Color rose on his face, but his naked eyes were cold and hard. “You’re fired, Sally.”
“You can’t do that. You need me.”
Beckett’s hand trembled as he replaced his glasses. My chest ached for him. I sent a silent message that I hoped he could hear, telling him I believed in him.
Beckett’s eyes found mine. I silently pleaded with him to tell her to go to hell. I concentrated so hard that sweat broke out on my brow.When was Beckett going to own his talent?I jumped up from the chair and flew across the lobby. He caught me as I launched myself at him. I grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and shook him hard.
“You don’t need her!” My voice rang out, echoing to the tall ceilings of the lobby. “You’re good enough on your own!” Tears clogged my throat, choking my voice.
The doorman stepped up to us. “Mr. Vinroot? Do you want me to escort these ladies out?”
Beckett gripped my waist and looked down at me. His glasses were skewed from me jumping him, and his cheeks were bright red. “Get her out of here,” he said, jerking his chin at Sally.
“What about the other one?” the doorman asked, eyeing me warily.
I clung to Beckett’s lapels, uncaring if I looked like a fool. I’d come all this way to tell him I loved him, and I wasn’t leaving until I said the words. If I could just force them past my lips…
Beckett hooked an arm around my waist and towed me to the elevator. “She’s coming with me.”
Chapter 41
The elevator doors closed on us, and Beckett released his grip on my waist. He pressed the button for the top floor and then typed the code into the keypad. The elevator began the long rise to the penthouse, but my stomach stayed on the ground.
Beckett crossed his arms over his chest and glowered at me from behind round tortoiseshell glasses. “Why are you here?”
A wave of dizziness passed over me that had nothing to do with the rising elevator and everything to do with Beckett’s energy pulsing through the small space. I sucked in a breath that smelled like Beckett’s aftershave—cedar and spice and everything nice. God, I had missed that smell. I wanted to leap into his arms and bury my face against his neck, breathe in his tantalizing scent.
I gripped the handrail behind me so I wouldn’t throw myself at him. He looked delicious in a pair of dark jeans, a blue button-down shirt open at the throat, and a gray blazer. His hair swept back from his face, and his jaw was shaved smooth.
One eyebrow ticked up over the frames of his glasses. “Are you going to answer me, or just stare at me?”
I couldn’t breathe with the weight sitting on my chest. My knees trembled, and I leaned heavily on the railing, gripping it with sweaty palms. “You smell really good,” I blurted.
Beckett’s other eyebrow rose, and he cocked his head to the side to study me as if trying to gauge the truth in my words.
“You came all the way to New York to tell me I smell good?”
The elevator stopped, and my stomach pitched. I wanted to throw up. My mouth went dry, and my pulse hammered in my throat.
“You wouldn’t answer your phone.”
“I was busy.”
The elevator door opened to reveal the polished concrete hallway of Beckett’s penthouse apartment. The Empire State Building shone in the afternoon light from the far window.
Beckett stepped into the foyer and turned to look at me. His eyes narrowed, and his mouth thinned. “You coming?”
“Is that an invitation?”
The sensual lines of his mouth hardened, and he reached out to snag my wrist. He pulled me out of the elevator and straight into his arms. “You’re as stubborn as that damn dog you brought into my house.” His arm hooked around my waist. “Do you think I would have given Peppy the code if I didn’t want you here? I practically dragged you into the elevator. I can’t be in the same room with you without wanting to touch you.” He cinched me tighter in his arms. “It’s a fucking invitation, Lacey.”
I shivered at the savagery in his voice. “Don’t cuss me,” I said.
The elevator door closed, barely stirring the air.
His fingers dug into my waist. “Don’t get in the goddamn elevator with me and fucking tell me I smell good.” His eyes narrowed. “I’ve been going crazy without you, and you walk into my building looking like pure sex and sweetness and tell me I smell good?”
I grabbed the lapels of his blazer and pulled his mouth to mine. I was terrible with words, but I could use my mouth in other ways. I poured my heart, soul, and body into the kiss.
