Chapter 12
Chapter twelve
Rose
Ding!
The gold elevator doors open as Cal waves his hand over the ornate arched entrance, giving me permission to enter.
He follows me in, and we end up on opposite sides of this small box.
He pushes L for lobby, and I’m staring at the marbled checkerboard floor, not wanting to look at him.
Needless to say, things have gotten super awkward.
And I don’t like it.
These feelings that I have had since the day I laid eyes on him are mixing and fighting with the sorrow I’m experiencing.
The doors shut, and the dimly lit elevator begins its descent to the ground floor and lobby.
Soft melodic music fills the small space.
I have maybe seconds with him before we enter the world once again.
And then part ways. More than likely, Denny will be the one I talk to when it comes to my mom’s disappearance.
If there is any news or a break in the case, since he is the lead detective, he will call me. Not Cal.
How I want it to be Cal. So badly.
My attention travels to the digital floor countdown above the sliding doors.
19
Beep.
18
Beep.
17
Beep.
16
Beep.
We are whizzing down this shaft faster than I want. Silence descends, heavy and absolute. Every beep mimics the beating of my heart.
His eyes are on me. I know it. Eyes full of nothing but concern.
A heaviness settles in my belly, knowing our time is almost up. I can’t help myself. I never could when I’m with him.
14
Beep.
12
Beep.
I drag my eyes to meet his. The music, the movement, the space … it swirls until there is only him.
As our stares collide, his concern morphs into something else entirely. His intensity, now heavy and unguarded, drags over me like a touch, and I feel it everywhere. Neither of us moves.
But there is something.
Something that’s inevitable and too late to stop.
An electric charge. As if the lightning outside has made its way into this elevator.
“Rose.” My name rolling off of his tongue, deep and meaningful, fills my chest.
11
Beep.
10
Beep.
“Yeah,” I reply.
9
Beep.
8
Beep.
7
Beep.
In less time than it takes to breathe, he crosses the five feet of space that separates us and stops inches from me. I clench the handrail behind me, bracing myself. He’s so close. But not close enough. He cups my face with his hands.
5
Beep.
“We only have a few seconds left,” he says, low and gruff as his thumb grazes my cheek.
“You’d better make them count, then.”
Holy smokes, who am I? Please tell me I didn’t just say that. Lust-filled Rose is on a whole other level.
My eyes drift close.
4
Beep.
He pulls my face to his.
His breath drifts over my skin as his lips part.
I’m waiting, wanting, needing.
THUD!
Without warning, the elevator surges, jolting us.
Cal braces me, grabbing my waist and pulling me to him.
Creaks, grinding, and groans surround us as the lights cut out once, twice, three times.
My adrenaline spikes trying to figure out what is happening.
Without warning, we are plunged into darkness.
We aren't moving.
The music stops.
Silence and pitch black inkiness surrounds us as Cal’s hands grip me, holding me with such a protective force that it almost hurts.
My body ignites with awareness, each breath tighter than the last as panic begins to rise.
“Cal. W … What’s happening?” I whisper. As if there is anyone else in here with us to hear me.
“The power probably went out. More than likely from the storm.”
When I say it’s pitch black, I’m not joking. I have no idea what he’s doing, but he’s fidgeting as his body shifts. He’s looking around. I think. Looking for what? No idea.
But he doesn’t let me go.
“Oh, my God! Are we stuck here?!” My voice goes from a whisper to a full-blown shrill in seconds.
I haven’t had a panic attack since college. Years of frequent therapy sessions and medication have helped me to pinpoint when one is starting.
But nothing in all my years of therapy has prepared me for this. Stuck in an elevator. During the worst storm this area has ever seen. And to make matters worse, I’ve always struggled with claustrophobia.
I can’t breathe.
“It’s okay. These systems have a small power backup that comes to your rescue when there is an abrupt power failure like this. It should kick on any second,” he counters, so sure. So strong.
We wait.
And wait some more.
Still waiting.
Nothing.
His hands release me. “I don’t understand what is going on. It should have happened by now.” Cal reaches for his phone, turning on the flashlight. He shines it on the control panel.
But without his presence grounding me, my breathing spikes. Instinctively, my hand shoots to my heart, clutching my chest, the erratic rhythm hitting my palm through my shirt.
“C-Cal,” I call to him as my back slides down the wall, the handrail scraping my back. My mind is telling me the space is shrinking. It’s going to swallow me whole.
