Page 6 of Tempt

Chapter 3

“I’m so freaking late!” I said under my breath as I pushed into the iON Innovations Building at exactly 7:08 in the morning. Or, to be more precise, eight minutes after my morning meeting was supposed to start. Something had gone wrong with the alarm on my stupid state-of-the-art, latest and greatest iPhone, and I’d woken up twenty minutes ago in a panic.

Margaret was not a fan of late. She did not excuse oversleeping, not even on a Monday, not even when she called meetings at ungodly hours of the morning. Not to mention I’d only gotten the meeting invite last night at dinner.

None of it would matter. All Margaret would talk about once I got upstairs was that I hadn’t been on time.

Honestly, it was all Theo Sutherland’s fault. It had been two nights since he appeared and disappeared from my life and since then he’d invaded my dreams and disturbed what little sleep pattern I’d fallen into since moving.

It was like those eyes were haunting me.

The iON Building was a modern, glass-laden acropolis with smooth lines and green technology built into every nook and cranny. My company had designed it so I knew more about it’s hidden features than most. Tiny wind turbines were hidden in corners. Solar panels merged seamlessly with windows. Special materials were chosen for maximum energy savings.

The atrium stretched upward for the first twenty floors. It made for an awe-inspiring entrance most days, but today I ignored all of it, my caffeine-deprived brain taking longer than usual to register that something was wrong. The bank of elevators, my current destination, sat just past the desks and metal detectors. I’d already badged my way in and been wanded, I just needed an elevator. But the area was filled with ten men, all in identical black suits, standing shoulder to shoulder. It was like the freaking Prime Minister was waiting for a lift.

I skidded to a stop behind the row of security (it had to be security) and tapped my fingers impatiently against my hip. That was when I realized none of the elevators were moving. Well,onewas. The one they were all standing in front of.

Fuck me.It really was some asshole VIP holding up the whole damn building.

“Hello!” I called. Maybe the meeting was making me ballsy. I’m really not sure, but panic orsomethingmade me need to get on that elevator no matter how important the person in front of me might be. “I have a meeting I really,reallyneed to get to, so if the Prime Minister or the Queen or whatever VIP you guys are all hiding up in there could spare a ride for a commoner like me, that’d be great.”

One security guy glanced over his shoulder at me.

“I promise I’m harmless. Just late for a really important meeting. I’m not an assassin.” I don’t know what possessed me to saythat.Clearly I’d blown my chance of getting a ride.

I set my bag on the ground beside my feet and crossed my arms, resigning myself to waiting until they unlocked the elevators. Maybe I’d be able to use this as an excuse for being late?

Yeah, not likely.

The elevator finally dinged and the doors slid open. The sea of black suits moved forward, but the last guy—the guy who’d actually glanced at me—held out his hand like he was beckoning me forward.

“Are you actually letting me on?” I grabbed my bag and rushed forward, the security guard standing very close.

That’s when I sawhim.

Theo Sutherland.

My knees went weak all over again and I tried not to gasp as his eyes locked onto mine—just as dark and haunted as I remembered.Just as sexy.

I swear the moment our eyes met I could feel him everywhere. My whole body lit up, my skin tingled, the air was lighter. As if one look jump-started a connection that drew us together. A connection that hummed with tension and electricity until it was like he was inside me even though we weren’t even touching. I enjoyed that rush for a moment.

Then I got a little angry. Sexy or not, he was keeping me from my meeting because he was too important to ride an elevator—lift—like a regular person.

“It seems we meet again, Allison,” he said with an amused smirk on his lips.

I arched an eyebrow. “Ten security guys for one elevator ride?” I slid in beside him and turned to face the doors, hoping he couldn’t see how much he was affecting me. “Shouldn’t you have your own private elevator or something?”

He was painfully quiet until the doors closed and we began to move upward. “I do, but I’ve had some security issues lately. What floor?”

“Forty-seven.”

He lifted his chin and someone pressed the appropriate button.

“You’re an architect then?”

“I am. Do you know what is on every floor of your building?” That was actually a little impressive. There were a hundred and seven floors with multiple businesses on some.

“No. Thirty-two has had trouble keeping tenants for some reason. I’m never quite sure who works on that floor anymore.” His face was deadly serious, but his eyes were light… almost smiling. It looked nice on him.

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