The elevator doors slid shut behind them with a soft chime—but the silence that followed was anything but gentle.
Maya stood wedged between Ashcroft and James, with Damien beside her… too close. Close enough that every breath she took skimmed the edge of his scent. Close enough that the brushed silk of his shirt kissed her skin whenever the elevator shifted, setting her nerves on fire.
Her heart was pounding again.
This is fine, she told herself. Totally fine. Just a short ride.
She didn’t dare look up.
Not when her shoulder kept brushing his arm.
Not when every cell in her body had decided to memorize the precise heat radiating from him.
Not when her chest ached with questions she didn’t know how to ask.
Then—
“Ahhh!” Ashcroft stretched like a cat, arms raised in dramatic flair.
