by Lori Borrill
STUPID ELEVATORS.
What was wrong with this place? This was the Willis Tower, one of the most famous buildings in the world. It was a Chicago tourist attraction and home to some of the most prestigious businesses in America. You’d think they could have one damnable elevator that actually worked.
Anna pressed the button again as though it were attached to a buzzer that could wake someone up at the controls. She didn’t need this delay. Every moment she stood there waiting, she had to fight off another urge to go back into that room and confess everything to John.
She’d liked him—had liked him a lot—and even though she was leaving next week and would never see him again, it still hurt to know that she’d lied and then taken off like she had. She felt awful, telling him she’d call when she knew she wouldn’t. She’d been on the receiving end of that kind of thing before and it didn’t feel good.
She pushed the button again and again before turning to go find the stairs. And when she did, she saw John coming down the hallway with a look of relief on his face.
“Good, you’re still here,” he said, stepping up to her side and placing a hand on her shoulder. His pleased expression only made her feel worse. “I know you said you had somewhere to go, but I wanted to see if you’re free this weekend, maybe tomorrow. I really want to see you again before you leave.”
She blinked, exasperated by that gorgeous hunk of a smile and the eagerness in his voice. So much so that when she opened her mouth to spout out some excuse, she found herself babbling out a total confession.
“Look, I don’t work for your company. I’m not a student at UIC. I was, just not anymore. In fact, after the holiday, I won’t even be coming back to Chicago.” She wrenched her hands as she watched that eager smile slide from his face. “I shouldn’t have taken your number and said I’d call. I just… Oh, this is horrible.”
In a blathering gush of words, she spilled out her whole story from her plans to start an exciting life in a big city to the instant earlier in the evening when the elevator doors opened and stranded her on his doorstep. And as she talked, that pleasured look on his face turned.
“You aren’t in nursing school?” he asked.
His expression was a mix of confusion and disappointment that tore at her insides and made her wish she could crawl into a hole.
“I was,” she explained. “But I can’t afford to stay. When I go home for the holidays, I’m going home for good. I’ll have to pick up my studies somewhere near my family where I can utilize their help.” She paused and gave him her best shot at poor puppy-dog eyes. “I’m really sorry. I should have been honest, but we were dancing and having such a nice time, I didn’t want to ruin the mood with my sob story—not that I even belonged at your party in the first place.” Oh, how could this get any worse? “It’s just that I was so upset about having to leave Chicago, and when I came across the party, it looked like such a beautiful distraction. Everyone was having so much fun, and…”
She trailed off, having little more to say. There was no way to excuse her behavior and everything from this point on was just pathetic rambling.
His mouth cocked into a half smile. “You’re telling me you’re this upset over crashing our Christmas party?”
“It was dishonest.”
The half-cocked smile widened. “And you only left because you thought I’d be angry?”
“I spent the evening talking myself into a corner and I didn’t know how else to get out. Then I found out you practically own the place and I panicked. I’m so sorry. I can only imagine what you must think of me.”
“I’ll tell you what I think.” He lifted his hand and touched a finger to her chin. “I think you’re probably the sweetest person I’ve ever met.”
She blinked, certain she hadn’t heard that right. Or maybe he was playing with her. She definitely deserved it.
“I don’t know how things are in Idaho,” he went on. “But, sweetheart, crashing a party and telling a white lie about your career barely registers on the scale of misdeeds here in Chicago.”
“You aren’t mad,” she observed.
“On the contrary, I think you’re adorable.”
A huge weight fell from her shoulders. “You don’t know how awful I’ve felt. I thought it would be better if I left, but it only made me feel worse.” She expelled a long breath. “I promise from now on I won’t utter anything that isn’t the honest truth.”
A glint of something teasing crossed his eyes. “Really? Now, that’s an interesting prospect.” He rubbed his chin and smiled. “From now on, no matter what I ask, you’ll tell me the truth?”
She eyed him warily not exactly sure what she was getting herself into. “That’s right.”
“We could have some fun with this,” he muttered. “You said you were looking for an adventure tonight.”
“Oh, I think I’ve had enough adventure for one—”
“Nonsense. One can never have enough adventure.”
“I was just planning on visiting the Skydeck is all. I’m sure for someone who works in this building, that’s not much entertainment.”
“To tell you the truth, I’ve never been up there after dark. I wouldn’t mind checking it out.”
He took her hand and stroked his thumb over her fingers, and everything in her warmed. Was it possible that they could pick this night up from where they left off? She wanted it so badly she was almost afraid to hope.
“When are you leaving Chicago?” he asked.
“I promised the woman I’m renting a room from that I’d stay until Tuesday. She’s out of town and I’m feeding her cat.”
“Then I’ve got an entire weekend to show you the sights.” She opened her mouth to argue but he stopped her. “And don’t worry about money. It’s my treat.”
“Oh, I could never let you—”
He moved close and held a finger to her lips, trapping her words in her throat by his sheer proximity and that sexy silver-eyed smile. “Would you like to spend the weekend with me? And remember, you’ve promised no lies.”
