be easy to walk out, say she’d changed her mind and slip into the cold night, embracing what was real.
Jace suddenly looked at her, his gaze seeking, almost as if she’d broadcast her thoughts in real time. He stared at her a long moment, his finger pressed against the button to the floor. When she made no move, he straightened and leaned against the far wall, still studying her as the doors closed.
“You’re nervous,” he said, still staring at her.
She gave him a duh look and he smiled again. He had a killer smile. It wasn’t easy and charming like Ash’s. Smiling seemed to come natural to Ash, like it was in his makeup to be this easygoing, flirtatious guy who women fell all over themselves for. Bethany didn’t get the impression that Jace was much of a smiler. He seemed way more serious than Ash. And if she was honest, that brooding, badass persona hit every single one of her buttons. Because this was a man she’d feel safe with for the night. He was a man a woman felt very secure around.
“Nothing to be nervous about,” he murmured as the elevator stopped.
As she started to step off, he put his arm out to stop her and then he pulled her into his arms. She landed against his chest and his head was angled so their mouths were close. So close she could feel the harsh exhalation of his breath.
“Bethany, there’s nothing to be nervous about,” he said again, that mouth hovering so temptingly over hers.
He trailed a finger down her cheek to the corner of her mouth just as the elevator started to squawk because the doors had been left open for so long. He ignored it, focused on her, watching and absorbing like he could reach into her thoughts. Or like he wanted to, at least.
“I’m okay,” she whispered.
And then he smiled. Really smiled. Not one of those twitch movements where it looked like he was about to smile or that he was fighting it. A full-on, teeth-flashing smile. And man, did he have beautiful teeth. Perfectly straight. Ultrawhite. Million-dollar smile. But then, everything about him was aces . . . right down to his shoes.
So far out of her league. So far it wasn’t even funny.
Visions of Pretty Woman danced in her head. Cinderella. A one-night fairy tale. Only she knew better than to ever dream of happy endings. Fairy tales were nice to read. They were nice to think about. But they weren’t remotely realistic. Fairy tales didn’t happen to girls like Bethany.
So she’d take her one night and tomorrow she’d go back to doing what she did best. Living one day at a time, taking it as it came. Surviving.
He gestured for her to proceed from the elevator, and as soon as she stepped out, he fell into step beside her, his arm wrapping securely around her waist. It felt good. Too good. It was too easy to get all wrapped up in the fantasy. This man didn’t give a damn about her. He wanted to get laid. She wanted warmth and food and a means of forgetting her shitty existence. That was an arrangement she could deal with.
A moment later, he opened the door to a sprawling suite. She hesitated just inside the door as she saw Ash setting out plates of food onto the polished dining table. There were three places set and it was obvious she was in between them. Her glass of orange juice was sitting by a plate with a burger and fries and on either side were plates with steaks.
The smell wafted to her and her stomach immediately clenched. She was starving and she’d never smelled anything so good in her life.
Ash turned and gave her that lazy smile, his eyes glowing with charm.
“You ready to eat?” Ash asked.
Oh yeah. She was ready to eat. It was all she could do to calmly nod and not throw herself at the table and start tearing into that burger.
Jace put his hand to her back and guided her toward the table. Clenching her fingers to disguise the shaking, she took her seat and then pushed up to the table and the delectable plate sitting before her. Still, she picked up the glass in a casual manner, like she wasn’t starving and could hardly wait to dig into her food. She sipped at the juice but put it back when it hit her empty stomach hard.
Maybe food first was a better