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My shoulder bumped his with rather more force than was wise as I pushed past him.
I’d barely taken a few steps away when he snatched my wrist and spun me around. His eyes blazed into mine, and his fingers bit into my flesh.
I swallowed, smothering a wince.
“You should have kept that pretty little mouth shut,” he growled, arching in until he took up all my field of vision.
Close, too close.
His breath ghosted icy-mint over my face, and pride locked my knees so I wouldn’t stumble back. Then, his voice dropped again—a whisper that turned my blood to ice.
“But you just couldn’t help yourself, could you?”
A cool bead of sweat slithered down my spine.
I itched to bolt, to cram as much distance between me and this man who flayed my nerves open for all the wrong reasons.
A breath later, his grip loosened.
His gaze poured into mine, but he said nothing more.
That was somehow even worse.
His fingers slid away from my wrist and cold air rushed in where his chest had been, inflating my lungs again.
A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth as he leaned back against the wall with the air of a cat setting loose a tiny, insignificant mouse, just so it could catch it later.
I glared at him and turned away, heart a war drum in my ears, drowning out all other sounds.
My hands shook a little as I reached for my bags.
Adrenaline.
Had to be.
Hushed conversations buzzed all around me, scraping against my eardrums like static cranked all the way up, and stares stabbed into my back with every step.
Great.
The last thing I needed was a scene announcing my arrival.
My hairs stood on end as I cleared my main door, telling me two things:
One, his gaze had followed me inside.
Two, I’d bitten off more than I could chew.
The main foyer was something to behold, freezing the thoughts in my head and stopping me in my tracks.
I tried not to gape, but my body had a will of its own. Chandeliers cast a much-needed warm glow over the polished, chequered floor, warding against the grey light seeping through the floor-to-ceiling windows behind me.
Tall arches stood watch as if they’d been there since the beginning of time. Intricate swirls and symbols crowned them, before bleeding into a ceiling rising so high, the design blurred in my vision.
Click-clacks dragged my gaze away from the filigree to the smiling woman bounding towards me.
Honey-brown eyes and strawberry-blonde hair added to her welcoming air, soothing my nerves at once, but the mischievous curl to her lip didn’t let me fully relax.
“That was… interesting,” she chirped as she led me up the stairs.
