Page 62 of Rayne

Elijah shakes the glass at me playfully. "Just a quick one. Five minutes."

Laughing, I put my bag on my desk, walking around my desk to grab the glass. "Fine. Just five minutes," I laugh, taking a sip. My eyes look behind him and I notice how quiet it is. "Has everyone gone already?"

"Yep," he sighs. "Nick just left about five minutes ago. I think everyone is over this week."

"God, I was so distracted that I didn't even realize," I muse, leaning against the wall. "They probably want to beat the rain."

Elijah looks out the window. "Yeah, it's pretty brutal. I went past a bad accident on my way home last night. People drive stupidly in the rain."

I nod in agreement. "It's a little scary. But I guess we already know that working in law. We've seen it all."

"Yes, we have," he mumbles, finishing off his drink.

Following suit, I throw back the drink, instantly regretting it. It burns the back of my throat, and I have to fight the urge to cough and splutter.

Waving my hand in front of my face for some air, I put the empty glass on my desk. "That was an adventure. Thank you for the drink."

Elijah smiles warmly. "You're welcome. I really enjoy working with you, Rayne."

"Likewise," I answer, reaching for my bag. Turning to face him, I make it obvious that I'm ready to leave but he doesn't move.

"Do you want to walk down together?" I ask awkwardly, wondering why he's not leaving.

He nods. "Yeah, sure. I just need to do one thing first."

"No worries," I say, swinging my bag over my shoulder. "I'm happy to wait for a moment."

Elijah puts his glass down next to mine, still not leaving my office. Alarm bells start ringing in my head, but before I can do anything, he steps forward, lips crushing into mine.

Chapter 21

Shock rushes through me, paralyzing my body as I try to process the situation. Quickly, I throw my hands up, pushing against his chest gently. I'm trying to be polite, not shoving him, but he still doesn't take the hint.

"Elijah, stop," I mumble against his mouth, trying to take a step back.

He's strong, body pushing me back against the wall as he continues to try to kiss me. When I realize I'm pinned, the severity hits me.

I push harder, completely disoriented and at a loss as to why this is happening. He's never openly flirted with me—or at least, I didn't think he had. I thought we were just friendly colleagues, but now I'm questioning everything.

Still not budging, I give a third shove with all of my strength, as much as I can with the little space I have to work with. He finally pauses, breaking the kiss to look at me with hurt and confusion.

"Why won't you kiss me back?" he asks slowly. "If it's because we work together, I can promise it's not an issue."

My heart's racing, and I don't want to make the situation even more awkward. After all, we still need to work with each other.

Did I accidentally lead him on?

"Elijah," I start softly. "We're just colleagues. I'm not interested in seeing anyone here."

He hasn't moved his body, still pinning me against the wall as he scans my face. Slowly, a smile breaks out, like he's had a light bulb moment.

"It's because of Nick, isn't it?"

"What?!" I yelp. "What does he have to do with anything?"

God, Nick and I are cordial at the best of times. He's not even a factor in my mind, but Elijah just nods.

"Look, I know it can feel a little awkward, but he'll get over it. He's just a little hostile because I'm here now. But I really like you, Rayne."

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