by Cynthia Eden
“Secret number two,” Vivian whispered. “I don’t do well in tight, dark spaces.” Not well at all. When she’d been a kid—six years old—her father had told her they were going on an adventure. That adventure? Turned out, he’d wanted her to slip through an air conditioning duct. He’d wanted her to help him on one of his heists. She hadn’t known…hadn’t realized that the adventure was actually against the law and wrong.
But a guard had come by. Her father had slipped away. He’d left her in there and told her not to make a sound. It had been so dark. So tight.
She’d felt as if she couldn’t breathe.
“Vivian.” Chase’s voice was even deeper. Rougher. “It’s okay. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
Mentally, she knew everything was okay. A temporary stop, nothing more. But try telling that to the six-year-old who liked to sneak from the corners of her mind and whisper old fears to her. Easing away from Chase, Vivian pulled out her phone and used the light to help her find the control panel. Just the illumination from her phone had her feeling better. At least, for a moment. She located the big red button on the bottom of the control panel—the emergency button. She hit it, then yanked open the door that hid the elevator’s emergency phone. Yes, she’d examined this panel before. Better to be forearmed, right? After talking to the building’s manager, she’d even learned that the elevator phone called straight to the maintenance company that handled all repair and emergency issues. She grabbed the elevator phone, put it to her ear, but—“I don’t think it’s working.”
“I’m calling for help now.”
Vivian glanced back at him. Her phone light swung toward him. Chase had his phone to his ear.
“Yeah, hey, buddy, I need help.” Chase’s voice was grim. “We’re in the elevator of my building, and it stopped working. Vivian and I are trapped inside.” A pause. “Sure, sure, as fast as you can. Appreciate it.” He shoved the phone back into his pocket.
Vivian realized that she was shining her light in his eyes. Whoops. She immediately lowered the light even as she kept the death grip on her phone.
“Merik isn’t far away. He’ll get building maintenance and we’ll be out of here in no time.”
Time seemed to be passing extra slowly for her.
“Or maybe the elevator will start on its own,” Chase continued in a reassuring tone, and she knew he was trying to be optimistic.
Building maintenance. The building manager. Of course. “I should have contacted him right away.” They didn’t have to wait for Merik. “I’ve got Jacob programmed in my phone.” She called him quickly, and the phone rang. Once. Twice. Three—voicemail. Gritting her teeth, Vivian said, “Jacob, I need your help. It’s Vivian. Vivian Wayne. I’m stuck in the building’s elevator with Chase Durant. Call me as soon as you can—or even better, please get us out!” Her voice had definitely risen at the end. She took a steadying breath, lowered her phone—
And the elevator lurched.
Lurched down. As in, it felt as if they dropped a foot. A startled cry escaped Vivian as she tumbled forward, and her phone fell from her fingers.
“It’s okay.” Chase’s hands closed around her shoulders. “I’ve got you.”
She was back to being in darkness. Her phone’s light had turned off. The darkness was thick and closing in and she was not okay. “I hate being trapped.” It was the worst part for her. “I was trapped as a kid.” Did this still count as secret number two? “I couldn’t move. Couldn’t make a sound.” She sucked in a hard breath. “I hate this.”
“We’re getting out of here. If I have to pry open the door, I will get you out.”
But even if he managed to get the elevator open, they could be trapped between floors. Prying open the doors may do no good and— “Distract me.” She was holding too tightly to him. So what? “Kiss me.”
She shouldn’t have said that. She should get her shit together and be strong and stop freaking out because she was—
He kissed her. His lips pressed against hers in a tender, soft kiss. Her lips were open. His were open. The kiss was careful. Gentle.
Her tongue slipped out and licked along his lower lip. Her body pressed closer to his. She didn’t want to feel the darkness surrounding her. She only wanted to feel Chase.
He was strong and warm and the kiss deepened. His tongue thrust into her mouth as he tasted her. He kissed with a restrained passion, with a careful control.
She wanted to shatter that control. She was out of control. Her heart was racing. Her whole body trembling. With every touch of his lips, every lick of his tongue, desire burned hotter within her.
