Page 1 of Just Between Us

Chapter One: Kai

It’s hot.

Only that can’t be right because it’s pissing rain outside, the sky descending into a menacing grey to usher in December and the holidays.

Still, my armpits prickle with sweat as I press the 15th-floor button in the elevator. Luckily, it’s empty and I can painfully scrutinise every inch of myself as I ascend.

Staring back at me is my face, my freckles long disappeared due to London’s miserable autumn and my usually brown skin is woefully pale. I run a hand through my curly hair. I’ll need a haircut soon, preferably a holiday too.

When the elevator doors slide open, I hold my laptop close to my chest, stepping out onto the floor. There’s barely anyone up here, with most of A-EYE’s executives choosing to work from home or travelling to some fancy locations.

I fight the groan forming inside me. Why did Marie have to call in sick on the one day we were supposed to present our proposal to Levi Bellamy? She is the brains behind the numbers and I’m mostly here for the charm but even then, she has me beat in that department.

I don’t feel quite so charming as my feet carry me past the sleek kitchen with all the latest appliances to a woman seated behind an equally sleek dark cherry wood desk.

“Hi.” I sound like I’ve just run up the stairs instead of taking the elevator.

“You must be Kai?” she says, clicking the keys on her keyboard with short pink nails.

I shouldn’t be nervous. I know this project in and out; we worked on the deck for weeks. I’ve got this.

But no matter how prepared I know I am; Levi Bellamy is still a bit of a mystery to us downstairs.

At only twenty-seven, Levi has already earned a VP title in A-EYE’s legal team. According to Marie’s internet search, he is a certified genius with an IQ of 158. His mother is a famous M&A lawyer, and his father is a fancy art collector.

As if that wasn’t enough to show just how deep the silver spoon is lodged down his throat, he went to an exclusive all-boys boarding school that a few dukes and prime ministers have attended, where he skipped a couple of grades because he was simply too smart for the rest of his classmates.

Honestly, he sounds like a bit of a stuck-up prick, but I’m ready to swallow any of my unwarranted judgements down because our manager, Erica, asked us to come up here. I should give the guy a chance.

“Yeah. That’s me.”

She gives me a warm smile and it almost calms me. Almost.

“Great. Levi asked me to send you right through. It’s just down the hall to your left.”

“Thank you,” I say and start down the hallway, passing the empty offices and meeting rooms with glass walls. It’s nothing like the stereotypical quirky co-working spaces downstairs with ping-pong tables, colourful bean bags and Guinness on tap in the kitchen.

I’m barely paying attention as I step into the open office, trying to recall whether I put the revised graph in my deck. Only, when I look up, my eyes don’t land on one person. Instead, there are two.

And they are kissing.

My brain struggles to catch up to what’s happening for a split second. Eyes widening, I focus on the one standing straight first. It’s Levi, I recognise him from the pictures Marie found online. He’s leaning down, kissing the other guy who is seated on the edge of the glass desk. It’s only a peck but there is unmistakable intimacy to it, like peeking into a window and finding a couple washing dishes together.

If this was a movie, maybe I could command myself to melt into the floor right about now, but it’s not and I’m left standing there, eyes wide, mouth hanging open with my laptop stuck to my chest.

Two pairs of eyes shift to look at me. Levi straightens first, assessing me in one sweep before his lips break into a smile. Oh, no, screw melting into the floor, chuck me out the window and let my guts splatter onto the cobblestone street below.

My breath hitches, realising who the other guy is. We all know who the owner of A-EYE’s second son is. I’ve heard discussions about their relationship in the office a couple of times.

Cole Armas gazes back at me as he stands next to Levi. He is tall, maybe an inch taller than Levi and the only way to describe him is stunning, terrifyingly so. They both are.

I think my brain is short-circuiting but when Cole raises an eyebrow, it reboots and kicks me back into gear.

“I’m so sorry,” I say, my voice coming out clearer than I thought it would. “I didn’t realise—”

Levi’s amused grin cuts me off, warm brown eyes the colour of Cognac glinting in the silver light of the afternoon.

“Oh, you’re fine,” he says easily. Humour fills those eyes like he’s laughing at the embarrassment that is radiating off me like some sort of space heater.

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