Page 5 of End Game

He shot me a look, eyes wide, before saying, “Not like that—I just meant my building. The roof, to be precise. It’s my favorite place in the city—the perfect setting for a celebratory drink.”

I stared at him, then nodded, even more perplexed.

Even more intrigued.

“Here,” he said quietly as he gestured toward the entrance of a gleaming building. It was the tallest on this street, a building made up mostly of glass I knew to be full of luxury condos. If Leo lived here, he definitely had money.

We walked along the front entryway toward double doors trimmed in gold. Even at this late hour, a concierge stood just inside, pushing the door open to greet us with a warm smile. “Good evening, Mr. Callahan!”

Leo dipped his head. “Georgie, always a pleasure.”

Georgie took a quick look behind us as we stepped across the threshold. “No valet service tonight, sir?”

“No.” Leo shook his head with a polite smile. “The car is still in the garage. I decided to enjoy some fresh air with a walk tonight.”

Georgie coaxed the heavy door closed behind him with white-gloved hands. He dipped his head again with a renewed smile. “Good evening, ma’am.”

“Mara,” Leo looked at me. “This is Mara. And Mara, this is Georgie, the best concierge in all of Denver.” He leaned in close enough for me to inhale more of that intoxicating woodsy scent. “Just don’t tell Roger I said that.”

Georgie huffed a laugh. “Very good, sir. Enjoy the rest of your evening.”

Leo grinned. “You too, Georgie. Be safe.” He tightened his hold on my arm—as if on some distant instinct—and led us toward a polished gold elevator. After he pressed the button to go up, I felt his breath skate along my neck as he murmured softly, “I need to make a quick stop at my apartment, but then we’ll head up to the roof. Okay?”

His blue eyes shimmered down on me underneath the warm light of the lobby. From this close, I saw the faint lines etched into the skin around his eyes, and I wanted to see them deepen again like they had at Rudy’s. I wanted to see him throw his head back with a rumbling laugh. “Okay,” I said. I couldn’t help the stupid smile still plastered on my face.

It was like slipping on a mask—though it wasn’t disingenuous. I didn’t have to force it. If anything, it felt like an old version of myself coming to the surface. One that I thought I’d lost so long ago, like an old favorite sweater in the back of my closet. I felt . . . giddy. Excited for whatever adventure this night was leading to.

The elevator doors opened with a chime and we both stepped into the car. Leo pulled a black card from his jacket pocket and pressed it against a sensor before pushing the round button that sat at the top of all others, a black PH displayed across the glowing background. Holy shit, the penthouse? We both stayed silent as we rode the elevator up, the only sound the thrumming of his fingers against the paper bag still clutched close to his chest. There was a rhythm to the way he tapped, like a song stuck in his head. I noticed that, even when standing, Leo’s body never stayed completely still. As his fingers danced along the brown paper, his body swayed with the slightest movement.

It took a couple of full minutes before the elevator chimed again, and when the doors opened, I gasped.

The foyer’s white marble floors stretched into the distance where a black leather couch sat in what had to be his living room. Straight ahead were floor-to-ceiling glass windows, and even from all the way back here, the city lights glowed brightly from below. Directly in front of the elevator was a round polished-chestnut table adorned with a black vase bursting with flowers.

It was . . . beautiful wasn’t the right word. It was extraordinary.

My eyes snapped up to Leo, who hadn’t moved from his place next to me. He was already looking at me, a small grin curling from the corner of his mouth. “This is home,” he said casually, as if it wasn’t the most stunning place I’d probably ever seen.

My gaze moved back to the penthouse before me. “Wow,” I breathed.

“I’m just going to the kitchen to grab some champagne flutes,” he murmured into my ear. “Feel free to take a look around.”

I shook my head to decline the invitation. “Thanks, but I think I’ll just wait here.” It wasn’t that I was getting cold feet or that I was second-guessing any of this . . . but I was a grungy bartender wearing sticky converse and a hoodie I knew damn well hadn’t been washed in over a week. I had no business poking around in a place as nice as this.

Curiosity bloomed in Leo’s eyes as he looked back and forth between mine. Then he nodded and pressed the button to hold the doors open, adding a low “I’ll be right back,” before stepping out and disappearing down the hallway to what I imagined was the kitchen.

As soon as he was out of sight, I doubled over in shock, hands on my thighs and my jaw slackening as it fell wide. What the hell had I gotten myself into? I stood and scrubbed a hand over my face, and when I opened my eyes again I almost jumped out of my skin at the discovery that I was no longer alone.

A bright orange tabby cat sat right in front of me, tail curling into the elevator as it looked up at me with golden eyes. Assessing. Judging. Leo had a cat—I almost laughed, picturing their life here. One severe, focused businessman and one fluffy orange cat orbiting around each other in a bougie penthouse like this.

In the distance, I heard ice being poured and the clinking of glasses. Bending down so I was sitting on my own heels, I reached a hand out. It eyed me warily before slowly craning its neck forward, its nose and whiskers twitching as it sniffed me. I startled when it let out a long and loud meow before scampering off around the corner, in the direction Leo had gone.

“Oh, hello Dolly,” I heard him say. Another meow sounded, and Leo’s warm chuckle soon followed. I felt a wave of . . . something . . . in response. Something warm yet foreign.

Not a minute later, Leo reemerged from around the corner holding a metal ice bucket with the bottle of champagne nestled within. Two flutes were gingerly clutched in his other hand. I noticed the knot of his tie had been pulled loose, and the sight of it made my stomach roll in anticipation—I wanted to pull it off him completely, wanted to unbutton his shirt to expose the skin beneath.

He paused when he saw me, his eyes flicking down again to my bare legs, then used the hand holding the glasses to grab a blanket that had been folded and draped over the back of his couch. He looked back at me and smirked. “Ready?” he asked as he joined me in the elevator. That woodsy scent wrapped around me like a sensual embrace.

Something tightened in my chest. Ready? “Yes.” I nodded. “Please.”

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