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“What floor?” he asked, and I had to think about the question.
“Um, the top. I think. Yes, the top floor.”
He chuckled but said nothing, his refusal to say anything adding to the nervousness electrifying my system as much as his touch.
Once inside, he refused to move his palm, especially when another resident raced into the confining space, angrily slapping his hand on one of the buttons. The pressure of Jameson’s fingers became more possessive, moving his body slightly in front of mine. As I looked up at his face, the way his jaw was clenched defined his features. His expression was also one of warning, ruthless especially after the other man dared make direct eye contact with me.
Suddenly, the testosterone in the elevator was overwhelming. Jameson remained tense even after the unwanted visitor exited.
I had no idea what to say to him, but his utter possessiveness kept me tingling all over. As I fumbled to find my keys in my purse, I prayed Charlotte hadn’t left work early. I had no idea how to explain his presence or the fact I’d wrecked my car. My cousin had been so accommodating, telling me at least a half dozen times not to worry about paying rent for a couple of months, but I wasn’t the kind of girl to accept handouts. I hadn’t been brought up that way.
When I tried unsuccessfully to slide the key into the lock, I realized tears were fogging my vision. Crying twice in one day was unheard of, but I was ready to break down into heaving sobs. I was broke and didn’t even have reliable transportation to get back home. Home. My parents were selling the house I’d grown up in, both moving to other cities. I felt like I didn’t have a home any longer.
Jameson said nothing as he wrapped his massive hand around my shaking one, pulling the keys into his fingers. A single tear slipped past my lashes, the lowered angle of my head allowing the salty bead to drop to the floor. I was stronger than this. Maybe if I hadn’t lost my temper with the group of men who’d insulted me then I might have a job.
Oh, who was I kidding? It had been obvious from the second I’d walked into the room they had no intentions of hiring me. Yet I’d been made to go through the process, the skimpy outfit barely hiding anything. The entire last few days had been humiliating.
When Jameson opened the door, ushering me inside instead of the other way around, I’d never felt so helpless in my life.
Another tremble rolled through me as I scanned the condo for any sign of Charlotte, breathing a sigh of relief realizing she was still at work. Then I heard the jingle of keys as he placed them on the entrance foyer table, his thudding boots on the marble floor jarring.
“Nice location.”
I shrugged and tossed my purse onto the couch, gazing out the wall of windows at the rolling ocean waves. “It’s okay.”
“At somewhere in the neighborhood of ten million dollars per unit, it’s more than just okay.”
I spun around, gawking at him. “Ten million dollars?”
“Easily. Maybe more. I’m curious what your cousin does for a living.”
“Um… Well, she goes to an office every day. I think.” I was stymied by the price tag, my mind suddenly blank. Charlotte had told me what she did, or had she? We’d been close once, a long time ago when she’d lived only five miles away from my parents’ ranch. What did I really know about her any longer other than she had a wardrobe to die for and worked odd hours?
“Interesting.” While he wasn’t exactly criticizing me for my lack of knowledge, he was just as amused as when I’d berated him about saving my sorry ass.
“She’s a free spirit. Men flock to her like flies to honey.” His expression of amusement remained, and another giant wave of heat crested across my jaw. The man made me as nervous as a kitty cat. I was rarely tongue-tied but around him, I couldn’t seem to think clearly. I’d been so angry before that I hadn’t paid attention to the way he was dressed.
Instead of the slicked-back appearance I’d seen all week, with suits that cost more than a year’s salary and not a single hair out of place, he had a slightly rough around the edges look about him: tousled hair, an open shirt, and a casual suit jacket with no tie topped off with snakeskin cowboy boots. I almost felt a little taste of home standing in the middle of a condominium that seemed cold and uninviting.
“I see.”
“Um. Thank you again for bringing me home. As you can tell, I’m perfectly safe. You can go about your merry business.”
Instead of responding, he removed his jacket, placing it over the back of the couch. Then he returned his attention toward me as he unbuttoned one sleeve of his shirt. I found myself in awe of what he was doing, my mouth going completely dry as he rolled the material over his elbow, exposing colorful ink on his forearm.
“Would you like something to drink or eat? I think I can make you a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.” What the hell was wrong with me? A peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I’d completely lost what was left of my mind. Thankfully, he didn’t burst into laughter, humiliating me even more than I was already feeling.
The larger-than-life hunk of the year kept his eyes piercing mine, so silent that I could hear my heart thumping. He repeated the action with his other sleeve, every movement deliberate. When he walked closer, I almost backed away, his presence overwhelming. But it was easy to sense he wasn’t going to hurt me.
“You’re overwhelmed by the move. Correct?” he asked.
I thought the question was strange at first, but the softness of his voice and the way he continued to look into my eyes made it easy to answer. “Very much so. Up until coming here, the furthest I’d been away from Montana was to my brother’s wedding in Denver.”
He nodded as if he completely understood, taking another step in my direction. “You’ve been acting out more than usual, allowing your anger to speak for you?”
The way my lower lip quivered was annoying even more so than the fact he was right. “Yes, sir.” Sir. I’d never called my father sir. Why him?
He shook his head, a complete look of understanding crossing his face. “Your behavior indicates you’re crying out for someone to take the burden off your shoulders if only for a little while, guiding you so you can breathe more easily. Isn’t that correct?”
