I’d barely made an appearance and exchanged hardly any words with them, but... we couldn’t stay. She wanted to run, and we had business that needed finishing.
To my relief, the Dunns nodded, and we said our goodbyes.
Olivia was stiff as I helped her into the coat she’d picked up from the coat check. She said nothing as we waited in the transport queue, and I scrolled through the messages on my phone to let the driver know we’d be ready for pickup soon.
I was ready to get on with it. From the anxious expression on her face, she was too.
“Where are we going?” she asked when we boarded the shuttle. I had to stoop and narrowly avoided banging my head on the top of the door as I got on behind her.
“Your place.”
It was presumptuous, and I knew she wasn’t going to like that. Her mouth dropped open, and I fully expected fire to come out of it. But it didn’t. Probably because she realizedthis was to her advantage. Her place meant it was her turf.
“Maybe I won’t give you the address.”
I let a cocky smile warm my face. “You think I don’t already know it?”
Her jaw set as the shuttle departed, heading toward the security area. “Fine,” she said abruptly. “My place, my rules.”
The look she gave me was stern and insanely hot, but also told me that agreeing to it might be risky.
“Okay, deal.” I figured I was equipped to handle danger.
31
OLIVIA
My keys clankedon the glass side table as I tossed them down, but Ethan didn’t startle at the noise like I had hoped he would. Instead, he scanned his surroundings. The loft apartment wasn’t huge, but what would I do with all that space, anyway?
Plus, I was happy to spend most of my time in an aircraft.
We’d barely said a word to each other on the half-hour car ride here, and I was glad to wait. I felt stronger at my place. During the drive, he’d taken my left hand, tracing the pink line on my palm that hadn’t quite finished healing. His eyes were unreadable. He stared at the scar like he was confused yet fascinated by it.
Now we were standing in my dark apartment.
“You want the tour?” I flipped on the lamp beside the front door and gestured to the area on the first level. “Kitchen and living room.”
His gaze traveled over the European furnishings that came with the apartment. Modern and quirky, like someone had spent too much time and money at an upscale version of Ikea. The dark, intense eyes swept to the open-slatted staircase.
“What do you suppose is up there?” he asked.
I didn’t answer him. I took off my coat and put it away in the entry closet, then scooped up my keys and put them in the bowl where they belonged. All the while, he stood there, watching me.
“You want something to drink?”
“No.” His deep voice echoed under the vaulted ceiling. “Iwant to know what the rules are.”
My movements slowed as I sharpened my thoughts. He wanted to get right to it? Fine by me. “I’m going to ask you direct questions and you’re going to answer every one of them. None of that‘I’ll answer what I can’bullshit that Fletcher fed me.”
He sauntered toward me, wearing an expression that was dangerously seductive. “All right. Anything else?”
Those eyes, even in the low lamplight, made it difficult to focus. And like before, in a single blink, I was off the ground and in his strong arms.
“What are you doing?” I cried.
“I’m sorry, is carrying you to bed against the rules?”
He wasn’t able to move silently while holding me, and his feet thudded when he climbed the stairs. I was torn. Part of me was excited by this, but a larger part didn’t like surrendering to him.
