“What if I refuse to give you your shoes?”
“Then I guess you’ll just get to keep them.”
I spun back to the lift, hoping it would work if I just stepped inside and hit the button. I didn’t want to stand there like an idiot, waiting for him to use the special key. But no, surely that would be a safety hazard.
I didn’t get the chance to find out. A hand caught my wrist and pulled me back around.
“Relax, Ivy, I’m only messing with you.”
“You’re not funny.”
He cocked his head. “So I’ve heard.” There was a teasing in his tone. “Stay. Have a drink with me.”
“Don’t you have plans?”
He shrugged. “Nothing that can’t wait.”
This was what I wanted, wasn’t it? Even if I hadn’t been able to admit it to myself. Ever since he’d dropped me off at the university campus first thing, I’d wanted to be back in his presence again.
“Okay,” I relented.
He nodded and turned, walking deeper into the penthouse. He didn’t ask me what I wanted but went to the wine fridge in the kitchen, selected a bottle of champagne, and popped the bottle open.
“Are we celebrating something?” I asked.
“You being here.”
The heat in my cheeks grew stronger. “Oh, right.”
He poured two glasses and handed one to me. We clinked the glasses together.
“Doany of your family know you’re here?” he asked.
“God, no. They’d lose their shit.”
He chuckled. “Good to know.”
Was this like an extra ‘fuck you’ to my family? He might not even like me, but having me here was worth putting up with my company if it meant pissing off my father and brothers.
I took a sip of the champagne, the bubbles affecting the back of my nose. The liquid was cold and dry, and delicious. I’d have to be careful how much I drank, or I’d lose my inhibitions.
Maybe that was what he wanted.
He gestured for me to sit on his leather sofa.
“Did you manage to get home without anyone asking any questions?”
I nodded. “Yeah, the plan worked. One of the guys at uni was asking some questions, but I managed to brush him off.”
“What guy?” His lips thinned, his eyes hardening.
I shook my head. “No one important.”
Was that jealousy I saw in his expression? No, he had no reason to be jealous. It wasn’t as though there was anything between us. We hadn’t so much as kissed.
“I got a new phone,” I said, trying to change the subject. “I was able to keep my same number.”
“I wouldn’t know what that was.”