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She could be out the front door by now. Or maybe she was mere feet away inside that office.
All rationale left me. I was a sweaty-palmed mess, held hostage by my own desires even though my brain absolutely did not agree with this mission. Minutes ticked by. I paced the hallway until it seemed suspicious. Then I did a one-eighty and decided to leave and pretend I’d never given in to my curiosity.
Trace’s door cracked open at just the same moment. The low undertones of his voice wafted out first, followed by the husky sing-song of Cora’s. Sometimes her voice hit like the sigh of an angel. This moment was one of those times.
My skin prickled as I turned. My gaze landed on her.
She wore her dark, glossy hair pulled up in a loose top knot, and she’d painted her pouty lips maroon. She wore a cream silk blouse and high-waisted dark slacks paired with designer heels. Cora Margulis was the epitome of sexiness and professionalism. Mainstream beautiful on the outside, but with a sparkling, mischievous core that I’d known intimately.
“Oh. Axel.” Trace’s voice brimmed with confusion. He’d done everything he could to help me. He hadn’t realized he needed to cut my legs off to prevent me from getting close to Cora while she was in my territory. “Everything okay?”
I nodded, glancing between the two of them. “I was just chatting with Francis.” My resolve bottomed out, and I had no idea what I’d even wanted to accomplish. I swished my tongue back and forth over my bottom teeth as I struggled for a direction. “Cora, can you come with me?”
Her brows lifted. She looked over at Trace, as though tacitly asking if this was okay. “Oh. Sure.”
I spun on my heel before I could catch Trace’s reaction and led the way, my heart rate tripling as I wound my way toward my office. Cora followed close behind. I could feel it in the way the air pulled tight between us. The way every inch of my body prickled, expectant and alive.
I paused at my office doorway for her to step inside first. I shut the door quietly behind me, struggling to find clarity in the haze of my mind.
After all the shit between us—so much heartbreak—there wasn’t much hope for seeing through the haze. It had grown thick and choking through the years. A noxious fog that needed to go—and stay—away.
Cora checked out the details of my office while I gnawed at my upper lip.
“Why the fuck do you think it’s okay to come to my building?” I finally asked her, once the silence had become unbearable.
She looked taken aback. “I had a meeting with Trace. I assumed that him inviting me to your building meant that you’d be okay with it.”
“Well, you’re wrong.”
She blinked, showing no emotion. “You came into my building first. How about we call it even?”
I crossed my arms, stepping closer to her. “That’s a weak offer if you’re trying to make thingseven.”
“Can I ask why you’re keeping score?” She mimicked me, crossing her arms with a look that raked down my body.
“Someone’s gotta be on the lookout around your crew.” I sniffed, gobbling up my opportunity to take her in. This was the only private moment I would allow myself. From here on out, the boundaries would be redrawn. “Can’t let my guard down for a second around you people.”
She hefted with a humorless laugh. “You’re not wrong there.”
The admission knocked me off track. Her gaze drifted away, something stony and unfamiliar sliding over her face. The waft of her clementine perfume almost sent me spiraling, but I managed to put myself back on track.
“I need you to stay the fuck away from my building.”
Her nostrils flared, and she whipped her gaze back to me. The stoniness had melted away; emotion brimmed in her features, and she watched me so intensely for a moment that I had to look away.
“Axel, are you happy?” Her voice was soft, as if she hadn’t meant to say it out loud.
I swallowed hard and walked toward the corner of my office. Two full walls were floor to ceiling windows, overlooking Manhattan from a dizzying height. I needed to get lost in the mess of life below us. Anything to distract me from the vortex I’d unwittingly opened.
“Why do you care?” I asked, shoving my hands in my pockets as I took note of whatever details I could latch onto: the puffy cumulonimbus cloud over Brooklyn. The glinting steel beams of the nearest skyscraper. The occasional sunlight sparkle from the waters of the East River.
“I’m curious. It’s important to me.”
I laughed bitterly. “Is it?”
“You might not believe it, but it is.”
I frowned out at the beautiful day. Her attention sizzled over me, and I knew it was more important than ever not to look at her. Keep the boundaries drawn. “I’m extremely happy. I have everything I’ve ever dreamed of. Could not ask for anything else.”
