Page 14 of Code Red Chemistry

Levi

The escape room attendant, a gangly kid with shaggy hair and in that awkward voice-cracking phase, fumbles with the keypad lock while explaining the rules. I’d feel sorry for him, but I’m too distracted by Zoe’s proximity in the narrow entrance hallway. The light citrusy scent of her perfume, making me want to bury my face in her neck, ensures I hear little beyond ‘sixty minutes’ and ‘three hints.’

“Looks like you’re trapped with me,” Zoe says as the door clicks shut behind us. Her tone is light, but there’s an edge that cuts deep. “At least for the next hour.”

The accusation lands like a punch to the gut, but I deserve it. After all, I’m the one who disappeared after that night neither of us will ever forget. But tonight’s my chance to apologize. To do everything and anything I can to win her heart and prove I’m not the same man I was back then. To show her there’s more to us than sizzling chemistry, though that’s not a bad start.

“Trust me,” I say, meeting her gaze, “with you is exactly where I want to be.”

A hint of vulnerability flashes across her face before she arches a brow. “So a locked door is the secret to getting you to stick around?”

Ouch.Way to cut right to the chase in the first five minutes of our date, but again, it’s more than warranted.

“I deserve that,” I admit, holding up my hands.

“You do,” she says, crossing her arms. “But…I believe the promise for the date I won was ‘respect and an unforgettable evening.’” She mimics Ashley Adams’ voice from the auction. “Although, given our history, the unforgettable part seems questionable.”

“I remember everything about that night, Zo.”

She scoffs, but I grab her arm, my eyes pleading with her to understand. She stills, and my voice drops. “Every dance. Every conversation. Every laugh. Not just—”

“The hot sex?”

It’s a long beat while I hold her gaze. “Everything.”

A hitch in her breath betrays her composure. “Funny how that crystal-clear memory didn’t translate to the next morning.”

I drop my arm and hang my head. “I know I screwed up. But I can explain. I—”

“Clock’s ticking,” she says, cutting me off. But her voice is softer now. “Plus, I bid on a date, not on a walk down memory lane.”

I catch her wrist gently, turning her to face me. “Promise you’ll give me a chance to explain? Once we get out of here?”

Something shifts in her expression, and suddenly, I read equal parts hope and hesitation in her gorgeous face, but rather than agree, she raises the stakes. “Talk to me when we’ve escaped the room.”

It’s not much, but it’s something, and that’s more than she’s offered before.

“Challenge accepted, Doc.” I grin, releasing her wrist but letting my fingers trail across her palm.

“Then we better get to work.” She tugs her hand away but rubs the spot I was just touching, stopping the second she notices I’m watching the move.

As she spins away with renewed energy, her confidence is both familiar and yet different. Zoe’s not the same woman she wasfive years ago. She’s feistier, more assured. And damned, if that doesn’t make me want her even more.

I glance at the red digits on the digital clock above the exit, counting down our time. I’ve got fifty-four minutes. Fifty-four minutes to prove I’m not the man I was five years ago, either. Fifty-four minutes to earn back her trust. Then I’ll have the chance to explain why I treated her that way, why I walked away that morning when every cell in my body screamed to stay.

I scan the room, half of which is a full-on replica of Grand Central Station’s main concourse, complete with a smaller-sized version of the iconic information booth. A large model of the Empire State Building stands in the far corner, nearly reaching the ceiling.

“Look for anything out of place,” Zoe says, moving toward the booth. She bends to examine the base, and I force my eyes away from how her fitted jeans hug her curves.

“Remember the way the Empire State Building seemed to stand out in the skyline that night?” I ask, gazing at it.

She straightens and glances over at it, her tone nostalgic. “I never found out why it was lit up purple that night.”

“Me, neither.” Although, right now, more than anything, I wish I knew, so I could tell her.

“Do you see that?” she asks, pointing to the top of the iconic structure. Sure enough, an odd glint of metal is visible, reflecting off a top corner of the model skyscraper. “If only I knew someone tall and strong,” she teases, and for a moment, it’s as if we’re back at Alex’s wedding, her playful flirtation making my heart race.

I flex dramatically before reaching up. Even at my height, I have to stretch, muscles straining as I grab what turns out to be a key. When I sink back down, Zoe’s gaze lingers on the patch of skin where my shirt rode up.

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