Chapter Two

“I think it’s time we take matters into our own hands.” He tipped his head back and looked at the ceiling for a few moments before turning his disturbing gaze on her. “I want to try to climb out through the ceiling.”

“You’re crazy. Even if I wasn’t wearing a dress, there is no way I am climbing out of here.”

“Maybe, but it seems to me what’s really insane is being content to sit here and wait. C’mon, it won’t be too difficult. I can lift you up with no problem. Then I’ll pull myself up. I’m sure we’ll be able to find a way out through the elevator shaft.”

“Oh. My. God. You’re serious.” She shook her head. “Listen, this is not a movie. Climbing into an elevator shaft is dangerous. What if the elevator started moving again while we we’re in there?”

She made the mistake of looking into his eyes. For a moment it was like looking at a scared little boy desperate to escape. The desire to take him in her arms and assure him everything would be okay came over her. Just like she did for Lexi after their mom died. This urge to comfort was such a foreign feeling to have for a man, she wasn’t sure how to react. Regardless, she wasn’t going to let the emotions make her do something stupid. Like climb out the ceiling of an elevator to make that look in his eyes disappear.

“We need to wait for the people who know what they’re doing. The only way I’m climbing through the ceiling is if a fireman tells me to.”

He narrowed his eyes for a moment. “Listen, I don’t want to freak you out or anything, but here’s something to think about. What if the elevator starts doing a free fall? Who knows what’s wrong with this thing. It could merely be a computer problem, which they might figure out at any minute and we’d start moving again. Or, it could be a mechanical issue. In which case, there’s no telling what other things might fail or how long it will take to find the problem before they call in the fire department to get us out of here. We’re somewhere between the twentieth and twenty-first floor, if the display above the door is to be believed. That’s a hell of a long way down to the bottom, señorita.”

She couldn’t help but shiver at the thought; her stomach did an ugly little flip. She suppressed a sudden urge to grab his hand again, this time to reassure herself. Instead, she pulled her legs to her chest, wrapped her arms around them and rested her chin on her knees.

“If they really thought we were in danger, the man on the phone would’ve told me they’re calling the fire department to get us out quickly. I think you’re trying to scare me into climbing out.”

He looked down at the floor for several long seconds before slowly bringing his gaze back to her face. “I will admit I’m pretty desperate to get out of here, but I’m not trying to scare you into climbing out with me. I am worried about these things I said. If it was only me, I would have tried to climb out already. But I can’t leave you here. I want you to be safe, too.”

“Thank you for that. It seems we’re taking a chance, either way, but I like my odds staying in the elevator.”

He made a frustrated noise, and the lost-little-boy look returned to his eyes for a moment. Which garnered the same response in her as it did the first time. Her hands clenched around her arms to keep from grabbing his hand.

“Okay. For now,” he said. “But if we’re in here any length of time, I hope you change your mind. There’s no telling what might happen if I stay in here too long.”

She gave a nervous laugh. “Is that a threat or a warning?”

He stood, looking down at her. “Both. Great legs, by the way.”

She looked down and thought she’d die of embarrassment. She forgot she was wearing a dress when she pulled her legs to her chest. She didn’t usually wear one, and he had her thoughts so jumbled she didn’t remember she wasn’t appropriately dressed for such a sitting position. She returned to sitting cross-legged, making sure her dress was pulled down over her legs so only her feet, in the black stiletto heels which Lexi insisted she buy, showed.

She forced her gaze to remain on the floor and realized he was pacing when his stupidly-expensive loafers moved back and forth across her line of vision. Watching the shoes got old after a while, so she raised her eyes a bit. Big mistake. The flash of the diamond and platinum ring on his little finger and the chunky platinum chain that peeked out from his cuff distracted her for a moment from his tight behind and well-formed thighs. Not for nearly long enough. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from that part of his anatomy. To the point she became disgusted with herself. Not that she hadn’t ogled that part of him repeatedly while he performed. But this was live and in person. He might catch her at it.

On the upside, her past wasn’t haunting her anymore.

When she felt the heat in her cheeks and her heart pounding so hard she’d swear he could hear it, she managed to pull her eyes away and glued them to the floor, waiting for his feet to move into her line of vision again. When they hadn’t made an appearance for quite some time, she found herself raising her head again. He was leaning against the side wall at the opposite end of the elevator, his hands over his face, dark hair a disheveled mess, tie askew, his perfectly groomed look completely gone. Moving his hands from his face, he ran them both through his hair again, then crossed his arms.

Wow. Confinement really was getting to him. Maybe she should try and climb out with him. A man losing it because of claustrophobia might be more dangerous than climbing out through the elevator shaft. Was there anything she could do to distract him?

