Page 59 of The Sinner's Sanctuary

“I like tequila,” I say.

“You don’t have any?” he asks.

I laugh. “Was that too subtle?”

Christian’s brows lift. “You want to come back to my place?”

“I could use a change of scenery.”

“Okay. But I don’t want any comments about my kitchen.”

“I would never.”

He laughs again, because we both know Ialways.

He gestures at the salads. “Should we take this?”

“Leave it.” I scoot my chair back to stand. “I’ll have my housekeeper come up and clear it.”

“I have some leftover Thai,” he says as we walk together to the door leading into the building.

“That sounds good.”

Of course he opens the door for me. I walk through it and wait for him, but I beat him to the elevator button. The chastising look he gives me makes me desperate to kiss him.

But kissing wasn’t one of the topics we discussed, and I regret that already. One more thing to mull over and be depressed about. We ride the elevator shoulder to shoulder, leaning on the side wall. Not because it’s crowded. We’re the only people on it.

I find myself more comfortableathis side than opposite him. Remembering the way we’d leaned on each other as we climbed all those stairs in Rome, propping each other up, I’m led right back to the urge to kiss him. About halfway down, I look at him.

His head turns slowly, and we stare. He speaks first. “So…getting to know each other better means…?”

“Don’t let me start kissing you again,” I say.

“No promises.”

“I don’t know what the fuck it is about you,” I say, like the elevator vents are pumping out truth serum.

“I don’t get it either to be honest,” he says, his voice low and stirring.

“About who?” I ask. “Me or you?”

“Me. You’ve really never been into a guy before?”

“Never.”

“And you don’t know why me?” he asks.

“I mean, Ido…”

“Why?”

“Have you seen your mouth?”

He answers with a smile that draws me closer.

I do everything in my power not to touch him. “You have to do what I say.”

His gaze drops to my mouth. “You said no scene tonight.”

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