“I can imagine.” I sit back, more at ease in the group now that Elias has arrived. He exudes calm, comfort. He’s an old friend I haven’t gotten to know yet. “And why were you looking for me?” I ask him, leaning closer. “Don’t you have a boring party to get to?”
“I do,” he concedes. “But I’d much rather follow you around all night.” His eyes shimmer, passionate and wild. The pull between us is magnetic, and it’s hard not to imagine crashing my lips against his. Around us the group pantomimes conversation, pretending they’re not listening. Elias moves closer, and my gaze is drawn to his mouth. “I’ll come find you after the party,” he says.
“You could just skip it,” I suggest. Joshua chuckles from behind me, and Elias looks up, silencing him. “What’s so important about those parties?” I ask. “Why do you have to go? And don’t tell me it’s because of Kenneth. He’s the concierge.”
Elias folds his hands in his lap, and I watch as he works his jaw, the sharp lines, the tightening muscles. He’s laughed off every other mention of Kenneth, but now I see his true resentment. I wonder if it has to do with Lourdes’s suspension, or if it goes deeper than that. A hush falls over the moment.
“There are rules,” Tanya says when no one else speaks up. “Like any job, if we don’t follow them, we’re punished. Although I haven’t been working here as long as these guys, I know to keep my mouth shut. And if you want to enjoy your stay, enjoy the sights”—she glances at Elias—“you don’t piss off the concierge.”
Her threat isn’t leveled at me; I turn to Elias. “Would he kick you out of the hotel?” I ask. “Is that even a bad thing?”
“Elias’s family helped build this place,” Joshua answers for him. The two exchange a heavy look, tense with history. It occurs to me that the history might have something to do with Catherine. When she asked Elias to dance last night at the party, he refused but then mentioned Joshua. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if she had created some weird hotel love triangle. “Elias is never going to leave,” Joshua continues. “Hell, the party is for him.”
Stunned, I start to ask if that’s true, but Lourdes is adamantly shaking her head. “Don’t even go there, Joshua,” she says like he’s a petulant child. “Eli can’t help that he was born with a silver spoon.” She flashes him a playful smile, and Elias chuckles, his tension fading. “Besides, we know exactly who these parties are for—Kenneth’s enormous ego.”
“House rules,” Tanya calls out, and the group repeats it back and then takes a drink. Elias nods, since he doesn’t have a bottle, and although I’m not exactly sure what the “house rules” are, I sip from my beer.
“Now,” Lourdes says, poking Elias with the toe of her shoe. “You should probably get downstairs before Catherine comes looking for you. I don’t think any of us want to deal with her mood swings.”
Catherine, again they toss out her name. But this time her clear link with Elias pinches with the beginning of jealousy. So much for mastering that particular emotion. I’m definitely going to ask about her—for both mine and Daniel’s sake. I don’t know these people. Don’t know their pasts, their relationships. I’d rather not stumble into some unseen drama, especially when I have plenty of my own.
Elias levels his gaze at Lourdes. “Take it easy on her,” he says, motioning to me, and Lourdes grins her response. Elias stands and brushes off the back of his black pants. I give him a once-over, admiring his suit, his class. Now that he’s about to leave, my resolve to avoid confrontation wanes.
“Find me after,” I say, agreeing to his earlier suggestion. I’m only slightly embarrassed when I hear one of the others laugh, because when Elias’s eyes meet mine, I’m overcome with a sense of comfort, a sense of purpose. I want to spend more time with him. I want him.
Elias’s mouth spreads into a broad smile. “I will definitely find you,” he says, sounding relieved. He then crosses the rooftop, his shoes clapping on the cement.
My stomach flutters with the sort of nervous energy you get just before an impending kiss. That pull, the quickening heartbeat. The tension. It’s been so long since I’ve wanted to be kissed. I nearly forgot what it felt like. I nearly forgot how to feel.
Chapter 6
After Elias leaves the rooftop, Lourdes leans in to me, the smell of my mother’s detergent clinging to her, making me feel as if we’ve been friends for years. “He likes you,” she teases. “Eli is achingly sweet on you.”
I bite down on my lip to keep my smile from splitting ear to ear. It could be the alcohol, but I’m dizzy with this rekindled emotion. The flirtation is invigorating.
“It’s about time,” Joshua says. “And hey, if you break his heart, you can always date me.” He tips back his drink to get the last drop. “I like the bad ones.”