The teasing sizzle in his gaze made her gooey inside. Oh, the man was gorgeous—not to mention forgiving and kind. Why was a package like this still available? she wondered. With those chiseled features and sweet smiles, the way his tall slim frame filled his suit, and the charm that oozed from his pores, she didn’t doubt he could take his pick of any woman in the building.
And this weekend, he wants you.
How was that for adventure? When was the last time a hot, wealthy man wanted to spend his weekend showing her around a big exciting city like Chicago? Uh, never. She was getting a second chance in a way that was ten times grander than she’d even imagined. For sure, she’d be a fool to pass this up.
In a giddy daze of lust and disbelief, she nodded. “Yes, I would.”
He grinned and took her hand. “Then let’s go have some fun.”
4
“WOW, THIS IS NEAT. What a pretty view.”
John leaned against the wall of the Ledge and waited for Anna to take a step onto the glass floor that projected out from the Willis Tower’s exterior thirteen hundred feet over Wacker Drive.
“You’re supposed to be looking at it from out here,” he called to her.
Her brown eyes looked like bowling balls as she eyed the glass enclosure. As they’d made their trek up to the Skydeck and through the exhibits, she’d been all over the idea of fully experiencing the attraction of the world-famous building. That was until she’d stepped within three feet of the Ledge and stopped dead.
She’d been standing in the same spot ever since, white-faced and rooted to the ground despite his efforts to convince her it was safe.
“I can see fine from here. This is good. Way cool!”
He chuckled and mused that the woman was as beautiful bug-eyed and pasty-faced as she’d been downstairs under the sultry party lights. Which meant only one thing. He was crushing on her bad. Downstairs, he’d simply been attracted, intrigued by he
r looks and that special spark of something he hadn’t been able to put a finger on. In the two hours since, he’d found himself falling hard.
She’d snagged his affections when she’d gotten so upset over lying to him about temping for his company. It was the type of thing most people wouldn’t give a second thought, yet to Anna it was one notch shy of grand larceny. Why? Because by nature she was sweet and honest and caring, and what he’d seen of her since only confirmed those qualities.
He’d nearly had to beg her to let him cover the measly admission to the Skydeck. Letting him buy a couple of trinkets she’d picked up in the gift shop was out of the question. The woman wanted nothing from him but to spend time with him, which was a refreshing change of pace. He didn’t get much of that, being John Stryker Jr., and it was just another etch on his heart for this woman.
“What are you going to tell those brothers of yours when you get back home?” he asked.
Her wide eyes darted to his.
“You can try to tell them you stepped out onto the glass, but they’ll see right through you.” He offered a sly smile. “Then you’ll be hearing about it for years.”
She pursed her lips. “How do you know so much?”
“I’m a brother.”
As timid as a squirrel, she took two baby steps toward the big glass box and looked down. At their feet, miles of twinkling lit streets spread across the horizon like strings of white Christmas lights for as far as the eye could see. John figured it was probably a good thing that it was dark. One didn’t quite get the perspective of how high they were as they would in the light of day. And noting the fright in Anna’s eyes, she needed all the help she could get.
He stepped across the glass enclosure and offered his hand. “Come. I promise you it’ll be okay.”
She scanned the floor and eyed his hand as though she couldn’t decide if it was a life preserver or a tool of death.
“I’m afraid of heights,” she finally blurted.
“I sensed that.”
“I don’t know why I thought this would be fun. I guess I didn’t know how much I feared heights until I got here. There aren’t many skyscrapers in Twin Falls.”
“Are there any?”
“Not a one.”
“Look,” he said, stepping closer and lowering his voice to a calm and soothing tone, “I know you want to do this.”
The look in her eyes said he’d gotten that one right, though he hadn’t needed the confirmation. He knew from the short time they’d spent together that Anna wasn’t afraid of a challenge. It was another thing that had attracted him to her.
“Like I said before…you’ll be kicking yourself all the way back to Idaho if you go back down that elevator without ever having stepped out onto the glass.”
“It’s a long way down.”
“That’s why it’s so thrilling.”
She bit her lip and nudged forward.
“Stop looking down,” he said. “Look at me.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and held her close. “We’ll go together. Just one step onto the glass.”
She slid her arm around his waist and held on tight, the needy press of her body bringing him all kinds of feelings of possession, protection and, most of all, arousal.
He swallowed hard.
“We’ll only go right there,” he said, pointing to a spot a mere two feet away. “Keep your eyes up and move with me. We’re just looking out a window, that’s all we’re doing.”
“It’s just a window,” she repeated.
“That’s all it is.”
Arm in arm, they slowly moved together onto the glass. She was as rigid as steel, her eyes were closed and her hand was grasped so tightly to his suit jacket she nearly tore it off his shoulders. But when he spoke softly and began smoothing his fingers over her shoulders he felt her relax.
“What do you think?” he whispered.
A tiny gasp escaped her lips when she opened her eyes. “It’s beautiful.”