She stood. “You really are having a hard time.” She winced. Not the best thing to say as a distraction.

He gave a self-deprecating smile. “I’ve never been trapped in an elevator before. I didn’t realize it would be so hard.”

“Your secret’s safe with me. I’m not going to sell the story of what it’s like being trapped in an elevator with Alejandro Rivera to the highest bidder. So that’s one less thing for you to worry about. If you really think you’re going to lose it, we can try climbing out through the ceiling.”

“Ah, so you do know who I am. Climbing out of here would make for a much better story, but I don’t think we need to try that just yet. I know something that might take my mind off things for a bit. Your hair has been driving me crazy. How about taking the clip out and letting it down?”

No, no no…Why did he have to go and give her a look like that? She wanted to come across as unimpressed with the fact he was Alejandro Rivera, and now she was afraid she might melt at his feet. She cleared her throat, at a loss for words. Right now, he wasn’t the larger-than-life celebrity she was familiar with on the television screen. He was a man facing a fear he couldn’t control, grasping at anything to help him cope, and she couldn’t ignore his need, or the desire rising in her to do what she could to help him. It was the same kind of feeling she experienced trying to protect her younger sister when their mother was no longer around to look after them.

“Ai ai ai! Icy cold and uptight on the outside, but those green eyes tell a different story.”

With a gulp, she pulled the clip out of her hair, shook her head slightly, and it tumbled down, falling to her waist. Could he discern the tumult inside her? Suddenly those green eyes couldn’t look anywhere but at him as he pushed himself away from the wall and came toward her. He entered her personal space, and all she could do was watch him as he picked up a strand of her hair.

“Amazing,” he breathed as he rubbed the hair between his fingers. “If I hadn’t seen those roots up close and personal, I’d find it hard to believe this color was real. It actually glitters, even in this weak lighting. I’ve never seen anything like it.” His gaze roamed her face. “The pale eyebrows are a giveaway too. The only color to you are those pink lips, your green eyes, and the lovely rosy color you turn when you blush. Thank you for letting me see your hair in all its glory. Are you going to put it back up?”

“No.” She shoved the clip in her purse as she continued to watch him.

“Bueno,” he said softly with a little nod. He let go of her hair but didn’t move away, and the look in his eyes made her think of a drowning man desperately in need of a life preserver.

She grabbed his hands and squeezed them reassuringly. “It’s okay. We’re going to be okay. We will get out of here.”

His hands gripped hers so tightly it was an effort not to wince. Or pull away in fear. This man needed her to not go crazy on him right now. She had to remain calm and keep her wits about her. Like the night she left home with a fourteen-year-old Lexi in tow, trying not to wake the sleeping predator they lived with. Again, but for entirely different reasons, someone was relying on her to be the strong one.

“Si. I know this in my head, but it doesn’t change anything. Which is stupid and makes no sense. I should be the one making this better for you. Having control over my body is part of my job description.”

“True. And you do an amazing job of it. Still, sometimes our mind can’t control our body’s instinctive reaction, so we have to find a new way to overcome that instinct.”

She stepped closer to him so their bodies were almost touching. In fact, when she took in a deep breath, part of her body did touch his for a brief moment. Her heart pounded so hard she worried she couldn’t get enough air to keep up with it. Oddly, it wasn’t with fear but excitement—and the undeniable urge to know what it would feel like to kiss this man.

Her new way of overcoming her usual instinct to avoid intimacy? Maybe, but regardless, at that moment, she hoped it was a way for him to forget his fear. She let go of his hands, and tentatively placed hers on his shoulders, rose on her toes, and touched his mouth with hers. He was at the perfect height, so it didn’t take much effort on her part to do it in a way that didn’t require full-body contact. This wasn’t the time to test out whether full-body contact would send her over the edge.

She moved her lips on his; when he returned the pressure, an unexpected thrill shot through her from head to toe. God, it had been so long since she’d kissed someone she could hardly remember how to do it. So it was a good thing he was quick to respond. To place his hands on her hips and show her what needed to be done. Did he instinctively know pulling her close was a bad idea?

Suddenly nervous—of what she was doing, of what might happen next, of who she was being so forward with, she didn’t know—she ended the kiss, moving slightly away from him and dropping her hands from his shoulders. He was a little slower to respond, his hands softly caressing her before he let her go.

Still, she couldn’t manage to break eye contact, even though that lost little boy look was nowhere to be found. He was all man now; the heat of his gaze and the slight flush in his cheeks told her he enjoyed it. How stupid of her not to think things through. What would happen if he decided he wanted another deeper, more intimate kiss?

