Excerpt from Courting Suspicion
by Kimberly Dean
His dealings with Nina were personal now.
He was bold enough to park in her guest spot in the garage beneath her building. He’d thought about stopping by Luxxor, but his gut told him she’d be here. He planned to be here for a while, too, but doubt passed through his head when he pushed the buzzer for the penthouse.
She was still a puzzle to him, one he hadn’t fully solved.
He waited for an answer. One thousand one, one thousand two…
He braced his hand on the wall by the stupid thing and glared at it. Patience was one of those virtues that came and left him. He was just about to squash the call button again when he heard her voice.
“Hello?”
“It’s Josh. Let me up.”
He stared at the speaker, waiting for a slicing denial… a laugh… anything… He shifted and stared at the ground. Come on, Nina. One thousand one, one thousand…
His head snapped up when the buzzer sounded.
He grabbed the door before she could change her mind and let himself in. He nodded at the doorman, but his heart was pounding as he pushed the call button for the elevator. It was another merry one with sing-song dings, but the thing was so slow, it nearly made him lose his mind. At last, it opened on the top floor.
His heart rate spiked, and the tension in his neck and shoulders grabbed. He stepped out into the empty lobby and turned towards Nina’s apartment.
She was waiting. She held the door halfway open, using it as a shield, and watched him warily from behind it. She was still wearing that classy white dress and those killer shoes, but she looked softer. More approachable. His gaze locked with hers, and her big brown eyes nearly slew him.
He stopped and waited.
Her fingers wrapped around the edge of the door. Those pink fingernails looked innocent and dangerous all at once. Without a word, she stepped back and pulled the door open wider.
Hallelujah.
He strode towards her, hooked an arm around her waist, and was kissing her by the time the door banged shut behind him.
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