She released her grip and touched her fingers to the glass, allowing him the opportunity to move behind her and wrap his arms around her waist. Instantly, she eased against him, cocooning into his arms like two familiar lovers might do while standing on a rooftop and staring at the stars. Naturally. Comfortably. Easy and right, as if they’d been partnered for a lifetime.
He rested his chin against her temple and soaked in a long luxurious breath, absorbing her sweet flowery scent and basking in the feel of her in his arms. A shiver ran through her and his cock twitched, the ache to get closer quickly building as they stood there over the city.
“I’ve never seen this view after dark,” he said, feeling the need to distract his thoughts from the sexy woman in his arms and the quick flood of images of her naked and him buried deep inside that glorious core. He was getting hard and she was nestling more comfortably against him, a combination that would turn pretty embarrassing if they didn’t make a break for it fairly soon.
“Christmas from the top of Chicago,” she said. “It’s amazing.” She nudged a little farther out onto the glass platform. “It’s like being in the movie Titanic when Jack and Rose are on the bow of the ship and the ocean is roaring underneath them.”
“I’m king of the world!” he proclaimed, and she giggled.
“I love the way the lights sparkle off the snow. I’ll bet this was beautiful just after the storm when everything was fresh,” she mused.
“Or a sunset. I hear those can be stunning.”
For the next half hour they stood and talked as the city buzzed with Friday-night life below their feet. John couldn’t remember a time when he’d appreciated something as simple as staring at the city, but he liked it. For a while now, he’d been haunted with the feeling that part of his life was rushing by, that there was something important he needed to be doing, but he couldn’t see what it was and didn’t know how to find it.
Now he knew it was this. Warm company and simple pleasures. All the money in the world couldn’t buy it.
You’ve been searching for answers and the woman who can provide them just walked out the door.
Those strange comments from that weird guy at the party came back to him, and he wondered if it was only the power of suggestion playing with him tonight. Surely, if someone was told that a cosmic force was at work tonight, even the most skeptical of minds would be checking over his shoulder wondering if it might really be there.
But then Anna turned and looked up at him, the bright smile on her face turning his heart into mush, and he knew that these feelings of serenity weren’t all in his head. They were real, coming from the woman right here in his arms.
And he only had a weekend to figure out what to do with them.
5
ANNA GAZED OUT THE window of John’s Lexus trying to figure out what she’d done to deserve such a wonderful evening. At every turn she kept expecting to open her eyes and find herself back in her apartment, this whole magical experience just a dream she’d somehow conjured up in her sleep. But it wasn’t. She was really here in the flesh, sharing a wonderful night with this sweet and sexy man.
If she hadn’t already been smitten by John Stryker, the gentle way he’d coaxed her out onto the Ledge had snagged her affections completely. She’d been terrified up there, not in any state to take a step onto that platform and actually look down. But when he’d spoken to her softly with exactly the right words then enveloped her in his strong, protective embrace, she felt as though there wasn’t a thing on the planet that could harm her.
With a sigh, she nestled against the soft leather seat and eyed him as he steered the car through the city toward her house. If only she’d met him six months ago when she would have had more time to spend with him. It didn’t seem fair to find such a treat of a man mere days before she had to leave. But just as quickly as that depressing thought entered her mind, she pushed it back out. If she’d learned anything from her experiences, it was never to waste today by pining over what might have been. Life was a gift
, and right now that gift involved a romantic evening with an attractive, charming man. She wasn’t going to let a second of it slip by unappreciated.
“It’s that house with the big tree out front,” she said, pointing to the three-story brownstone where she lived.
He pulled up to the curb and shut off the engine.
“No one’s home,” she said. “Why don’t you come in? I’ll treat you to a cup of coffee—or something.”
She slid him a sideways glance, hoping to make clear exactly what that “something” was.
His pleased expression said he got it loud and clear. “I’d love…something.”
She led him up to the second-story apartment where she rented a room from an older woman who had been widowed several years back. While it lasted, the arrangement had been ideal. Irene O’Connor lived a quiet life, which helped Anna when it came to her studies. With both of Irene’s grown daughters now living out of state, the woman rented the room more for the company than the money—which meant rent had been cheap. She and Anna had gotten along well, both having some vacant space in their lives that they’d filled with each other. And no matter where Anna ended up a year from now, she would always keep in touch with her new friend.
But at the moment, Irene was in Kentucky enjoying an early Christmas with her oldest, which left Anna delightfully alone to entertain a sexy businessman with an evening of…something.
“Have a seat,” she said as she pulled off her coat and tossed it on a nearby chair. “I’ll see what we’ve got to drink.”
“Sounds great.” He shrugged out of his wool coat and suit jacket and set them over hers, then stepped into the front living room as Anna went to raid the fridge.
When she came back a few minutes later with a bottle of wine and two glasses, she found John near the Christmas tree toying with the knitted snow hats Anna had been making as gifts for her brothers.
“Whose are these?” he asked.
“Mine. I’m afraid that’s all my family’s getting this year, and that’s only thanks to a big sale at the craft store.”
