Page 9 of His to Burn

Almost overwhelming.

But one thing he assuredly wasnotwas friendly.

He wasn’t exactly scowling at me, but he wasn’t not scowling, either.

I didn’t hold it against him.

I’d been accused of having resting bitch face a time or two myself, not that I gave a shit.

Still, I couldn’t help the tiny grin that curved my lips at the thought of someone telling him he should smile more.

That would be worth the price of admission.

Of that I had no doubt.

But neither of us would do anything until we got out of this courthouse.

So, brief moment of amusement behind me, I pushed the Down button again.

An instant later, the elevator car plunged into darkness.

When the lights went out, a stab of panic pierced my gut.

It was silly, really, a grown woman, a respected professional, being afraid of the dark.

But silly as it might be, that didn’t change the truth of it.

I was fucking terrified.

And in those first seconds of darkness, a panic so intense I couldn’t even take a breath gripped me.

But, like I always did whenever confronted with something that scared me, I gritted my teeth and fought the panic back.

Panic had never won before.

I wouldn’t let it win now, especially not when I had an audience.

I refused to lose my shit in front of this man.

Maybe the ego I always fought so hard to suppress would finally be my saving grace.

I squeezed my phone like it was a lifeline but forced myself to relax my stiff fingers and turn on the phone’s flashlight. I used my free hand to adjust my suit jacket and then patted my hair to ensure my braids were still in place.

Neither should have been a primaryconcern, but I needed a few seconds to ground myself.

Seconds it seemed I wouldn’t get.

Because the man was watching.

His gaze was rough but moved over my body like a caress.

I was embarrassed to admit that I cared what he saw when he looked at me.

And annoyed that his expression gave nothing away.

Out of habit, I gave him the smile I’d mastered during my career as a public defender. Friendly, but not too friendly, designed to convey both competence and approachability.

It bounced off him like a gnat, his rugged expression completely unmoved.