Page 80 of No Headlines Please

32

Not Exactly Missing

Maddox

As the elevator doors slid shut, I stood staring like they might reopen.

They didn't.

I frowned. The woman's hostility toward me wasn't exactly a surprise. But her interest in Delaney was hitting harder – especially when combined with the woman's not-so-subtle maneuver to get Delaney alone.

My guess? She was planning to give Delaney an earful.

About me?

It sure looked that way.

Fuck.

If I were the type to panic, I'd be bolting for the stairs, looking to cut off Delaney at the pass and undo any damage before it had time to set.

But panicking had never been my style.

Still, I turned and eyed the stairway door with a level of interest that was mildly concerning.

I was still eyeing it when my cellphone buzzed in my pocket. I tore my gaze from the stairwell and pulled out the phone to see who was calling.

Saved by the bell.

Or rather, saved by Ryder Vaughn – the guy who'd gotten me into this mess in the first place.

I answered with a terse, "Yeah?"

"What's up with you?"

I gave the stairway door another glance. "What do you mean?"

"You sound pissed."

Until he'd said it, I hadn't realized it was true.

I was pissed at myself for running out of time. I'd wanted Delaney to hear the rest of my own story from my own lips, not from some stranger in an elevator who clearly had an axe to grind.

Then again, it's not like I'd known Delaney would be leaving. One minute we'd been talking, and the next, she'd been heading for the door. On the upside, at least she was coming back.

I could still taste the sweetness of her lips. She'd felt right in my arms, like a part of me I hadn't known was missing.

I hadn't planned to kiss her.

In fact, I'd planned not to.

But I couldn't make myself regret it.

When she returned, I'd come clean about everything and make it right.

On the phone, Ryder said, "Then again, you always sound pissed."

I pulled my thoughts from Delaney. "What?"