Page 50 of Delicate Storm

“Nothing, never mind. Back to the issue at hand. You’re the team owner’s daughter. And now off-limits to me.”

“Apparently so.”

The elevator stops and when the doors open to no one, I assume it’s Paige’s level and hold the doors open so we can finish our chat.

“I guess it would be crazy to keep seeing each other,” she continues, her expression pinched as she looks to me for answers. “Right?”

It pains me to say it, but… “Right.”

“It’s messy.”

“And things are fucked-up enough at the moment.”For me at least.

“Exactly.” Paige snaps her fingers like that’s some big revelation. “Goodbye then?” Her face contorts. She’s clearly not happy about this outcome. And neither am I. But it is what it is.

“Yep. Goodbye.”

“Unless we happen to run into each other,” she adds before I can release the doors. “I can say hi, right?”

“Sure.”

“And if we happen to be in the gym at the same time, you could help me stretch.”

I raise an eyebrow and she smiles. “Okay. I guess, if you need it.”

“Thanks. And if by some strange coincidence we end up locked in a storeroom together with no way out and nothing to do?”

The fuck?I stare at her deadpan until she laughs. “What? You never know.”

“Then in that case, I would fuck your brains out until you don’t know what day it is let alone how long we’ve been trapped.”

“Okay.” Her pitch rises. “Thank you. It’s good to set boundaries. You know. Just in case.”

“Of course.”

Paige moves to step out until we both realize it’s my floor. She never pressed the button. I pause for a second and then without departing, I press the number for her level and watch as the doors close before turning to face her.

“I missed my stop,” she says coyly, biting her lip.

“You did.”

“And you didn’t get off,” she states the obvious.

“I didn’t.”

We stare in silence until the doors open again. This time at level twelve. Paige’s floor.

I hold my hand across the entry and allow her to pass by, drinking her in, her scent lingering after she’s gone. And I make a split-second decision to follow her.

We can’t keep this up. Whatever it is. But one last time can’t hurt anyone. Can it?

Paige doesn’t say anything as I trail behind her, but her body stiffens when I get close.

When she finally stops in front of what I assume is her door, she spins to face me. “When I first got in the elevator, you had this pained expression, like you were…broken.” Again, it’s not a question—she knows something is not right.

“I’ve had a rough morning,” I confirm, giving her nothing more.

“Want to talk about it?” She smiles wide in anticipation and I huff out a laugh.

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