The next time he looked into her eyes, it was as if she’d pulled shutters down over her emotions.
Damn it, for a moment there he’d thought that she might be about to open up to him again. And even though he understood why she was wary—there was no way to sugar-coat the way he’d flat-out rejected the offer she’d made last night—frustration was still eating him up from the inside by the time they stepped into the lobby and the elevator came to take them up to the fourth floor.
James waited for Ashley and Drew to get in before saying, “Looks like a pretty tight fit in there. I’ll take the stairs.”
Ashley quickly said, “There’s plenty of room,” but by then the doors had closed, leaving the two of them alone in the small space.
Drew didn’t want to make things even worse, but he couldn’t stop himself from asking, “Did you sleep okay?”
She didn’t quite look at him as she paused for a long moment. “I—”
Before she could say anything more, the elevator suddenly jolted to a stop...and then the lights went out.
“Ash?” He instinctively reached for her hand. Damn, it was dark in here. “Are you okay?”
“I’m okay,” she replied, but her voice sounded a little shaky, and she was holding pretty tightly to his hand.
“I’m sure they’ll have the elevator up and running again in just a second. I’ll text James to let him know we’re stuck, just in case they haven’t figured it out yet.”
“Great.” But, again, she didn’t sound particularly great.
As he pulled out his phone and sent the text without letting go of her hand, she took out her own and turned on the onboard flashlight. But even with the light on, her breath seemed to be coming a little faster. “I’m not always great in small, enclosed spaces.”
“I’ve got you, Ash,” he said in a gentle voice as he drew her closer. “Just close your eyes and we can pretend we’re somewhere else.” He was glad when she wrapped her arms around him. Nothing had ever felt as good, or as right, as having Ashley in his arms.
“Where?”
“Back in the Valley of Fire.”
He stroked her hair, then her back. She smelled amazing, like the lavender and roses in his parents’ backyard. And she was his perfect fit absolutely everywhere.
Don’t stop, Drew. I want this. I want you.
Oh hell, he needed to stop thinking about what could have happened if his goddamned honor hadn’t stopped him from tearing off her clothes last night. But focusing on how much he wanted Ashley wouldn’t help her right now, so he tried to take her back to the Valley of Fire in her mind.
“The sun is bright yellow. The sky is blue. And the sand is that incredible red.”
She moved closer, her breath warm against his neck. “Ever since that day you showed it to me, I dream of it.”
“I dream of you.” In the small, dark space, the words came before he could yank them back, and he couldn’t stop himself from brushing his lips over the top of her head. “Every night.”
He was holding her closely enough that he could feel the rise and fall of her chest and hear her soft gasp of awareness at his words. If she had any idea just how sexy his dreams were...
“You can’t.”
She whispered the words, but every part of him was attuned to every part of her. To her heart beating fast against his, to the heat of her body everywhere she was touching him, to every sound and breath she made.
“Do you, Ash?” He brushed his fingertips across her cheek in the dark, and she turned it into his palm with a soft moan. “Do you dream about me the way I can’t stop dreaming about you?”
“Drew, please.”
He didn’t know if she was whispering his name to ask him to stop...or to beg him to give her another forbidden kiss. Praying she was dying for his mouth on hers as badly as he needed to feel hers beneath his, he cradled her jaw in his hand and began to lower his mouth to hers, beyond desperate for another taste of her.
Sweet Lord, he’d never been looking forward to a kiss so much in all his li—
Ashley was jolted nearly out of his arms as the elevator came back to life and the overhead lights turned on.
Her eyes were huge as she took a step back and pressed herself against the elevator wall in an effort to get as far away from him as she could. And yet again, before he could find any of the right words to say—whatever the hell those could possibly be at this point—they reached the fourth floor and the doors opened.
She was out of the elevator in a flash, and James was clearly concerned as he took in her flushed cheeks. “Ashley, do you need anything? A drink of water? Or maybe just to look out a window for a few seconds?”
“No, thanks, I’m fine.”
But anyone could tell that she wasn’t. And Drew knew it was entirely his fault.