His hands were around her waist, and hers were locked on his shoulders. Her nails bit into the fabric of his dress shirt even as a little moan built in her throat.
“Vivian?”
“Don’t stop,” she whispered against his mouth. Whispered. Pleaded. Whatever.
The next kiss was rougher. Deeper.
Less controlled.
It turned her on even more.
The darkness stopped feeling thick and suffocating. She stopped feeling the dark at all. His hands were huge, circling her. He was so warm. She rose onto her tiptoes. Caught Chase’s lower lip and nipped lightly.
This time, he growled. A savage, hungry sound.
He lifted her up against him. Held her with an easy strength. She kicked off her shoes and locked her legs around his waist. The long, hard length of his arousal pressed against her, and she rubbed her sex against him. Her dress had hiked up. She could feel the fabric bunching at the top of her thighs as she kissed him with a wild and desperate hunger.
This wasn’t her. She didn’t do this. They were on a first date. She didn’t lock her legs around a guy and hold on tight and kiss him like there was no tomorrow on the first date.
But she was. She was clinging to him, her heart was pounding, and she didn’t want to let go.
He did this sexy little rubbing thing with his tongue, and she moaned. Then his mouth was leaving hers and he was kissing a path down her throat. Vivian tipped back her head, keeping her eyes squeezed tightly shut. He licked her. Sucked her skin. Gave a gentle bite.
Her sex pressed against him as she squirmed to get closer. My panties are getting wet. Because she was turned on like crazy.
Reality seemed a million miles away. Her control—her ordered life—was gone. She was living in the moment. Feeling, not thinking. When she thought, she became afraid. She didn’t want to be afraid. She just wanted to be with him. She wanted to keep feeling this good. To feel the need and desire surging through her.
“The lights are back on. Fuck, we’re moving.”
They were what?
It took a moment too long for his words to register. Her eyes stayed squeezed shut and then she heard a ding. A ding?
“Ahem.”
Her eyes opened. She stared straight at Chase. His golden gaze blazed at her. His face was locked in savage lines of lust, and all of that lust was directed straight at her.
Do I look like that? So hungry? So wild?
She sure felt that way.
“Ahem.” That loud throat clearing came again—from behind her.
Her head whipped around. The building’s maintenance manager, Jacob Webb, stood just beyond the open doors of the elevator. He had a tool belt wrapped around his lean hips. His brownish-red hair was tousled, and he had the sleepy-eyed look of a man who’d just been hauled out of bed.
Chase’s friend Merik waited next to Jacob. He gave Vivian a friendly wave. “Hi, there. I’m here to rescue you.” His head cocked. “Though you both look busy, so maybe we should come back.”
You look…
Oh, sweet hell. Her legs were still wrapped around Chase’s hips. Her shoes were on the floor. Her dress was hiked up. And her hands were gripping Chase’s shoulders as if she’d never let go.
“I am going to kick your ass later, Merik,” Chase promised. His voice was a thick, deep rumble of dark intent.
“That is not the way you say thanks,” Merik responded with a grin. “Not at all. We have got to work on your manners.” Merik clapped a hand on Jacob’s arm. “Found the maintenance manager. He got things working in no time.”
Just how much time had passed? It had seemed like only a moment, but…Merik was there. Jacob. Obviously, a lot more time had elapsed than she’d realized. Once she’d started kissing Chase, Vivian had gotten lost.
In him.
“Please put me down,” she whispered as her gaze swung back to Chase. Embarrassment burned through her.
A muscle jerked along Chase’s jaw. Slowly, he eased her to her feet.
Vivian swiped out with her hands and grabbed her shoes. As she bent to put them on, Chase stepped in front of her, shielding her with his body. “What in the hell happened?” Chase demanded to know. “Why did the elevator stop?”
“Looked like a short caused the problem. Normally, I’d have to call the elevator repair company—they have a guy they send out for this kind of work,” Jacob explained in his slow, I-take-my-time-with-things voice. “But I knew enough to fix it. Didn’t exactly want to leave my best tenant stranded.”
