A Brush with Love(15)
The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. Harper stepped aside, letting him go in first.
“It’s a bit small,” she said, following him in.
That was an understatement. The elevator was ancient and almost comical in its tininess, so narrow they couldn’t stand next to each other. Harper stood in front of him, and his body became hyperaware of hers. Each of his cells strained to touch her.
She pushed the button for the fourth floor and let out a shaky breath. Harper’s warm scent filled the space, making him want to breathe in every inch of her. She felt like an energy, a force that invaded his senses.
“It’s, um, slow,” she said, staring up at the old dial showing the elevator’s rise. Dan looked at the graceful curve of her neck and decided he wouldn’t care if the elevator stopped altogether.
“I don’t mind,” he murmured, tilting his head to say the words closer to her ear. He watched her swallow and saw the pulse fluttering at the base of her throat. Her breathing picked up, and Dan’s blood heated as he imagined how the little puffs of breath would feel against his skin.
The air stilled, and everything paused. Harper closed her eyes, and the tension in her muscles hinted at the battle raging in her mind. Dan felt a decision pressing against them, filling the space between their bodies.
Harper let out a breath and leaned, almost imperceptibly, into him. A featherlight touch of her back to his chest.
Electricity shot down his spine, and he stiffened at the thought of touching her. Pressing himself to her. Pushing her up against the wall and dragging his lips down her neck, feeling the short waves of her black hair between his fingers.
The elevator dinged again, and the sound made them both jump. Harper bolted out and down the hall as soon as the doors opened.
Dan scrubbed his hands over his face and through his hair, feeling like his brain had short-circuited, making it impossible to move. Being half-hard didn’t help his situation, and he willed his dick to stand down as he followed her.
Dan’s lust-muddled nerves knotted into apprehension, and he considered coming up with an excuse to leave. Not because he didn’t want to spend more time with Harper, but because he couldn’t get a clear read on her, and the last thing he wanted was her feeling uncomfortable.
She stopped at a door near the end of the hall and flipped through her keys before unlocking it.
With her hand on the knob, she turned to look at him, squinting one eye and scrunching up the rest of her face.
“So, I’ll be honest, I have no idea what state my apartment is in, and I apologize in advance if it’s a train wreck.”
Dan laughed, hoping it helped to dissolve some of the tension. “Being roommates with Alex has pretty much exposed me to the most hazardous living conditions a person could experience. The city’s housing department is petitioning to condemn him. He’s a threat to tenants everywhere.”
“Thank God for heroes like you, absorbing his toxic waste.”
He shrugged in mock humility. “I do what I can for the people. A lab is bringing me in for genetic testing. I may or may not be joining the X-Men in the coming months.”
Harper laughed, pushing the door open and stepping inside, flipping on the hallway light as she went. Dan followed and they both slipped off their shoes.
“You’d be okay with wearing the spandex?”
“I’d need a few months to get bodysuit ready, but if the objectification of my ass can save the world, I’m willing to make the sacrifice.”
“So selfless.”
His heart swelled a size at her teasing. Talking to her pushed energy through his limbs and down to his fingers, like he’d been a man starved for human connection.
They stood inside her apartment, grinning at each other. Her eyes were warm and rich, reminding him of a cup of coffee he’d gladly drown in. Dan’s hand lifted on its own accord and brushed her short hair behind her ear.
Harper opened her mouth to speak, but something out of the corner of his eye caught his full attention and pricked every survival instinct in his body.
A huge, animalistic mass barreled down the hall at full charge. Dan couldn’t make sense of what he was seeing, but his hair stood on end as he heard its low growl. His heartbeat matched the rapid pounding of its paws on the wood floors.
Adrenaline took over, Harper’s safety his top priority. Dan registered a door to his left and ripped it open, pulling Harper in with him and slamming the door shut behind her before she could speak. His body took on a protective posture, caging her against the wall.
“What the hell are you doing?” Harper’s voice was panicked. Dan moved to cup her face between his hands.
“Okay, Harper, don’t freak out but there is an animal in your apartment,” Dan said, his voice coming out in frantic bursts. “It’s some sort of giant raccoon maybe? Or a bobcat? Do they have bobcats in Philadelphia? It was angry and charging. I need you to remain calm,” he begged, feeling anything but. “I’m going to investigate, but please, stay in here, so I know you’re safe.”
“Dan, I—”
“Shh, please, I need you to stay calm.” His own fear escalated as he heard the soft thump of a paw clawing at the door. “Maybe you should find animal control’s number while I figure out what it is. It looks about twenty or thirty pounds, I’m not sure.”
“Listen, it’s—” He placed a finger over her lips to silence her, not wanting her panic to flame his any further.