Page 17 of Before and After

This was my new norm. Forever running five minutes late for everything.

The elevator dinged, and I turned to look back down the hall, but nobody had stepped out of the rooms. I backed into the elevator, towing the vacuum cleaner. And that’s when I smacked into something. Something hard.

Firm hands gripped my hips, steadying me.

With a gasp, I whipped my head around. And stared up into Caden’s rugged face.

“Um, sorry.” My silly heart was trying to leap into my throat. I hadn’t seen him at all today.

“It’s all right.”

His deep voice shivered through me. The elevator doors closed.

“Where are you going?” I asked.

He hadn’t let go of me, and I could feel his fingers burning through the cotton of my uniform.

“I’m conducting an elevator test. We’ve been having problems with this one tripping out. Everett’s team is working on it.”

“God, it’s not breaking down again, is it?” It had happened. Quite a few times in the past.

“Luckily, we’ll be getting new ones after the winter, but we need to keep it functioning until then.”

“Right.” The elevator went up.

Caden’s hands loosened on me. God, I wanted him to touch me.So stupid. I barely knew the guy. I wasn’t entirely sure I liked him, and I wasn’t entirely sure he liked me. Or anyone.

We reached the top floor, then after a beat, we started to descend. Good. I couldn’t be late for Ollie.

“I never thanked you,” I blurted out.

He cocked one dark brow. “For what?”

“For saving Tessa.”

A disturbed man had targeted Ro after he’d bought the Langston Windward. I’d thought Rupert was a nice, quiet IT guy, not a deranged stalker. Instead, he’d believed he should be the owner of the Windward, and had a massive crush on Tessa. An icky, obsessive one.

He’d targeted Ro, but had almost killed Tessa in the process, then kidnapped her.

In the hospital after she’d been poisoned, I’d lost it, but Caden had talked me down. He’d promised to catch the man and he had.

A muscle ticked in his hard jaw. “It took me too long to find the guy. I should’ve caught him sooner.”

“Broody—” I grabbed his arm. “Tessa and Ro are all right. It all worked out. I know how hard you searched for him. None of us suspected it was Rupert. I’d known him for years and I didn’t know he was capable of kidnap and attempted murder. Tessa told me you broke into the cabin to rescue her with Ro, guns blazing.”

“I only had one gun.”

My lips twitched. Maybe that was a joke. I couldn’t tell. “Fine,gunblazing. I’m grateful. So, thank you.”

“Allie—”

Suddenly, the elevator lurched to a hard stop. The lights went out and we pitched forward. Strong arms caught me and yanked me against a hard chest.

That’s when I smelled him. That dark, spicy cologne wrapped around me and made my belly flutter. I dragged in a deep breath.

“You okay?” His lips brushed my ear.

“Yes.” I pulled in a few more breaths. God, I wanted to keep sniffing him. Dim emergency lighting flicked on and that’s when I realized our situation. “Oh God, are we trapped?”