“What? Who is it?”
“The owner,” he said, sliding the button to answer the call. The man’s voice filled his ears with demands to know what was going on and why the camera had shown the Incredible Hulk bursting through his door. “It’s fine. He was…a friend, and the wind caught the door and caused a ruckus.”
The owner continued ranting.
“No, I’m sure he didn’t break it. I’m sorry it alarmed you. The door is fine.”
The older man grumbled about Elias being responsible for any damages, and Elias immediately agreed to cover any costs in an effort to get off the phone, promising pictures of the door and wall to prove nothing was harmed.
That seemed to satisfy the man who abruptly ended the call, muttering about people who abuse other people’s property.
He stared down at the phone, at the barely perceptible tremor in his hands there as a result of Quinley laying atop him, kissing him, and frowned. “I’m going to go shower.”
He needed to separate himself from what had happened. From her and the way she’d gotten under his skin. This was supposed to be a relaxing vacation, yet from the moment he’d met her, nothing had beenrelaxed. She’d disrupted his vacation, his life, even his business to a certain degree. How much more was he going to allow?
Quinley held up the bag. “Aren’t you going to take this? You did win it.”
Elias ignored the offending chips and tried to process the…attraction he felt toward her. It had to be proximity, right? Her beauty? Her body? Nothing more. She was no different than any other woman. He’d feel this way toward any woman stuck here in this small cabin. “You should treat yourself better,” was all he said as he stalked to his room.
ChapterFifteen
Quinley was curled up on the couch, streaming an episode ofGilmore Girlslater that same day, when Elias returned from hissecondrun and went into his bedroom to take yet another shower.
Ever since that kiss on the couch this morning, Elias had acted different. More withdrawn and muted…morecontrolled. Like a turtle who’d retreated inside his shell and now wore it like a suit of armor, complete with a shiny shield and sword made of his moodiness.
A part of her relished the fact that twice now she’d managed to drill through the armor to the man beneath and gotten a response from him. That she’d rattled Elias’s organized mental boxes enough to make a few fall.
But to what end?
It wasn’t like Elias welcomed her advances—that much was obvious. He enjoyed them. He kissed her back like—like aguy. But he obviously didn’t consider her anything other than an inconvenience. An annoyance he reluctantly had to deal with first because of helping her and then by letting her stay.
Axel had offered—repeatedly—to take her elsewhere, going as far as to text her, call her, visit the cabin in person, every hour or so since he’d barged in on her and Elias.
But Rhys? Surprisingly he hadn’t called or texted or responded to what sheknewAxel had revealed to his boss. It was futile to think Axel wouldn’t have informed Rhys about the kiss because that was just the way of things. One of the things she’d hated about having a personal security detail. Whomever she talked to, whomever she interacted with, by the end of the day, a full report was given to Rhys in the name of safety.
But this?
Guilt stirred once again. She’d never cheated on Rhys, and their relationship was over, but given the way she’d ended things, she’d be lying if she said she didn’t feel badly for him. For the blows she continued to throw his way without meaning to.
Especially since she wasn’t sure what to say to Rhys now if he did call. She’d told Rhys Elias was a friend. Promised Rhys that. And that had been true then.
But now? Did she feel the same as before? Was Elias still just a friend?
He was, she realized. They weren’tmore.Elias had made that very clear.
But he was also a friend she wouldn’t mind kissing again. And again and again…
Quinley inhaled and groaned as she smoothed her hands over her hair as though that would shove away her confusion. Was she rebounding? Is that why she responded to Elias the way that she did?
Or was it that she simply felt…safe? Safe to flirt and kiss without being used or taken advantage of because Elias was, by reputation and actions alone, one of the few good guys out there.
She’d said no to Axel’s offers to relocate her, and while she should probably reconsider and give Elias back his privacy and his cabin—his vacation, without the annoyance of her and the bodyguards—she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Maybe shewasselfish in that she wanted to stay in the bubble as long as possible. With a man who intrigued her. Challenged her. Made her feel more like herself. Her true self and not the woman she’d had to be for Rhys, to play the role of his soon-to-be wife.
She wanted to get to know Elias better while she dealt with her overloaded, messy and unorganized life, andthen…
And then figure out what came next. Maybe by the time she got her life sorted, she’d better understand why Elias kept himself so locked up and distant? Maybe they could figure out exactly what their relationship would be because it certainly wasn’t sibling-like?
She wasn’t so vain that she thought every man wanted her, but she had enough experience to know Eliaswasattracted to her. The way he kissed her, touched her, looked at her— He fought hard to hide his attraction, too.
