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His crooked grin sent a flash of heat across my skin. “Maybe it was just meant to be.”
“That’s the cheesiest thing anyone has ever said to me. And I’m a bartender. I’ve heard it all.”
Jamie roared with laugher again, the powerful muscles across his torso rippling with mirth. Unbidden, I chuckled too.
“If you’re not going to evict me, and you’re not going to fire Josephine, can I go home? My brother will be home soon. I’d like to be there.”
Jamie sobered up, his face growing serious as he turned and moved through the apartment, grabbing a T-shirt off the ground as he did. “Of course. Let me walk you down.”
I followed him into the main living space, noticing that he’d turned almost every light on when he’d come through. “Mr. Calvin, it’s prime time for school drop offs and end-of-day arrivals. If you walk me down, looking like this, then people are going to think the worst.”
The big man halted, shifting so that I knew his head was facing my direction. My pale skin wasn’t doing me any favors tonight. I could practically feel the heat burning across my cheeks as I tried to avoid meeting his eyes.
“I don’t mean to insinuate that being caught with you would be the worst. Or that I’d be embarrassed. I was only thinking that you might not have thought about what it would look like…” I stumbled into silence. Warm, gentle fingers pressed against my chin, guiding my face up until I was looking up into that handsome face once more.
Butterflies and a mix of fear that strangely made my stomach clench bloomed once more. I parted my lips in a soft breath.
“Don’t worry, Margot. It’s going to be okay. Let’s just get you home.”
I nodded dumbly. And as Jamie pulled his hand away to guide us towards his front door, I mourned the loss of that soft touch.
***
Chapter 2
Jamie
In my whole life, I can’t remember wanting anything as badly as I wanted to be the person to peel Margot Beckett out of my clothing. It had been my idea to give them to her, but fuck it all, now I regretted it all. The monster who lives below my belt was bellowing at the stupidity of my idea.
But now we were here, standing side by side as the elevator slowly ticked down from my floor to hers. If she was a date of mine, or even some woman I’d picked up in a bar, I’d have her wrapped around me right now. I’d lived in this building long enough to know exactly how long we had before those doors would open again. Perk of buying the building you grew up in.
I glanced down at her, trying to be subtle. But then, I was still the size of a boulder. Subtly wasn’t my strong part.
“How long have you lived here?”
“Just over six months. My brother got into Northwestern, and we wanted to be settled in the area for senior year.”
“Northwestern is a great school.” Pricy too. Either she was living here, in my middle-class multi-family establishment, for some kind of social experiment, or her brother had gotten one hell of a scholarship. “Did your family come with?”
“It’s just Jackson and me.” The careful, tight set of her jaw made it clear that topic wasn’t up for further investigation. I had another thirty seconds before this elevator stopped and this woman walked straight back out of my life.
“Well, belated welcome to the building. I’m sorry I haven’t been around much.”
“I guess running a massive law firm can do that for you.”
“Did you google me?”
“No more than I’m sure you google yourself.” I saw her lips quirk up as she looked up at me. “I wanted to know what the plaque on the apartment said.”
My heart pounded. “What?”
“The plaque? It’s right outside our door.”
“You live in Apartment 1A?”
Her eyes darted across my face, obviously registering my surprise and trying to figure it. “Yes, the one just across from Josephine.”
I swallowed hard. That had been mine. I’d spent almost every night in that apartment from aged eight to age eighteen. And that plaque… There was no way she could possibly understand.
