Page 65 of Girl Between

Now, he stared at the etched glass globe affixed to the low ceiling of the elevator and reminded himself where he was. He began silently counting backward from ten. He only got to three before he was forced to follow Dana into the lift.

The prewar elevator was old and took forever. Jake felt every jerk as the ancient cables dragged them to a height they could easily plumet from. It didn’t help that the stale scent of cigars assaulted his senses every time he tried to pull in a steadying breath.

The whole place smelled of history and affluence. It reminded Jake of too many wasted hours sitting in the bureau’s boardrooms as the endless agendas of D.C.’s overpaid politicians were handed down.

Skin crawling, he reminded himself there was a hot shower waiting in his room. He just needed to focus on getting there. The Army may have given him claustrophobia, but they also gave him the skills to control it. The words of his old CO echoed back to him. “If you can breathe, you can count. And you can count your way through anything.”

Exhaling deeply, Jake tried to count in his head, but his hands began to shake, and he lost his place each time he swiped at the cold sheen of perspiration on his brow. His knees went weak. They were moments from buckling. As if she could sense it, Dana slipped a cool hand into his.

“Jake, open your eyes,” she whispered.

He hadn’t realized they were closed. With them open, he drank in her face, letting the crushing walls fade away. He pulled in one breath, then another as she squeezed his scarred hand.

The elevator jerked to a halt bringing Jake back to reality. The doors groaned open, and Dana dropped his hand, breaking their connection. He didn’t even notice the man trying to get onto the already crowded lift at first, but Dana did. She moved from Jake’sside, stepping in front of him to make room for the other patron to join them in the cramped space.

Dana stepped back as the doors closed, her back pressing firmly into Jake’s front as the man hit the button for his floor. When the elevator jostled into motion again, Jake instinctively reached out to steady himself. One hand flattened against the wall, the other settled possessively on Dana’s hip. He pulled her closer against his chest, directly into his personal space.

If it were anyone else, Jake would’ve had no problem exercising his displeasure. But there was nothing unpleasant about having Dana Gray pressed against him. He hated that he couldn’t stop himself from bowing his head to smell her hair.

Christ, he’d missed her.

Just the scent of her made him hard. Forgetting they weren’t alone, he snaked his arm around her waist, pulling her closer. She stiffened, but he didn’t care. The feel of her against him was the perfect distraction from his suffocating claustrophobia.

Mercifully, the elevator stopped again, and the intruder excused himself from the electrically charged space. When the doors slid closed, Jake let his head dip further, his unshaven cheek roughly grazed down Dana’s neck until his lips met her shoulder. She gasped as he nipped at her skin, but that only made him want her more.

He spun her to face him and walked her back against the wood paneled wall. Pinning her in place, he pressed his hips against hers, palms on either side of her face.

“Jake,” she gasped.

Damn he loved the way his name sounded as it passed over her lips. It made him want to do things. Things that would ensure she’d never speak another man’s name that way again.

Unable to stop himself he buried his hands in her hair and crushed her lips with his own. For a moment, time stood still, existing solely for them.

But as with all good things, it ended too quickly.

Dana tensed, her hands pushing against Jake’s chest as his kiss grew greedy.

“Wait,” she murmured against him.

He pulled back. “For what?”

Her dark eyes were wide, glowing with arousal, but still she held him at bay. “I-I don’t think this is a good idea.”

“Why?” he practically growled.

She didn’t answer, but the way her eyes darted to the ground told him more than he needed. “Flynn?” he questioned, his temper barely sheathed. “Are you kidding me?”

“No! I don’t know!” She threw her hands up and shrugged out of his grasp. “Jake, you can’t just show up here unannounced and expect to pick up where we left off.”

“You mean in my bed? Because that’s where I last saw you, Dana. I thought we were finally in this together, but I woke up and you were gone. That wasn’t okay, but I tried to make peace with it when I thought you needed space to grieve or whatever the hell this is, but I’ve gotta say, showing up to find you eye fucking my brother in arms is more than I bargained for.”

“That’s not what was happening.”

“Really, then why don’t you educate me, because if I hadn’t walked up when I did, I’m pretty sure you’d be in his bed right now.”

Dana looked like a caged animal as she tried to pace the tiny elevator car. Her cheeks flushed with anger. “For your information, that’s not what was happening. Not that it’s any of your business.”

“You’re not hearing me, Dana,” Jake said, catching her wrist and pulling her to him again. “I’m saying Iwantto make it my business.”