Page 6 (1/2)

I watch too erous-all-the-tiing

Her heart fluttered, the warped beat ht-headed

"Floor?" he asked, his deep voice filled with es than a shattered ed to reply, and he pressed the appropriate button

It was a miracle the entire elevator didn’t split apart froerated shake, and the cart began to descend The scent ofsky and--this could have been mere fantasy on her part--rainbows filled the small enclosure, and every waft cane she’d ever smelled, and like the ladies in the AXE coe to lean into him and sniff his neck

And wouldn’t he just love that? He would de, she would panic and her heart would give out, just as Laila’s had, andandshe wasn’t going to think about her beautiful, precious Laila right now She wasn’t going to think about losing another loved one First herto think about that, either She would break down

And was that delicious heat co, too? For the first time in years, Nicola felt enveloped by warmth, the cold from her medications and poor circulation finally chased away

Theher fully In that moment, she decided "very tall, very muscled" wasn’t an adequate description for him The tallest, most muscled ain, the description failed to capture the essence of his absolute gigantorness He Was Huge

And okay, yeah, he was also quite beautiful despite hisbald head and a black beard tied by three crystal beads His eyes were a surprising shade of gold, and capped by two thick broith a prominent arch in the center He wore a white linen shirt and white linen pants, each gar as fluidly as water On his feet was a pair of co under a microscope, she realized, horrified by her behavior Nicola had often gone to school with electrodes taped to her chest and tubes sticking out of her clothing, so she knew the pain of a single wide-eyed stare Her attention darted to the glittery pink tennies her twin had given her for their birthday last year

"I’e, I know," he said in an accent she couldn’t place At least he hadn’t sounded offended

Still, her stomach bottoht tocomfort her for her rudeness? How unexpected and sweet Well, then, she would be brave

She raised her chin and forced herself to ly tiny," she said, trying for huold, leaving only the black of his pupils "Do not lie, even through implication Not for any reason, not even to be nice"

Her fingers went nuain fluttered He was okay with staring, but joking was a killing offense Good to know

"Lies are the language of evil," he added in a gentler tone

A gentler tone, but still intense

The elevator stopped, the doors opened and a short, heavyset man took a step inside

"You’ll take the next elevator," the big guy announced

The smaller man instantly froze He licked his lips, backed up "You knohat? You’re right I will" He spun and raced away

For apolite, and there was being wise, and the two didn’t always intersect The fact that the Viking wanted to be alone with her couldn’t bode well

The doors began to draw together Noas her chance to run

But she couldn’t do it "You didn’t yell at hi quiet--and why she’d stayed "You seem like such an equal-opportunity yeller"

"I didn’t yell at you, either," he said with a frown Aimportant "You’re sensitive I’ll be more careful"

What, he dreaded her wrath?

He studied her as intently as she’d studied hi her to squirm "You are five-two, aren’t you?"

"Five two and a half, thank you" She never forgot that very iht for a worumbled

"Not any that I know," he replied, deadpan

Was he teasing her? Or was he just that blunt?

Finally the box stopped for good, and the doors opened to the lobby Her companion politely waved her forward She offered a bemused smile, said "Thanks" and hurried out--alive