Page 179 of One More Kiss
I caught a glimpse of myself in the elevator’s mirrored walls. Normally, I would have cringed, embarrassed anyone had seen me in such a state. Today, however, all I could see was a piece of me missing, a vacancy in my gaze, my ghostly pale skin, and for a minute, I wondered if this was all just a horrible nightmare or truly reality.
The guy grabbed my forearm to steady my wobbling legs. “Why don’t you slip off those heels, maybe sit down? I’m sure we won’t be in here long.” His earlier—seconds earlier—panic seemed to have slipped into care, consoling. He had no idea what he was getting into, but his weak smile and sad stare had me agreeing.
I held his hand to keep from falling over and slipped the strap off my ankle and kicked away my shoe and then repeated the same thing on the other side. I licked my dry lips and glanced at him. “Thank you.” A visible shiver ran down my body, and I rubbed my hands along my arms, trying to create friction to warm myself up.
Without so much as a word, the guy unzipped his jacket, pulled it off, and then held it out to me. “Here. You look cold.”
I was, but he had to be, too. I shook my head, but he wasn’t taking no for an answer. Instead, he opened the jacket and held it out, encouraging me to slip my arms inside. I stood there, debating why he would offer. Big cities were frigid, and it wasn’t just the temperature. Kind hearts were hard to find, and I never would have expected one in my elevator. But I guess he figured I couldn’t go far with his coat, so being chivalrous wouldn’t hurt him…unless he froze to death while we waited.
“Please take it.” He swallowed, and his Adam’s apple bobbed like he had a huge lump in his throat.
I wanted to ask if he was all right, but I didn’t. It was none of my business, no more so than my problems were his. We were stuck together in a temporary situation. A glitch in life where two people had been forced into an unexpected circumstance. This guy was simply trying to make the best of it.
With my back to him, I slipped each arm into a sleeve as he lifted the oversized jacket onto my shoulders. Then I turned to face him and extended my hand. “Thank you.” My voice was meek as I struggled to be polite, not because of the man but because I just wanted to die alone in my penthouse. “I’m April.”
His tired expression lifted, just for a fraction of a second, as he took my hand. His full lips ticced up into a hint of a smile that I was certain would have been stunning had there been any real feeling behind it, and he took my proffered hand. “Ryan. Nice to meet you.”
