Page 5 of And I Love Her

Callie fumbled to try and find a way to remove the panels. She became even more sharply aware of him—his tight grip on her waist, the fact that her rear was positioned close to his face. If she let her mind get really out of control, which she refused to do, she might have imagined she felt his breath clear through her skirt.

The ancient intercom crackled, and Bee’s muffled voice came through.

“Cal…(crackle crackle)…alarm…(crackle)…seems to be…(crackle)…called and…”

“Oh, good.” Callie unhooked her fingers from the light panel. “She knows we’re here.”

He lowered her to the floor slower than he could have—at least, that was how it felt—and set her back on her feet. Her heart thumping, Callie broke away from him and patted a loose strand of hair back into place. Distanced from his warmth, a strange emptiness filled her.

How long had it been since a man had touched her with desire?

Not that he’d been doing that. Claustrophobia must be affecting her brain.

“Bee?” He pushed the intercom button again. “How long’s it going to take before we’re out of here?”

“Sending…(crackle)…coming over…”

The connection went dead.

Callie tried her phone again to no avail. “Well, she used some helpful words.Called, sending, coming over.Given the general lack of emergencies in Bliss Cove, I’m going to assume that means the police or fire department will be here any minute. We’ll just have to wait.”

He leaned his shoulder against the wall, surveying her with those penetrating blue eyes. “What’s so important about this meeting?”

His mention of the damnedmeetingdispelled whatever warm, fuzzy feelings she’d been experiencing.

“It involves my promotion to tenure.” She brushed ineffectually at her dirty sweater again. “Getting stuck in an elevator was not on my schedule.”

He chuckled, a deep, resounding laugh that echoed inside her. “Mishaps and unforeseen circumstances aren’t usually on anyone’s schedule.”

“The point of a schedule is to avoid mishaps.” She shot him a narrow look, the effect of which was probably ruined by the fact that her stomach chose that second to rumble loudly.

She flushed. He dug into his pocket.

“Was lunch on your schedule?” He extended a granola bar.

Callie almost refused but figured it would be more embarrassing if her stomach growled again. Thanking him, she opened the package containing two bars. She handed him one, and they crunched in silence for a few minutes.

“Classics, huh?” he asked. “That’s Greek and Roman literature, right?”

“And history. I specialize in mythology.”

“Ah. LikeWonder Woman.”

“Actually, I study and teach theoriginalmyths, from the oral tradition to the written literature of the archaic and classical periods.”

He studied her, faint curiosity mixed with amusement rising to his eyes. Callie battled back another flush at the thought that he might be laughing at her seriousness.

Well, that was his problem. She hadn’t gotten to where she was by being cute and frivolous. That was her younger sister Aria’s job—although Aria was finally buckling down too.

“Everyone okay down there?” A male voice boomed from above them, echoing through the elevator shaft.

“We’re fine, Scott!” Callie called up to the firefighter. “There’s just two of us here.”

“Give me a sec, and I’ll bring the car down manually, then get the doors open for you.”

After a few loud creaks, rumbles, and grinding gears, the elevator car jerked to a start and rolled slowly downward. It settled with a bump, and the stranger shot out his hand to steady her by the arm. Though Callie prided herself on being a woman who didn’t need anyone’s help, she couldn’t deny the sheer pleasure of his touch.

“Just a couple minutes now,” Scott called through the door.

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