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I contemplate my inevitable response,. With every fiber of my being, I try not to let the words escape my mouth. But they do. Of course they do.
“You can’t go home in this. I’d send for my driver, but he’s probably halfway home by now. Why don’t you come with me? Dry off and eat your dinner. My place is less than a block away.”
She’s about to refuse, and I should let her.
But I wasn’t lying to her. I really am the emperor of bad decisions.
“It makes no sense for you to wait in here for God knows how long. I promise it’s a totally innocent offer.”
And to my surprise, I mean it.
“Come on,” I say, heading out through the door. I leave it to her whether she wants to follow me out. By the time I reach the edge of the crowd and get my umbrella up, I feel her behind me.
Handing her the umbrella, I walk out into the rain. She shrieks, on my behalf, and runs toward me.
“We can share it at least.”
We’re standing basically on top of each other as I raise the umbrella a bit higher to accommodate me. I’d insist she take it completely, but damned if I’m giving up this opportunity to be close to her. Unfortunately, my apartment is in front of us way too soon.
“Mr. Tanner.”
I hand the umbrella to Bobby, thanking him for having given it to me in the first place, and step into the foyer.
“Hayden,” she says, stopping with me. “I’m not sure about this.”
The last thing I want is for her to feel uncomfortable.
“Listen, Ada, I’m not either. Obviously it’s a bad idea. But I swear I will not come near you.” The words nearly get stuck in my mouth. “And I won’t say a word about it to anyone. As long as you promise not to mention to anyone on our team that I may have asked for your number the first time we met.”
She smiles. “And dinner. You asked me out to dinner too.”
“And that.”
After a short pause, she starts toward the elevator as if she lives in the place. I love that about her. Unsure one second, like a pit bull the next.
“You hit on me before you even knew my name,” she reminds me as I punch the button.
“In my defense, like I told you at the time, I knew enough.”
The elevator door opens and we step inside.
“You were so arrogant.”
We stand on opposite sides, but even so, this elevator has never felt as small as it does right now. Blood pounds through my veins as I imagine us coming together despite all of the reasons we shouldn’t.
“I am arrogant,” I say, making her laugh.
“There’s more to you than that.”
I make a sound deep in my throat as we reach my floor. Not a moment too soon. It’s harder being in a small, intimate space with her than I’d thought it would be. And the fact that she sees me, really sees me, makes it worse.
“Maybe.”
By the time I turn the key, gesturing for Ada to step inside, I’m rethinking this decision. But the door’s open, and she’s already walking through it. My better judgment kicks in too late.
“Oh wow, this is incredible.”
The entire apartment would fit in my parents’ living room in the Upper East Side. But I like it, because it’s mine.
