The One Who Got Away (Wilde Ways #12) - Cynthia Eden Page 0,3
bellow tore from him. He rushed after her and nearly collided with Sebastian in the hallway.
“What’s happening?” Sebastian demanded as he frowned at Antony. “Where’s the fire, bro?”
“Ella just quit!” He could see her—she was heading for the elevator. He shoved Sebastian out of his way.
“Stop her!” Sebastian’s order followed him.
“I’m trying!” Antony yelled back. What the hell did it look like he was doing? Sitting with his thumb up his ass?
Ella was already inside the elevator. Shit. Antony yanked at his tie and ran forward. He burst onto the elevator just as the doors were closing. The sensors caught his movement and immediately sent the doors flying back open.
Ella crossed her arms over her chest. “Was that really necessary?”
He closed in on her.
She didn’t back up. One of the many things he admired about her. Ella never backed down from any challenge.
“Yes,” he gritted out. “It was necessary. Running down the hallway like a track star was necessary because you wouldn’t stop.”
She sniffed. “That’s because I had already quit.”
“I was making you a counteroffer. You didn’t even listen to what I had to say.”
“Because I wasn’t interested in your counteroffer.” She reached around him and pressed the button for the ground floor. “My mind is made up. I’m officially done at this company. I am no longer your employee. That means you don’t get to tell me what to do.”
“When have I ever told you what to do?” Antony demanded as the elevator doors began to close once again. “You’re usually the one giving me orders!”
“Orders about your safety that you ignore. Because, you know, you’re too busy playing spy to realize how much harder you make my life.”
His back teeth ground together. “I haven’t been playing at anything.” They were alone in the elevator. Bare inches separated them. His heart drummed far too fast and hard.
“I think you’ve been playing with me,” she whispered back.
“The hell I have.” Ella was far too important for that. Didn’t she get that he’d always been on his best behavior with her?
“No?” she challenged.
“No.” His gaze dropped to her mouth. That mouth…
Her breath caught. A pause, then, “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you want to kiss me right now.”
His gaze flew back up to her eyes. “What? I—”
“Or do you want to lie about that, too?” Ella asked as the elevator started to move.
“I’m not lying.” But his mind was spinning.
“So you do want to kiss me.”
More than I want breath. Wrong answer. An answer he could not say. “You’re my employee. I am not going to—”
Her hands curled around his shoulders. “That’s where you’re wrong. I’m not your employee, not any longer. Remember the whole ‘I quit’ part of the day? You should remember since it just happened.”
“I don’t want you to quit.” He couldn’t lose Ella. That wasn’t an option in his world. “I will triple your salary.”
“Triple, huh? That’s tempting. But I know something else that’s tempting, too.”
He waited. Whatever she wanted, he would give to her.
Her voice turned husky, sensual, as she told him, “If I quit, I can finally find out what you taste like.”
Antony’s lips parted, but he didn’t say a word. He couldn’t. She’d just left him speechless.
“Don’t you want to find out how I taste, Antony?”
Dear God, yes. “Ella…that’s a line we can’t cross.”
“Why not? You’re not my boss. I’m not your employee. That all ended a few moments ago.” Her hold tightened on him. “Before I leave you, don’t you want to know what it’s like to kiss me?”
He grabbed her waist. Held tight. “I don’t want you to leave at all.”
The elevator dinged. The doors slid open. Some guy in a brown suit tried to step onto the ride—
“Get the next one,” Antony snarled.
The fellow hurriedly backed up.
“Not nice,” Ella chided. “Taylor is one of your new employees and that was not a good impression for the boss to make.”
“Screw making an impression.” He wasn’t feeling overly nice at the moment. “You’re playing a game with me.” First, she told him that she was quitting. Then she said she wanted his mouth. Was this the Twilight Zone? What. The. Hell? “It’s dangerous to play this way with me.” It wasn’t wise to taunt a man with something he wanted so very badly.
“This isn’t a game,” Ella assured him.
He was staring at her mouth. Driving himself crazy. He was vaguely aware that the elevator was moving again. “I’ve kept my hands off you the entire time.” Two long years. Two long,