Chase glanced back at Vivian. “You’re his best tenant?”
That was news to her.
“I don’t jump out of bed for just anyone,” Jacob said. “Definitely best. I mean, have you tasted her cinnamon rolls?”
Chase stiffened. “That had better not be some kind of fucking metaphor.”
What?
When Chase then proceeded to surge toward Jacob, Vivian leapt to grab Chase’s arm. “He’s legitimately talking about cinnamon rolls,” she rushed to explain. “I gave him cinnamon rolls when he helped me to move into my apartment.”
Chase’s gaze narrowed on Jacob.
She needed to add more details to her explanation because Chase obviously had the wrong idea. “It was very nice of him. He saw I was moving in alone and helped out.”
Jacob grinned. His slow, sly smile. “I am a helper.”
“I just bet you are,” Chase replied. He didn’t smile. His eyes did narrow.
Okay. Enough. Vivian was ready to get the heck out of that elevator. She hurried forward. “Thank you, Jacob. And, um, Merik.”
They backed up when she passed, and she realized the elevator doors had stayed open during their conversation because Jacob was keeping them open with a raised hand. After Chase filed off the elevator, Jacob headed inside of it. “Gonna do a few tests. Just to make sure everything is running smoothly again. I’d hate for another tenant to get stuck.” He inclined his head. “Night.”
The elevator doors slowly closed.
Vivian shifted a bit, moving from high heel to high heel. Merik’s stare was darting from her to Chase, and he seemed concerned.
Well, they had been stuck in an elevator. That was a cause for concern. “It’s a very good building,” she blurted.
Both men frowned at her.
Vivian winced. “I know—you started your first day with my break-ins, and now this is happening on day two, but I swear there wasn’t any trouble here at all…” Her voice trailed off because she hated to say the rest.
But Merik smiled at her. “Let me guess, there was no trouble at all…until Chase moved in?”
Unfortunately, yes.
Merik nodded. “Sounds about right.”
Chase cut him a dirty glare.
“Buddy, we need to talk,” Merik told him. “Since I’m here and all, how about we knock out the last bit of our project work tonight? I’ve got the data you needed, and I can go over it now. That way, we can hit the ground running tomorrow.”
Chase’s eyebrows rose. “I’m on a date.”
“Yeah, I did notice that.” Merik winced as he gave Vivian a look of apology. “I hate to wreck the party.”
“No. It’s okay.” She backed away, sidling toward her place. “Go ahead. Take care of your business.”
Chase surged toward her. “Vivian, wait!”
She froze. “I had a great time.”
He closed in on her. “Don’t fucking lie. You were just trapped in an elevator, in the dark, with me.” He yanked a hand through his hair. “That is not how I saw this night ending.”
“I’ll bet,” Merik muttered—loudly—from behind him.
Chase didn’t look back at his friend. He appeared to focus completely on Vivian. “Are you okay?”
Her heart was still racing, her breaths were coming too fast, and she was turned on. Okay wasn’t the right description. She’d never been turned on so much in her life. “You made me forget to be afraid.” Her voice carried only to him. “I could only think about you.”
His gaze sharpened on her. “Vivian—”
She leaned onto her toes and brushed a kiss against his cheek. “Thank you.” Then she stepped back. Gave him a weak smile. “And I think I still owe you a dinner. One that I cook.” Nervousness flooded through her. “Maybe we can make plans for that?” Yes, I’m asking for a second date.
“Count on it.” His gaze seemed to scorch over her.
With an effort, she turned away and hurried down the hallway. When she got inside her home, Vivian flipped the locks, kicked away her shoes, and then sagged against the door. “OhmyGod.”
***
“Romeo, you need to get your ass under control,” Merik mumbled as he eased up beside Chase.
Vivian had just gone into her apartment. Chase didn’t know why the hell he was still standing there staring after her. I’m staring at a shut door.
“This is where I have to ask—again, because I brought this shit up before—are you thinking with your dick or your head?”
Very slowly, Chase turned his head toward Merik. “I know what I’m doing.”
“Does that mean the answer is dick or head?”
