Page 34 of Cross My Heart
“Wait, Tessa—”
I pile out before he can stop me, and sprint through the rain to the door. Upstairs in my apartment, I quickly strip off my wet coat and sweater, and kick my soaked sneakers aside. I’m still shivering, so I fill the tea kettle and grab a hand towel to blot my wet hair—
There’s a knock at the door. It’s Saint.
“You forgot something,” he says, leaning in the doorway.
Like kissing you?
I stare at him blankly, fighting the urge to run my hands through his dark, tousled hair.
To touch him, full stop. For the very first time.
“I… What?” I stammer.
He holds up my wallet. It must have fallen out of my purse.
“Oh, thanks!” I exclaim in relief, taking it from him. “I would have freaked out if I thought it was missing. You know what a hassle it is, having to call your bank, and cancel all your cards, and order replacements—”
I know I’m babbling here, but somehow, I can’t stop. The teakettle sounds with a whistle, and I go to take it off the heat. When I turn back, Saint is in the doorway, watching me with an expression of pure hunger in his eyes.
The lust on his face stops me in my tracks, and transports me back to that dim, candlelit room, and the way his eyes devoured me.Ignited me.
I inhale in a rush, as slowly, his gaze slides over my body. His jaw clenches with a new tension, and I realize, my white T-shirt is soaked through, revealing the clear outline of my purple bra. And the taut peaks of my nipples, stiff from the cold – and his slow, seductive gaze.
My heart races. “Thank you,” I say again, my voice sounding like it’s far away under the thunder of my heartbeat. “For the wallet. And the ride.”
“Anytime.” Saint drags a hand through his hair, as his eyes meet mine again. Full of tension.
Full of desire.
I find myself taking a step towards him, and another. The tea is forgotten now, I feel drawn like gravity. Wondering how it would feel to have his body pressed up against mine, pinning me into the mattress.
Wondering how he wouldtaste.
“I’m having a dinner party tonight,” Saint says suddenly, breaking the stare. He takes a ragged breath, like it’s an effort to stay on the other side of the room. “Come.”
My pulse skips at the low order.
An order he’s given me before.Fuck.
“I don’t know if I should,” I say honestly, feeling intoxicated. Because God, if this is the effect the man has on me with ten feet of space between us, what will it feel like to be closer? In his arms…
“It’s a just small get-together,” he continues. “A few of my friends. You’ll hit it off with my cousin, Imogen,” he adds, with a wry grin. “And my buddies, Hugh Ambrose, Max Lancaster and his fiancée… I’d like you to meet them.”
Lancaster.
I feel a jolt of recognition at the name. The man Lara said had been seeing Wren!
“OK,” I agree slowly, hiding my new eagerness. “I’ll come.”
Saint looks surprised—then he smiles. “Great. Here, give me your number, and I’ll text you the address. I can send a car for you,” he offers, but I shake my head.
“I’ll be fine. Thanks.”
He’s just tapping his details into my phone when there’s a clatter of noise and voices in the hallway, and then Kris and Jia appear through the open door. They stop by the threshold, looking delighted.
“Professor. You found her, then?”