Page 57 of Absolutely Not in Love
He puts the book on the edge of the dresser and crosses his arms over his chest. “How about a distraction?”
I lift my eyebrows. His tone is still incredibly flirty, which…does he mean what I think he means? I swallow against the sudden dryness in my throat. “Did your teammates leave?”
He nods. “It’s just you and me now.”
“So we’re alone,” I say slowly. “And that means we could…” I hesitate, hoping he’ll fill in the blank so I don’t have to. Not that I have any idea what I would say in response.
“We could go downstairs and see the first floor of the warehouse?” he says, clearly confused by my behavior.
Relief flows through me, and I let out an audible breath. “Oh. Oh! That’s a great idea. Let’s definitely do that.”
He studies me, his brow furrowed. “What did you think I was—wait, did you think I was suggesting sex?”
I hide my face behind my hands, my cheeks hot under my palms. “No! I mean, yes? Maybe? I didn’t know what you were suggesting. But now I’m really embarrassed so probably you should go so I can hide under the bed.”
“What kind of a man do you think I am?” he says. Only the lightness of his tone keeps me from worrying.
I peek one eye out from between my fingers.
Felix has his hands propped on his hips, his expression playful, if not a tiny bit disbelieving. “Who knew your mind spent so much time in the gutter?” he jokes.
I scoff and drop my hands. “You started it when you talked about sharing your bed.”
“Youmentioned sleeping in my room first,” he fires back.
Well.He’s got me there. I think I might actually die of mortification. Right here in the middle of Felix’s perfectly perfect guest room. I lift my hands again, this time using my entire arms to hide my face. “Okay. Just kill me now. If you call my brother, he’ll come collect my belongings. And the body.”
Felix chuckles and I feel him moving toward me. Sure enough, his hands wrap around my wrists, and he gently tugs them from in front of my face. “Or,” he says gently, “we can go downstairs.”
I blow a wisp of hair out of my face. “And forget this conversation ever happened?”
“Oh, I’ll never forget,” he says. “But I promise I won’t make fun of you anymore.” He grins. “At least for tonight.”
I groan and pull my arms back, using them to hide again.
“No wait, I’m sorry,” Felix says, laughing harder this time. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I promise. No more teasing.”
I still don’t move, but then Felix’s hands fall onto my shoulders. “Please?” he says, and I drop my arms, lifting my gaze to his.
“Hi,” he says.
I breathe out a grumpy sigh. “Hi.”
“Do you want to go downstairs with me?”
“Yes, thank you.”
He nods. “Good. But Gracie, I want you to know…” He squeezes my shoulders, his brown eyes holding mine. “I’mnotthat kind of guy.”
It’s not like I’ve ever seen women coming or going from Felix’s apartment, and I feel like I probably would have if he were any kind of player. But his admission still sends a swirl of heat through my belly.
“Downstairs isn’t heated, so you might want to grab a coat,” he says, his hands finally falling from my shoulders. He slips them into his pockets. “And you’ll definitely want to have some shoes on.”
I do as he suggests and grab my coat off the chair in the corner and a pair of Uggs from the closet, slipping them both on before following Felix out the door. “I’ve seriously wondered so many times what’s down here,” I say as we head down the stairs.
He looks over his shoulder and smiles. “It isn’t that exciting. At least, not yet.”
We pause at the base of the stairs, and Felix uses his keys to unlock the enormous metal door I’ve been walking past for months. Once we’re inside, he hits a series of switches on the wall, and faint yellow light floods the cavernous space.
