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“It’s locked,” he explained.
“Could you unlock it?”
“Nope.” Then he reached into the back of his car to grab an umbrella. He jumped out of the car and rushed around to her, holding the umbrella above him.
He really shouldn’t have bothered, but she didn’t argue as he unlocked then opened the door and helped her out, grabbing the carton of milk and the muesli bars out of her hands.
After closing the door, he held the umbrella above them both as they rushed into the foyer.
“T-thanks,” she said, her teeth chattering.
So. Cold.
“No thanks needed,” he said as he left his umbrella by the door.
“No? And you sh-shouldn’t leave that there, someone will s-steal it.”
“They wouldn’t dare. And no. You just owe me. Big time.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “What do you want? My first-born child?”
“Hmm. Now, that’s a thought. With your looks and smarts and my charm, that baby could rule the world.”
Now she knew he was teasing. Her looks? She was plain. Ordinary.
Where he was . . . a god.
Not that she’d tell him. Lord, no. The man had an ego the size of Australia.
And wait . . . he thought they’d have the baby together?
Ha. Right. Not happening.
Except in her dirtiest thoughts, but she wasn’t going there.
Suddenly, she realized he was pressing the elevator button.
“Th-thanks f-for the r-ride,” she managed to get out as she tried to grab her things from him.
“What are you doing?” He used his free hand to lightly slap hers away.
The elevator doors opened and he gently prodded her forward. But she dug her heels in. She was freezing cold, dripping water everywhere, and she knew the quickest way to get to her apartment would be to just get in the elevator.
However, she wasn’t getting into that death box.
And he couldn’t make her.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“I’m n-not getting in there.”
She waited for him to give her an impatient look. To sigh. Or to just hand her stuff to her and get in, leaving her behind. Lord knew he’d done more than enough. But instead, he used his foot to make sure that the doors didn’t close and looked at her with sympathy.
“You’re scared to get in the elevator?”
“I’m not s-scared,” she countered, out of habit more than anything else.
Because, yep, she was totally scared. A hundred percent wimping out.
But she had been taught to never let anyone see when she was afraid.
“Yeah? Then how come you don’t want to take the elevator?” he asked in a voice that was way too gentle.
She couldn’t handle him being gentle right now. She was too close to breaking, so she needed him to be mean to her in order to keep herself from falling to pieces.
“Maybe I just don’t want to take it with you.”
He gave her a knowing look. Shoot. How did he know her so well? They hadn’t spent that much time together.
Forty minutes in a broken elevator is probably like four weeks in normal time.
Shoot.
“Come on, Rainbow. In you come.”
“I don’t w-want to.”
“I know, baby,” he said in that same voice. The one that she could not let seduce her. “But you have to.”
“D-don’t have to. I’m in charge of m-me.”
“Normally, yes. But right now, you’re freezing, you’re scared, and you’re not thinking properly.”
“I’ll take the s-stairs.”
“Baby, your lips are going blue. You need to get warm asap. And I’m not going to stand here and argue with you anymore.”
“Then o-off you go!” She was fooling herself. And she knew it.
He reached for her, wrapping an arm around her back.
“You’re going t-to get w-wet,” she warned.
“Don’t care.”
“I’m not d-doing it. I’m not.”
He drew her into him, his hand resting on the back of her head as he pressed her face against his chest.
“You don’t have to,” he lied.
“G-good. Because I’m n-not.”
“I know. Of course you’re not. You’re going to put your health at risk by climbing seven flights of stairs in wet clothes, carrying a pile of groceries.”
“Y-yep.”
“Starting to rethink my stance on acquiring your first-born, Rainbow. Your self-preservation is pretty crap.”
She shuddered as she heard a ding and then the sensation of moving hit her. She tried to stifle the cry of fear against Maxim’s chest, but she knew he heard her when he started hushing her.
He rocked her back and forth in his arms. Had anyone ever rocked her before? If they had, she couldn’t remember it.
“I d-don’t want to d-do this.”
“You’re not doing anything, baby. Just keep your face in my chest and pretend we’re somewhere else. Like a tropical island. Hawaii. We’re in Hawaii. I’m going to get you one of those lava drinks, all right?”
“O-okay.” She had no idea what a lava drink was, but him in his swimming trunks on a sandy beach . . . yeah, she could be down with that.
The elevator stopped with a ding and then she was being shepherded backward.
