the air held too long in her straining lungs.
Ridiculous.
But how glad was she that he hadn’t come over? Because when he’d looked at her she’d been unable to think of anything. Not a thing. All power had gone from her brain to somewhere else entirely—and was warming her up. She couldn’t see how any of them got any work done when he was on the floor.
OK, so it was two minutes ‘til lunch. But she’d arrived early, as she always did, and had already promised to work late tonight, so she needn’t feel guilty about stepping out now. Because she desperately needed to get outside and gasp in some fresh air.
She walked down the length of the floor to the lift, keeping well to the side of the room. She was short enough not to be noticed and she was only the temp, after all. She moved fast. Usually she took the stairs but he was near the stairs and, as much as she was drawn to him, her instinct told her equally loudly to stay well away. And this instinct was just strong enough to beat the one that made her avoid small, confined spaces. She could do it. Sure she could.
But when she got to the lift and pressed the button, her nerves sharpened. She counted to ten as she waited, trying to slow her breathing to match it with her mental chanting. It was only a lift. People went up and down them millions of times a day without accident. People didn’t get trapped in them.
Trapped. Her scalp prickled as if she were under one of those huge cover-your-whole-head driers at the hairdresser—and it was on too hot and she couldn’t get it off. She didn’t want to be trapped.
She redirected her thoughts. Forced the fear to the back and focused on a plan. If she ate on the run, she’d have time to go to the public library and be able to check the message boards on the Internet. The search was all that mattered.
The lift chimed and she made herself move into it, closing her eyes as the doors slid together. It would be over in a whirl. Such fears were childish.
But there was a noise. She opened her eyes again in time to see the doors sliding back again. An arm was stretching out between them—making them automatically reopen. And stay open.
‘I’ll be back shortly.’ The arm held firm. ‘Email the guest list through to Lorenzo, as well, will you? And make sure the catering staff have the right number of vegetarians this time. We don’t want to upset anyone again. Oh, and can you make sure Cara gets the message about Saturday?’
Jeez, the lift could have been down and back up again in that time—well, almost. At last, the rest of him stepped in.
He smiled at her. ‘Sorry about that.’
Was he really? Or was that just his polite upbringing talking, hiding the real ramifications of his childhood—that he had the right to make others wait, that his time was more important than hers? Dani only had an hour—unpaid and all—and she had to make the most of it. But that thought and every other disappeared as the doors finally slid shut.
Dani stepped right back, standing stiffly against the far wall of the lift. Would the fear never leave her?
He leant his back against the side wall so he was at right angles to her. Not even covertly looking at her. No, his gaze was open, intense and relentless.
She kept her eyes fixed on the doors, trying to stop the sensation that they were closing in on her. At least the lifts in this building were science-fiction fast—once they were allowed to get started. But the sense of airlessness closed in too.
He pressed the button again and finally it began its swift descent.
Dani gritted her teeth, sweat sliding down her back.
‘Are you OK?’
Dani couldn’t answer. Too busy holding her breath. Five, four, three…
There was a groaning sound—a metallic moan that, although slow, was definitely getting louder. Dani’s muscles flexed. The lift stopped, dropped another foot and then stopped again. Dani’s stomach just kept on falling.
She looked at the lights—no floor indicated. The doors half opened and she had a glimpse of metal and concrete. Between floors. She was damn glad when the doors closed again.
There was a second of complete silence.
‘I’m sure it won’t be long.’
‘I’m not worried,’ she lied, flicking a glance his way and looking straight back at the doors again when she registered he had a smile on. His smiles weren’t good for her blood pressure. Nor was being stuck in a very small space. Adrenalin rippled through her muscles but the nausea rose faster. She inhaled through her nose, aware of every inch of her body. Surely those few years of physical training would stand her in good stead. She could overcome fear. She could breathe.
He’d lifted away from the wall. ‘No, really, it won’t be long.’
Sure. No matter how stiff she tried to stay, her limbs insisted on shaking. Her heart was shaking too, the beats falling over themselves, and she couldn’t breathe fast enough. She couldn’t get any oxygen in.
‘We never have trouble with these lifts.’
Oh, yeah? Well, they were now. ‘You probably confused it by making it wait so long with its doors open,’ she said. The spark of anger pushed the bile back down.
‘It’s a machine. Machines don’t get confused. Only people do that.’
She was confused now—her body wanting to run, her brain wanting to shut down altogether, her stomach wanting to hurl its contents.
‘You’re new here,’ he said. ‘I’ve seen you in the office.’
Distraction. Excellent. ‘Yes,’ she said, barely controlling the wobble in her voice. And after another stumbling beat she looked from the doors to him.
His eyes were very wide and very green and filled with a painfully gentle concern. He took a step towards her. ‘My name is—’
‘I know who you are,’ she cut him off. She couldn’t think enough for conversation.
‘You do?’ His eyes narrowed and his smile twisted, bitterness thinning his sensual lips. ‘Then you’re one up on me.’ He took the last step closing the gap between them. ‘I have no idea who I am.’
The bitterness surprised her, blasted the smothering fog from her head. She looked closer at him. ‘You’re Alex. And you’re stuck in a l-lift.’
She glanced at the walls; they were nearing her again. The fear crept back up. She gulped in air. Were they running out of oxygen already? And had she just whimpered?
‘There’s no need to be afraid.’
Wasn’t there? Didn’t she know exactly how frightening it was to be stuck in a small place for too long?
‘Hey.’ He put his hands on her shoulders. ‘It’s going to be fine.’
At his touch she looked back into his face. Green eyes gazed at her, deepened by the dark lashes that framed them. Everything else in the world receded again. Yes, she’d look at him, focus on him, forget everything…but green eyes. The colour swirled, the black centre spread. His gaze flickered, dropped to her mouth. Made her realise it was dry. She touched her tongue to the corner of it and then she found she was looking at his. It was extraordinarily fine, with lips that were currently curved up in a smile.
‘You OK?’
She couldn’t take her eyes off him. She couldn’t answer.
‘Sweetheart?’
Funny how just one word, said in just the right way, could change everything.
She gazed at him, feeling that restlessness inside roar, and her chin lifted.
His hands moved, dropping to circle round her waist.
‘It’s going to be just fine,’ he said. And then slowly, so slowly, giving her all