This was the only warning he’d give. “Keep pushing me, and you’ll regret it. There’s a line you don’t want to cross.” Partner or not. Chase marched to his apartment, threw open the door a moment later, and knew that Merik would tail him inside.
“Thank you, Merik,” his partner said loudly once they were secure in Chase’s temporary home. “I appreciate you hauling ass to save me.”
“I didn’t need saving.” Chase crossed his arms over his chest and faced off with his partner.
Merik’s brows climbed. “Oh, obviously. What you probably needed was two more minutes. No, scratch that. I’m sure those extra minutes were what you wanted so you could screw the target but—whoa! Calm your ass down!”
Chase had charged toward him. But he stopped before he actually grabbed Merik. Chase locked his muscles. “I told you to not cross the line.”
“Dude, you’re the only one crossing lines! You were supposed to get close to her—”
“I was.”
“It looked like you were about to fuck her!”
I was. But…hell, wanting her had nothing to do with the case. Everything that had gone down in the elevator had just been about Vivian. “She was afraid in the dark.”
“Oh, was she now?”
“Yes,” Chase gritted. “She was trapped as a kid. Made her claustrophobic. Being trapped in an elevator was like her worst nightmare. I was distracting her.”
“Is that what we’re calling it now?” Merik tapped his chin. “So hard to keep up with the lingo these days.”
“Stop being an asshole.”
“Then you stop falling for the target! I thought you were supposed to be the undercover expert—”
“I am!”
“Oh, so falling for her is part of the strategy?”
“Getting her to fall for me is.”
Merik shook his head. “That’s cold, man. I mean, I get that she’s the Evil Queen—”
“Don’t call her that.”
“But you think breaking her heart is fine to do? As long as you get the intel you need?”
Chase didn’t want to break her heart. “I think we’re wrong about her.” There. He’d said it.
/> Merik squinted at him. Waited. Didn’t speak.
“I think we’re wrong,” Chase said again. “She’s not the villain.” She’s not the fucking Evil Queen, so stop calling her that.
“Beg to differ.” Merik exhaled. “Did you hit your head in the elevator? Like, when the lights went off, did you fall or something?”
“No,” he gritted.
“Then please tell me why you’re being a dumbass.”
“Because she’s not cold. Because she doesn’t want to wind up like her father. She doesn’t want to go to jail—”
“Too bad! If that’s what she wanted, then the woman shouldn’t have stolen classified intel!”
“I don’t think she did it. I think it was someone else.”
“And you’re basing this on…what? Your dick’s reaction to her?” As soon as he said the words, Merik immediately lunged back. “Do not take a swing at me!”
He’d been about to do just that. Hands still fisted, Chase snarled, “I’m basing it on my gut instinct. I know people. I know her. She’s not cold-blooded. She…she freaking bakes, man.”
“You’ll need more evidence than her brownies to convince our boss that she’s innocent.”
He knew that.
“Is that what you’re trying to do now? Because, like, I’m seriously trying to understand what’s happening here. After one date—one—you want to convince everyone that Vivian Wayne is innocent?”
“I want to investigate. Fully.” Tension still knotted Chase’s body. Tension. Desire. When he’d held Vivian in his arms, he’d gone wild for her. At first, he’d tried to hold on to his control, but when she’d started moaning, when she’d pressed against him, used that sexy little tongue of hers…
For a while there, he’d forgotten everything but her.
The job had vanished from his mind. It hadn’t been about playing a role. It had just been about her.
“If you don’t think she’s the guilty party, then who is?” Merik wanted to know.
“Luc Coderre.”
Merik shook his head. “No. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about—it’s the business I said we had to discuss.”
Chase released a bitter laugh. “And here I thought you just wanted to end my date.”
Merik nodded. “That, too.” He rolled back his shoulders. “Coderre has dual French and American citizenship. He’s forty years old, he’s a triathlete who exercises religiously, and the guy volunteers at a soup kitchen every holiday. He’s worked at the CIA for years. Spotless record. His bank accounts have been checked. No big deposits or withdrawals. No suspicious trips. He looks clean as a whistle.”