Chase Me (Broke and Beautiful #1)(49)

His appearance brought her up short. He looked . . . odd. Shirtless and barefoot, his upper lip was dotted with sweat, and the top button of his jeans was undone. His breath came faster than usual pants, as if he’d just run a mile. She would have guessed he’d been working out if he hadn’t looked so distinctly uncomfortable. Shifting on the balls of his feet, he wouldn’t even look her directly in the eye. A pit formed and yawned wide in her stomach. Oh, God. Had she caught him in the middle of entertaining a girl? He’d told her that day in his office that he didn’t do relationships. Had her early arrival screwed up his plans for a double header?

She wanted to roundhouse him in the nuts, but what right did she have to do that? They weren’t exclusive. He had every right to date around, same as she did. So why did she feel like wailing obscenities at the sky and beating her fists against his chest? Before she could embarrass herself by doing just that, Roxy turned and jogged for the elevator. Good. It’s over now and you’re escaping with minimal damage.

Sweet. Even her inner monologue sounded skeptical.

“Hey.” His heavy tread pounded after her. “Where the hell are you going?”

Louis gripped her wrist before she could punch the elevator button. “Sorry to interrupt. You can get back to what you were doing now.”

“How do you know what I was doing?” he asked quickly. Too quickly.

She yanked at her wrist, but he wouldn’t let it go. “Dude, you look like you just narrowly escaped death by orgy. I’m not joining whatever party you have going on in there.”

“What—?” His question was cut off by the elevator door sliding open and an elderly woman disembarking with her leashed poodle. Her perfectly plucked eyebrows raised at the sight of a shirtless Louis standing in the hallway, but her sophisticated New Yorker status kept her walking past without comment. Roxy took advantage of the distraction and dove into the elevator, but Louis followed right on her heels. His arms wrapped around her from behind, and he hugged her close despite her struggles. “Okay, I’m starting to catch up now. You think there is an orgy in my apartment because I’m sweaty.”

She elbowed him in the ribs, but he held on tight. “You looked guilty when you opened the door. Which is stupid because I’m not your girlfriend. But it turns out I’m also not kosher with being second in the batting order.”

“Oh, sure. Make a baseball reference and get even cuter than you already are.” His forehead came to rest on her shoulder. “There’s no one in my apartment, Rox.”

Hope inflated in her chest, but she stuck a pin in it. “What were you doing?”

He groaned. “Don’t make me tell you. It’s goddamn embarrassing.”

The elevator started to descend toward the first floor. Knowing someone would join them in the small space when it reached its destination, she tried once more unsuccessfully to break free of his hold. “Tell me or I walk.”

“Had a feeling you would say that.” She started to turn in his arms, but he prevented her by tightening his arms. “No, this’ll be much easier if you’re not looking at me.” A long sigh ruffled the hair beside her ear. “I’m attracted to you, Roxy. Painfully f*cking attracted. I was trying to relieve some pressure before you came over on the off chance I might make it ten minutes tonight without wanting to tear your clothes off and throw you on the floor. So. That about sums it up.”

It took her a beat to understand. Relief only had a split second to calm her before it was replaced with amusement. “You were—”

The elevator came to a stop. A man climbed in wearing a business suit.

“Don’t say it,” Louis warned against her neck.

Her lips twitched. “Self-lovin’? Polishing the family jewels?”

A discreet cough behind them sent Roxy into a laughing fit. She tried to keep silent, but as soon as the suited man climbed off on the floor beneath Louis’s, she doubled over and gave in to the urge. Louis punched the button for his floor and shoved his hands into his pockets. “I’m glad you think it’s funny. I didn’t quite . . . polish the jewels . . . as much as I needed to. The situation is not under control.”

His terse tone almost set her off again, but he looked so uncomfortable that she found a way to contain herself. “Do you want me to wait outside while you finish?”

He looked at her like she’d sprouted horns. “No way I’m letting you out of my sight. I’m good.”

“You’re so not.”

His head fell back on his shoulders. “I’m so not.”

The elevator door opened to reveal his floor and he indicated she should lead the way, even looking slightly suspicious that she might try and take off again. As she bypassed him into the hallway, she noticed him holding his breath, staring determinedly at a spot over her head. His neck flushed red the closer she came. Wow. The guy was in pain. Over her. It kind of turned her on.

No, it really turned her on. Close on the heels of that budding awareness came the realization that she hadn’t thought about her shitty rehearsal in the past five minutes. She didn’t feel restless and semi-ill anymore. She felt hot and desirable, knowing he wanted her so bad he had to touch himself before they even spent time together. He’d done it so he’d be in the condition to prove a point. That he wanted more than physical contact with her. It made her like him even more than she already did. It made her want to take the pain away. After the intimate conversation they’d just had, the images it had projected across her mind, she also felt like being a little . . . bad.