Page 70 of Dangerous Temptation
Her brow furrowed in a way that was cute. ‘Aren’t we going with James?’
‘No.’ He had other plans for transportation.
Almost on cue, a steadythump thump thumpcould be heard on the horizon. The beat grew consistently louder, invading the tower above them.
Elena’s face turned pale. ‘What is that?’
‘Our ride.’ He caught her hand and nodded at Leonard, who’d appeared in the archway to the front room. ‘These two bags, please.’
He grabbed his briefcase himself. He understood her paranoia. He had some notes that were irreplaceable himself. ‘Shall we?’
He hesitated when she dug in her heels. Her eyes rounded on the window as the helicopter landed in the front yard. ‘You could have escaped here any time you wanted,’ she said.
‘It’s not an escape. The news vans outside will catch up in a few hours.’
‘Then why?’ She was looking at the helicopter like it was a big ugly bug.
He smiled. ‘I do like playing with them.’
Like a wolf with a rabbit …
Her fair colouring went from pale to off-green. Those doubts nipped at his ass again, and he tapped her under the chin, making her look at him. The fear on her face made his gut twist.
What was holding her back? Heading into New York? Or flying in that metal bird? Either way, he didn’t like the idea of making her do something that frightened her.
He stiffened. He’d already made his decision. It was time to go, and he was going big. Yet she still had to have the right to choose.
‘You don’t have to go with me,’ he offered.
Yet his chest hurt as he held his breath. He didn’t know if he could leave without her.
Her eyes were huge as she looked up into his face. ‘They’ll find out about the two of us.’
The words lanced through him and he physically flinched. Out of everything, that wasn’t a reservation he’d considered. She was still concerned about her reputation? She didn’t want to be seen with him?
The snake inside his chest writhed in pain, but instead of striking out it was looking for a safe place to curl up. Lifting his chin, he gritted his teeth and smoothed his face. ‘My security team can get you out of here once I’m gone. You can go anywhere you want … do anything you want to do …’
His jaw tightened so hard it popped. ‘I’ll pay for it.’
Her head snapped back so quickly, her long hair swung. The quiver in her chin disappeared and her hands curled into fists. He’d seen her angry before, almost hateful towards him, yet he’d never seen her livid. Her dark eyes sparked and he felt a charge when she marched forward and planted her hand flat on his chest.
‘When are you going to learn that money isn’t the answer to everything?’
She pushed him right where his heart was gaping. Ax was so surprised, he took a step backward. She followed, grabbing him by the lapels and going up on tiptoe to get into his face.
He dropped his briefcase. It bounced somewhere near his feet and the thud echoed. He caught her in his arms and kissed her like the earth had just been set on fire.
Maybe money didn’t rule the earth …
But he might have just found what did.
Chapter Eleven
The view from the Park Avenue penthouse was stunning. Elena looked out of a window that competed with the clouds. The altitude, the opulence and the magnitude of it all made her head reel. The Art Deco limestone building gave a bird’s-eye view of Central Park and tree-lined boulevards. It was the most coveted real estate in the city.
Yet the clouds hung low and fat, a familiar sight in a not so familiar world.
She turned away from the view to get her sea legs. They’d only arrived a short time ago. She hadn’t yet seen all of the apartment, which took up the entire top floor, but in one sweep she recognised more of Alex here than she’d seen in the entirety of Wolfe Manor. The penthouse was crisp and modern. The style was the reverse of the look-but-don’t-touch antiques of the main house. Here, things begged to be touched. Everything from the curtains to the television to the lighting was controlled by the push of a button.
