Page 63 of Somnium

The plush carpet was soft and welcoming beneath her feet, and she tried not to think about what damage was being done as she continued to drip icy water from her clothes. Turning to the panel of buttons, she scanned for the floor number Elias had given her: Fifteen.

Her nerves jumbled tighter with every row her eyes slid over. If he lived on the top floor, she might just turn around and go home, taking her shame and midrange socioeconomic status with her.

When she finally found it, she let out a small breath. It wasn’t the top, but it was damn close. She pressed the button that would take her to the fifteenth floor, eyeing the one that sat directly above it, designated only as “PH.”

Between running The Crow and his stake in Club Ambrosia, it would seem the bar business was doing quite well.

The elevator climbed, and Cadi found herself trapped by the brutally honest reflective surfaces that made up the walls of the car. When she had left her apartment, her curls had been full and vibrant, but now she wouldn’t be surprised if Elias took one look at her and called security.

The display above the doors slowly counted up until the car reached its destination and opened to a quiet hallway. She scanned the numbers fixed to the wall beside the units as she walked, the tiny flutter in her chest growing stronger with each one she passed that brought her closer to 1506. Closer to him.

When she finally reached Elias’s apartment, her heart was nearly in a frenzy. She tapped her knuckles against solid wood, and winced at the sharp bite from the impact. The skin of her hands felt like it was being poked by hundreds of needles as it shifted from deathly white to a bright red now that she was no longer being abused by the frigid wind and rain.

The lock clicked, her breath caught, and the door swung open to reveal Elias. A fragrant blend of savory spices poured from the open door, and she had to stop herself from letting out a dramatic moan at the enticing promise of comfort.

His eyebrows shot up when he saw her, and Cadi glared at the way his lips kept twitching as he took in her sodden appearance.

“Don’t you say a fucking word,” she muttered.

He raised a hand to cover his mouth, shoulders quivering as he tried, and failed, to suppress a snort of laughter.

“Shut up!” she cried, landing a playful punch against his arm. “It’s pouring out there and I’m freezing so you have to be nice to me.”

His fingers closed around her wrist, and he pulled her through the door, snug into his chest. Lacing her hands around his back, she squeezed him tightly and wiggled, making sure to sufficiently saturate his t-shirt as payback.

A low laugh rumbled against her cheek, and he placed a kiss on the top of her head while his palms ran over her back in a sweet yet futile attempt to warm her up. Another shiver raced through her body as he shifted to kick the door shut, and she nestled closer, refusing to give up the glorious heat rolling off him until absolutely necessary.

“Let’s find you something dry before you start turning blue.”

With a nod, she grudgingly relinquished her hold, then turned to let her gaze sweep over the manicured room. “Holy shit …”

His apartment felt effortlessly pristine. The entry opened into a recessed living room to her left, where a cream-colored sofa and matching love seat sat facing each other, perfect for socializing. Her eyes caught on the small bar tucked into the corner of the room next to the sitting area, the wall behind it stocked with several sets of elaborately designed glasses. She turned to give Elias a curious look.

“You sure have a lot of fancy drinkware for someone who doesn’t drink,” she teased.

Elias returned her smirk. “They do a pretty bang-up job of holding water, too, you know,” he said before he lifted his shoulders into a shrug. “I admire the craftsmanship and discipline that goes into making glassware, especially by hand. I’ve been working on that collection for a while now.”

Cadi’s smile grew as she filed away that detail before she turned her attention back to his apartment. Past the living room was the dining area, a thick granite island separating it from the small but immaculate kitchen, where the gentle sound of simmering liquid drifted from a ceramic skillet that rested on the glass stove top. Floor-to-ceiling windows wrapped around the whole exterior, their darkened panes hinting at the outside’s reflective appearance that allowed the building’s residents perfect privacy without sacrificing their views.

Off the main space, Cadi could see a small hallway to the right just past a row of thickly stocked bookshelves. As Elias guided her forward, she craned her neck to peer down the dim hall, catching a glimpse of an impeccably neat office and what might have been a bathroom.

“Your place is so … clean.” she said, unable to stop her eyes from skimming over every surface as they walked. Not a single item seemed out of place.

Elias hummed. “One of us has to be the clean one.”

Cadi gasped in feigned offense and lightly poked her elbow into his side, grinning at his answering grunt. Her fingers traced along the polished mahogany table as he led her toward the back of the apartment to a long hallway she hadn’t noticed before, its entrance perfectly concealed by the kitchen.

A knot cinched in her belly as they walked through the cool, gray light that filtered through the windows to mix with the soft glow from Elias’s bedroom. A million thoughts fought for her attention with every step, each of them making her glad Elias wasn’t telepathic. Cadi cleared her throat, hoping it would clear her mind as well.

It didn’t.

He ushered her through the door before crossing the room to flick on the light in the walk-in closet. Cadi glanced around, doing her best not to let her eyes linger too long on the king-sized bed in front of her. Its dark wood headboard hovered just shy of the glass that continued from the hall to form the two outer walls of the bedroom, with two nightstands framing it on either side.

Elias emerged from the closet holding a fresh t-shirt in one hand, a pair of sweats, socks, and a hoodie in the other. He placed the offering of dry clothes on a small bench at the foot of the bed.

“Bathroom is through there,” he said, indicating the door next to the closet. “Go ahead and hang your clothes up. I’ll just be in the kitchen if you need anything.”

Placing a kiss on her forehead, he slipped back out into the hall and pulled the door shut behind him. If she hadn’t been so gods-damned cold, she might have been irritated at how he still insisted on being such a gentleman, but as it was, she just wanted to change.