“After you,” Ivan rasped, that hand of his returning to her lower back as they stepped inside.
With no one else inside or waiting to board, the doors gently eased together in the middle. Pulling a set of keys from his tuxedo pocket, the impressively built man inserted a small key into an electronic pad mounted near the elevator’s regular control panel. Cera watched as Ivan gave his wrist a quick turn to the right.
The pad’s narrow screen lit up, and Ivan shifted half-a-step to his right. The move was subtle, but his intention was clear. He’d purposely blocked her view of the keypad to prevent her from seeing the code he’d just entered.
You might trust him to help keep you safe, but he clearly doesn’t trust you.
Not that she blamed him. Trust was something she never gave freely, so it stood to reason she should expect the same in return.
Especially from a man like Ivan Petrov.
A tiny green light illuminated the entirety of the keypad’s small screen, and only then did the buttons reserved for the resort’s top floors come to life. She watched as he pressed the one showcasing the number ten.
As the elevator ascended to the tenth floor of the opulent mountain resort, Cera’s heart raced in tandem with the increasing altitude. She cast a discreet glance in Ivan’s direction, feeling oddly out of sorts.
Despite having just met hours earlier, this man—her self-appointed protector—had followed her to her motel for the sole purpose of making sure she was okay. Not only that, but he’d also jumped straight into action—gun and all—when she’d told him about the destruction in her room.
He could’ve left then. Once he confirmed the threat was no longer immediate, Ivan could’ve wished her luck and gone about his day. But he hadn’t.
Instead he’d taken it upon himself to call his detective friend. He stayed by her side while she answered all the questions, and even went above and beyond to bring her here, to The Douglas. And he’d done all that without asking for a single thing in return.
Unless…
What if that’s it? What if he’s waiting until you’re alone with him in the room? What if he brought you here with less than honorable intentions, expecting his own version of payment for services rendered?
As quickly as the skeptical thought formed inside her mind, Cera instinctively knew to ignore it. Ivan had been spot on earlier, when he’d first shown up at the motel parking lot. The words he’d uttered still ringing through her mind…
If I was going to hurt you, I would’ve done it by now.
The opportunity had presented itself first, at Sin, and again at her motel. And neither time had Ivan so much as hinted at the idea that he meant her any harm. In fact…
Cera refocused on the enigmatic stranger. Despite having first met hours before, his presence already felt strangely essential. And if she thought the view from the front was enticing, the man’s backside was every bit as sexy.
His tall, fit frame exuded an aura of both danger and allure, the sheer closeness of their proximity to one another making her pulse quicken. It was a sensation Cera neither welcomed nor understood.
She glanced at the ever-changing number on the panel’s screen. Her gut tightened, anxiety threatening to settle in upon discovering they still had five more floors to go.
Slowest. Elevator. Ever.
Again, it wasn’t that she felt threatened by Ivan’s presence. More like she had a hard time breathing when he was near. The man appeared, and it was as if sucked every ounce of oxygen from the air around them.
Which made no sense, whatsoever.
As they continued making their ascent to the tenth floor, Cera forced herself to remain calm, cool, and collected. At least she hoped she was faking it enough to fool Ivan and the other passengers who had come and gone during the longer-than-necessary ride.
If we’d taken the stairs, we would’ve been there by now.
Pushing aside her grumpiness—an emotion that had nothing to do with Ivan or the beautiful safe haven he’d brought her to—Cera drew in a breath and relaxed as best she could. And for the remainder of their quiet ride, she used the time to study her bodyguard a bit closer.
Still clad in his black tuxedo pants and crisp white shirt, he exuded an air of mystery and intrigue. The man’s size and obvious strength alone were more than a little intimidating, but it wasn’t fear she felt whenever he was around.
No, no. It was something far more dangerous than that.
He’s the sexiest man I’ve ever laid eyes on.
With nothing else to do but wait, Cera couldn’t help but admire the mouthwatering view, even if it was of Ivan’s broad back. The events of the day weighed heavily on her shoulders, but in this moment, it was the palpable tension between them that electrified the air.
Too bad she wasn’t in any kind of position to do something about it.