The elevator jarred, made a harsh noise, and finally resumed its upward climb. The sudden movement of it threw Jade back against the wall, and Alejandro stumbled toward her, pinning her with his body as he caught himself with his hands on either side of her head. Eyes like twin flames locked with hers and she was lost. Apparently this was one man who could invade her personal space, and she didn’t have a breakdown. The shock of realizing she actually relished having his body pressed against her left her reeling. And completely unprepared when his mouth claimed hers. Without the least bit of hesitation, she wrapped arms around his neck and eagerly responded. She was encouraging, enjoying, reveling in all this physical contact. That rushing, dropping feeling of an elevator ride was nothing compared to kissing Alejandro Rivera.

It was only the abrupt stop at the end that brought her back to reality. And him. He jumped away like he’d been burned and spun around to face the doors as they opened. Exiting the elevator like a bat out of hell, he went straight to the men’s restroom.

Jade exited more slowly and leaned against the wall next to the elevator. Not only did she need to recover from being trapped in an elevator, she needed time to pull herself together. She'd liked his kiss. Enjoyed the feel of his hands. Didn't want him to stop.

Plus, she kissed him. She not only enjoyed being kissed by a man, she initiated it. Why him? What was it about him?

“Jade, thank God.”

Lexi. She could’ve used a little more time to gather her wits before being social, but was it possible after a kiss which made her feel…all sorts of feels she never imagined existed?

“What great timing. I’m on my way back from the bathroom. Are you okay?” Her sister grabbed her hand, gave it a squeeze, then let it go. “What a nightmare! Were you in there by yourself?”

Jade knew she was asking more than the words implied. But it wasn’t Lexi’s job to worry about her. Although, the fact she didn’t have to lie to her about it, that she really was all right, put the nerve-wracking experience in a better light. Who knew being stuck in an elevator could be such a life-changing event? For the first time she didn’t want to share everything with Lexi. She didn’t even want her to know it was Alejandro Rivera who’d been in the elevator with her. She’d ask too many questions Jade would rather not answer. Questions she didn’t really know the answers to herself.

“I’m okay, though I’m not sure that would be the case had it taken longer for the elevator to get working. And no, I wasn’t alone. A man was riding with me.”

Lexi grabbed her hand again. The only person in the world who could touch her, and it felt normal. Scratch that. She’d initiated physical contact with Alejandro Rivera, and she suspected her reaction to him was a normal one for ninety-nine percent of the female population. Why, oh why, did he have to be a celebrity?

She just stopped herself from shaking her head at herself. She didn’t need Lexi getting more worked up than she was, and if she thought she was shaking her head at her, Lexi would be all over it. So what if he was a celebrity. She was grateful to know she could have a normal reaction to a man’s touch. Progress was progress, no matter how it happened.

So move on already. Tonight is about Lexi’s wedding.

“Jade. Are you sure you’re okay?”

And now her silence had alerted Lexi all was not right anyway, so she quickly nodded. “I’m fine. In a lot of ways better than fine. I handled the situation without falling apart. In fact, considering I was trapped in an elevator with a man, I did rather well. Which tells me the past is truly in the past.” Well, mostly…“In fact, the guy in there with me handled it worse than I did.”

Lexi laughed and gave her hand a squeeze before letting it go. “That’s because you’re amazing, Jade. By the way, I’m glad you decided to let your hair down. Now, if I could just get you to do it all the time…”

Jade groaned. “Lexi, you know it’s much easier at work if I have it up. Much easier for a lot of things if I wear it up.”

“If you say so, but you’re not fooling me. You wear it up or in a braid all the time. Boring, boring, boring. You already know what I think of that dress, so I won’t go into it again. You could be a knockout with very little effort.”

Jade bit back a frustrated groan, and as the noise of clanking silverware from the dining room registered, her stomach growled. She wanted to sit down and eat, not discuss her choice in clothing. “Really, Lexi? Like we haven’t had this discussion a million times already? I’m not sure I believe I could be a knockout, or that I even want to be one, but that aside, you also know why I don’t have any interest in making myself glamorous.”

“Yeah. Okay. And I know this isn’t the time or the place to discuss it, but in my opinion, until you stop hiding behind ugly clothes and schoolmarm-hair, you aren’t past it. Still, thanks for wearing the shoes. At least your legs look terrific.” Lexi laughed and gave her a wink. “Now, ’nuff said. Tonight is about me. The next few months are about me.”

Jade laughed along with her sister then and gave her a hug. “Don’t I know it?” So Alejandro hadn’t said she had great legs just to flatter her. She probably shouldn’t like the idea of that as much as she did. “But you better be careful there or I may never wear these shoes again.”

