Page 101 of Dangerous Temptation
Elena waited with bated breath.
Seeing there were none, the woman nodded at her. ‘Thank you, Ms Bardot.’
The professor stood and turned to the crowd. More than one reporter cowered in his seat.
‘Thank you for your attendance. We’ll be going into closed session now. Please leave the room in an orderly fashion.’
Elena caught the woeful looks aimed in her direction. The reporters had more questions for her, but they knew better than to ask her now. She felt as if she were stepping off a rollercoaster ride as they started to disperse.
She knew they wouldn’t be going far. They’d be waiting when she left.
Bowing her head, she concentrated on collecting her things. She’d just gone through the most intense interview of her life. Her knees were wobbly and her stomach was tight, yet the thrill in her chest was near euphoric. She’d done it. It was over. One way or the other, she’d given it her all.
She had to be happy with that, but she had a feeling things had gone well. She hadn’t let even Caroline Woodward rattle her.
She took her first deep breath of the day.
‘Elena?’ Professor Walters said.
She raised her chin. Did he have more questions? What more could she tell him?
‘If you’ve collected your things …’ Seeing that she had, he gestured to another door at the end of the room. ‘You can wait in my office if you’d like.’
She looked around. Everyone had left.
He was offering her an escape route, and she felt nearly light-headed with relief. ‘I’d appreciate that.’
She gathered her computer bag and the rest of her things. Passing the committee’s long table, she smiled at them nervously. Her heels clonked against the old wooden floor as she headed for her getaway. It opened up to a side hallway, she knew.
Still, she was careful when she opened the door. Peeking out, she surveyed the scene. Students milled about, but apparently none of the reporters were familiar with the building. She slipped into the hallway and hurried down to Professor Walters’s office. She whipped the door shut behind her and sagged against it.
Oh, thank God. It was over.
When she opened her eyes, she realised it had only begun.
Alex was in the room. The rollercoaster ride started all over again. His grey gaze locked with hers and she set down her computer bag before she could drop it.
He’d stayed.
She felt a pang in the middle of her chest. She’d missed him so much. He was leaning back against the office’s cherrywood panelling, looking like aGQmodel. He had one foot propped against the wall and his hands were in the pockets of his natty blue suit. He wasn’t wearing a tie today, and his hair was mussed.
He looked classy yet casual, and so sexy she wanted to launch herself at him.
She ached for him. The two weeks they’d been apart had seemed like two years.
But she couldn’t forget why she’d left. Things had gotten too intense between them. She couldn’t go back to living that way. A gilded cage was still a cage, no matter how pretty the trappings.
Movement nearby broke her out of her trance. Flinching, she turned to see who was watching them.
‘Congratulations, Miss,’ Vasquez said.
She pressed her hand to her stomach. ‘Thank you, but it’s early. They’re still deliberating.’
‘There shouldn’t be any question,’ Alex said.
The bodyguard moved away. ‘I’ll scope out another exit for us.’
Elena’s nerves intensified when the man left and she and Alex were alone. Today was one of the most important days of her life. There was only so much she could handle.
