I stood, pressed against Luke’s body. My heart rate sped up, and my breathing grew faster.

What am I doing?

The doors opened on the eighteenth floor, and the spell was broken. I raced out, not daring to look behind me. Flying into the office, I barely registered Eddie’s bemused expression and fell into my chair. The force of my journey sent the chair spinning on a wild trajectory, and my thigh collided with the edge of the metal filing cabinet under the window.

“Ow!” I shouted, the sudden pain bringing tears to my eyes. Wincing, I pulled up the hem of my grey pencil skirt and stared at the bright red mark marring my skin.

Eddie’s head peered round my computer screen. “Liv? Are you okay, babes?”

“No. I. Am. Not.” I gritted my teeth.

“Coffee,” he said. “Don’t move.”

“Not much chance of that,” I mumbled, rubbing the painful mark on my leg.

He was back in under five minutes, bearing a huge latte.

“You are truly the best.” I took a grateful sip. “What would I do without you?”

“You’d have to get your own coffee, for a start.” He winked. “Now, tell me what’s wrong.” He sat down and leaned his arms on my desk, staring at me, eyebrows raised expectantly.

“I just whacked my leg into the bloody filing cabinet.”

“No, that’s not it.” He narrowed his gaze at me. “You rushed in here as if you were running for your life.”

Groaning, I dropped my head to the desk, burying my face in my arms.

“ItmhkIllkm.”

“What? I couldn’t understand a word of that. Repeat, please.”

I raised my head, staring at him in despair. I beckoned him closer so no one else could hear my whispered confession. “I said, I think I like Luke. Like, like him.”

His jaw dropped.

Then he laughed so hard that tears formed in his eyes. “Oh, this is priceless,” he wheezed, doubling over. “I never thought I’d see the day.”

“This isn’t funny, Ed,” I wailed. “What am I going to do?”

“Oh, it is funny. Your sworn enemy, ‘he-who-shall-not-be-named,’ is now your crush,” he gasped between laughs.