“God, you’re such an old stick in the mud. You’re too young for that, Jade. I wish you’d let your hair down and do something crazy just for the hell of it. Just once. Enjoy being young. Promise me you’ll give it a try after I’m married and you have no reason to worry about me, or set a good example for me, or feel responsible for me anymore.”

The elevator doors opened and Jade watched enviously as a laughing couple exited and walked by them on their way to the restaurant. Why couldn’t her ride have been as uneventful as theirs, not the life-changing event it turned out to be? She bit back words which would let Lexi know she’d just done something insane with Alejandro Rivera and prayed her expression didn’t give anything away. “I will promise no such thing. Besides, it’s not like I haven’t done anything crazy ever. Maybe you were too young at the time to remember, is all.”

“Maybe. Maybe not. To what are you referring?”

“Jake. One of my boyfriends in high school. The one whose father owned that high-end car dealership.”

“I remember Jake. I liked him. He did pick you up in some pretty cool cars. He never came across as wild and crazy, though. Maybe I was too young to notice?”

“He had his moments, but he always behaved himself around mom. Man, did he drive some sweet cars. We used to see who could drive fastest through Hollywood Hills.”

Lexi raised a skeptical brow. “I find it hard to believe you ever drove over the speed limit.”

“Believe it, kiddo. And I was always the one who won that contest. However, it was Jake who ended up getting caught by the cops. It didn’t go over too well with his dad, and Jake broke up with me because of it. He said I was a bad influence on him, and that his dad wouldn’t let him drive any more of his sports cars if he hung out with me. Guess he liked the cars more than he liked me. Or maybe he decided he was more interested in having a pretty girl to drive around instead of a number nerd who had more fun driving the cars than riding in them.”

Lexi made a frustrated noise. “See, this is what I’m talking about. You have to stop thinking of yourself as an accountant with a business to run and embrace the fact you’re a young, beautiful woman with a lot more to offer the world than filing taxes.”

Jade resisted the urge to shift restlessly on her feet. Alejandro had been in the men’s room quite a while and the last thing she needed was for him to exit while she was there talking to Lexi. “I am an accountant with a business to run, a tall, skinny one who could use several more pounds, especially in the chest area.”

“With amazing, genuinely blonde hair, sexy legs, and the most gorgeous eyes I’ve ever seen. But I’m done fighting this same old battle. At least for tonight. Beck’s been at the table by himself long enough. Let’s go sit down. I’m sure you could use a drink after the trauma of your elevator ride.”

Jade linked her arm through Lexi’s and turned her towards the dining room in relief. “Don’t I know it! C’mon, this night is about you, not me. Let’s enjoy some delicious food and great company. You picked a good man, Lexi. I’m thrilled for you.”

****

Alejandro stood over the bathroom sink breathing like he’d run a marathon. Thank God the bathroom was empty. His hand actually shook slightly when he turned on the tap, but cold water on his face helped settle him some. He focused on the vision of Jade’s long legs to stop himself from thinking about the closet that haunted his nightmares. Or his mother.

Not going there. Not now…Long, long legs…

Gracias, Jade…It was working. He took a deep, calming breath through his nose and blew it out his mouth. Who would’ve thought such a nerdy, uptight woman would be such a distraction?

Okay, he had to be seriously messed up right now. Why else would he spend so much time thinking about a woman who was nowhere near his type? But, had he ever experienced a kiss so hot? Was it the contrast of her outer appearance that made it such a turn on? Or was it his perspective making it larger than life because it kept him from thinking about the worst hours of his life?

He turned off the water, grabbed a paper towel, and dried his face, then went to work repairing the damage he’d done to his appearance while he was in that steel coffin.

Years of forcing himself to ride in elevators, and some cognitive behavioral therapy, led him to believe he’d conquered the claustrophobia. He wasn’t sure which was worse, that he had so little control over his behavior in a trapped situation, or that someone else knew his secret fear. It would’ve been a lot easier on his ego if she’d thought he was an eccentric celebrity.

Damn. He wasn’t supposed to care, but here he was, back to thinking about her. He needed to get over this. She was Lexi’s maid of honor, and in his orbit now. No way in hell he could act on these feelings. She was the kind of woman who would want more than he was capable of giving. Or wanted to give. Hopefully it was just the claustrophobia messing with his head. Or it could be he was so used to being the one in charge, the one in control, he didn’t know how to handle someone else having it.

Pull yourself together. He was way beyond late to his dinner engagement, and they were probably going crazy wondering what happened to him.

Where the hell did he leave his phone?