Annakel
The elevator ride back up feels shorter than it should.
Or maybe it feels endless because Alexander doesn’t let go of her wrist the entire time.
His grip isn’t painful. That’s the worst part. It’s steady, controlled, like he’s holding something precious and dangerous at once. Like if he loosens his fingers for even a second, the world will reach in and take her.
Annakel stares at their joined hands, at the way his thumb rests near her pulse point as if he can feel how fast it’s beating.
She can feel his heartbeat too, faint through his skin when the elevator shifts. It’s slower than hers. Calmer. Infuriating.
When the doors open to his private corridor, the penthouse smells like him so strongly it makes her head swim. Cedar and spice and something animal underneath that her h
