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“Where can I take you next?”
“Um,” she replied. “How about the dining room?”
“Good idea.” No chance of getting hot and sweaty in there.
We stepped inside the elevator again, except this time when the mirrored doors closed, our eyes met through the reflection. Her face showed no emotion, but electricity tingled in the air. A surge of power flowed from my fingertips to the top of my head and I shoved my hands in my pockets, afraid that even the smallest touch from her would burn me.
Finally, the doors opened, and I led her to the dining room. It was arguably my favorite room because it was the one I hadn’t expected to love so much. I shared wonderful dinners with my friends and spent some of the best nights of my life here so far.
“Wow! This room is spectacular,” Nikole whispered, turning around in a circle and staring up at the ceiling.
“The designer surprised me with this one. He knew how much I loved to travel, so he created a map of the world using precious gemstones for each country. The result is pretty amazing.”
“Yes. The colors are beautiful, but the stones bring each country to life, like a three-dimensional piece of art. It’s mesmerizing.”
Her neck strained to hold her head as she walked closer to the table and the artwork. “Ow,” she hissed when her foot struck one of the table’s legs. “Shit.”
“Are you all right?” I rushed over and put my hands on her shoulders. Her face scrunched up in pain and she sucked in both of her lips.
“Fine,” she managed to say, but she didn’t look fine.
“Let me see.” I tried to lead her toward a couch off to the side, but she limped when she took the first step. I had no choice but to lift and carry her to the couch.
“What are you doing?”
“It obviously hurts you to walk, so I’m carrying you.”
“I’m fine. I just stubbed my toe. I do it all the time. It hurts like hell for a few minutes and then I’m fine.”
“I’ll be the judge of that,” I said, and carefully laid her on the couch.
I reached for the zipper of her boot, but she swatted my hand away. “I can do that.”
I crossed my arms and waited. When she struggled to remove the footwear, I placed my hand on the back of her heel and yanked forward. The boot slipped off and into my hands.
Rubbing the material between my fingers, I noted, “This material isn’t very thick. Is it real leather?”
“It’s vegan leather,” she said. “And they’re not my winter boots but my fall ones. That’s why they’re so thin.”
I shook my head. Vegan leather.
Placing the useless boot on the ground, I examined her baby toe. It was red, but I didn’t see any bruising. “Can you wiggle it?”
The toe in question moved along with the others. “Good. I think it’s fine.”
“Thanks, doctor. I’m so glad you were here.” She deadpanned.
I narrowed my eyes. “You could have broken it, you know. That table is screwed down to the floor and made of solid oak. Trust me, if you had hit it any harder, it would be broken.”
I rubbed the foot to increase circulation and encourage healing, but she yanked it away and put her sock back on. A blush rose on her cheeks and I wondered if it was me rubbing her foot now or the memory of the other night that had her blushing.
Don’t ask, you idiot. Don’t you dare ask.
But I couldn’t stop my next words “Do I make you nervous, Nikole?” She didn’t make eye contact with me and I wondered if she was feeling even a hint of what I was starting to feel.
“Of course not,” she said and pushed her brown hair behind her ears. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
“All right.” I sat on the cushioned ottoman in front of her and rested my elbows on my knees. “I’m glad to hear it. I want you to know that despite what happened earlier, you can trust me.” Judging by the distant look in her eyes, I knew it was going to take more than reassurance to earn back her trust.