He’s still studying the panel, waving his phone around, inspecting it from all angles. “Where is the dang call button at?”
His illuminated silhouette blurs.
“I’m going to call the front desk. To let them know we are trapped in here.”
I watch his mouth moving as he talks into his phone, but the words float over me, mixing together and making no sense. I draw my legs to my body and hug my knees.
Why is this happening? Why are we stuck in this box, dangling, with nothing but a faulty system in control? And why did I just think about that?!
The air in my lungs disappears.
“I-I can’t br-breathe.” I don’t know if it is the desperation in my voice, or perhaps the words themselves that seem to jolt him from his search. His focus whips in my direction.
“Geez! Sheridan.” Within a second flat, he drops and crouches before me, setting his phone on the floor beside him. The flashlight shoots straight upwards.
He brushes my hair away and then points to his face with two fingers. “Eyes on me.” An intense, shadowed green stare glares back at me. He’s focused, in control, and steady.
“Deep breath in.” With my focus solely on him, I do what he says. “Now hold it for seven, six, five, four, three, two … now exhale. Eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.”
My heart slows as he grabs my hands, his thumb running circles along my pulse. “We are in this together, okay?”
“O … Okay,” I strangle out.
A small, satisfied smile plays on his lips. “Let’s do that a few more times. You with me?”
I nod like a bobblehead. “Yes.”
And as promised, he stays with me. Centered. Helping me breathe. Although we’re trapped in this elevator, and I’m mildly panicking, along with his touch and soothing voice, I know I’m safe. Cared for. And cherished.
“Better?” he asks.
“I am thank you.” Well, sort of.
“Okay, good.” His thumbs continue moving, his eyes sweeping softly over my face. “I’m going to go back over to the panel and see if there’s anyone else we can call. I talked to the front desk but I want everyone to know.”
As I’m about to tell him, ‘Do what you can to get us the heck out of here,’ the elevator plunges sharply.
I screech. It drops only inches, but feels like a mile.
The jolt causes Cal to drop to his knees, while also grabbing hold of me. “Cal. I can’t do this! We are going to die! This isn’t—”
His attention is back on me. “It’s gonna be okay.”
I’m hysterical now, shaking my head wildly. “It’s not! This box is going to plunge to the ground, and our bodies will be splattered all over these walls.”
“That’s an unpleasant thought.” Amusement crosses his lips.
“Cal! I’m serious!”
“I have no doubt.”
“You have to help me!” Panic claws at me as I desperately scan the surroundings, searching for a lifeline. Everything is more intense. The darkness, the gold handrail, the light from his phone. All of it is swallowing me whole.
“What can I do? Tell me.” His whole expression changes when he sees how serious I am. But there is only one thing I need.
My lifeline.
Him.
Him close to me again with his arms around me, his chest up against mine, I want his lips—
Then it hits me.
“Kiss me.”
His head jerks back. “What?”
“Kiss me. Now.” I reach for him, but he grabs my wrists, stopping me.
“I am not going to kiss you now. We have to get you calm—”
“Do it.”
He drops my hand and backs away. “No.”
“Yes. It will work. A distraction.”
“NO! I’m warning you, Sheridan.”
“Do it! Or so help me God, I will tell Denny that you left me panicking on the floor and did nothing to—”
“Oh, screw it.”
Faster than the bullets in his gun can travel, his lips are on mine.
And Oh. My. God.
I wanted this, yet was completely unprepared. This kiss is unlike anything I’ve experienced.
Ever.
My breath, stolen. The world—being trapped in this box—forgotten. As his mouth moves over mine, the world narrows to his breath, his pull, and the quiet hum of my feelings. A hum I know now only he can stir. When he finally pulls back, I’m breathless, trembling, and everything inside me relaxes.
With a swift movement, he sits, pulling me close against his hard body; my skin tingles from his touch. We connect, stare, and share a silent understanding.
There is no doubt we both want the same thing.
Before I can stop myself, I straddle his lap, as the heat of his body zips through me, melting my anxieties away. His hand curls around my head as his fingers thread through my curls, tugging gently. “I love your hair,” he breathes out.
I’m pretty sure I’m going to black out.
Then, he hesitates, his eyes lingering on my lips, a rush of anticipation in their depths before leaning in. “Rose,” he says against my mouth, as he inches slowly.
My dear Lord, I love it when he says my name.
It’s both a plea and permission.
Which I gladly give him.