Her gaze slid to the elevator as the doors opened, the soft ping breaking the brief silence between them.
They stepped inside together, the space small and intimate. Jamie glanced at her again, sensing that pull in his chest, the flickering flame of dark desire.
“Nervous?” he asked, a teasing lilt in his voice, though he was more intrigued than he let on.
“Should I be?” she shot back.
Jamie’s grin deepened as the elevator opened directly onto the top floor drenched in low golden light and the scent of expensive cologne.
He stepped out first, pausing only to hold out his hand to her. “Stay close.”
She hesitated for half a beat, then placed her hand in his. His fingers closed over hers with possessive heat, his palm claiming hers.
When they stepped out of the elevator together, he was all too aware of the sway of her hips and warmth of her skin against his.
He’d spent years around beautiful women, but none of them ever made him hyper-focus on something as simple as eye colour.
Blue. Like lightning caught in a frozen lagoon.
“You really should come with a warning label,” he muttered, casting her a sidelong glance. “Those eyes are a fucking weapon.”
Shannon laughed, soft and disarming. “Is that right?”
His gaze dragged down her body before locking on her mouth. “It’s not a complaint, love. Just an observation from a man who’s rarely caught off guard.”
He waved off the security guy who spoke into an earpiece, announcing their arrival.
Jamie secured her closer to his side, enjoying the heat of her against him as they neared the door.
The suite was filled with rich laughter, chilled house music, and the hum of conversation between men in tailored suits and women in designer dresses.
But Jamie didn’t spare them more than a passing glance.
He guided her through it all like he was staking a claim.
Someone called his name, but his grip didn’t loosen.
“Later,” he said with a nod, never breaking stride.
Shannon leaned closer, her voice a whisper meant only for him. “You won’t leave me alone, right?”
“Not a fucking chance,” he said, glancing at her. “Anyway, they can look, but they know better than to touch.”
She shot him a smile that had his heart pumping faster.
He leaned in, lowering his voice so only she could hear. “Don’t let the money or the suits fool you. Most of these guys are just overfed egos in overpriced clothes. Playing dress-up in a world they don’t understand.”
Shannon arched a brow, the corner of her mouth twitching. “Do you understand it?”
“Yeah, love,” he said, his tone darkly amused. “But I don’t play by their rules.”
Her gaze flicked toward the sound of laughter spilling from the nearby hall. “I thought this was supposed to be a party, not a shark tank.”
Jamie’s mouth brushed the shell of her ear. “Sharks? No, love. Sharks are apex predators. These are pufferfish. Full of air, with not much bite.”
He guided her deeper into the suite, unbothered by the glances that followed them. Let them watch. Thiswas his party, his world, and she was the only woman he wanted beside him tonight.
She’d stepped into the fire now. The only question was whether she’d let it consume her.
