Nine Months. Beverly Barton

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      A fluttering, quivering sensation began in the depths of her femininity. It quickly spread through her entire body, and she became embarrassingly aware that the man lying beneath her was aroused. His hardened sex pulsated against her.

      She rolled off his chest and onto the floor beside him. “Are you all right?” she asked, her voice deceptively calm. She shook like a leaf in the wind.

      Jared stared up into the woman’s big brown eyes, concern evident in her gaze as well as her voice. She hovered over him, her large, round breasts almost touching his chest. God, she was gorgeous.

      “Fine.” He sat up too quickly and groaned.

      “You’re hurt.”

      “I said I’m fine. How about you?”

      “Okay, I guess.” She wriggled against him. “What happened?”

      “Well, I’d say the power went out.” He rubbed his forehead, then ran his hand across his stinging cheek. “Ouch.”

      “What is it?” In an effort to see what was wrong with him, she leaned too close and her breasts brushed his arm.

      His body tightened even harder. “I think I bruised my cheek when we fell. No big deal. Are you sure you’re all right?”

      She scooted away from him. “I’m perfectly all right, thank you. Just…well, just a little unnerved.”

      “Yeah, sure. Having an elevator go dead in mid-descent is enough to unnerve anybody.” Jared placed his Stetson on his head, then stood up slowly. Glancing down at the woman on the floor, he held out his hand.

      Paige stared at his hand—an obvious offer of assistance—and hesitated.

      “You are the most cautious woman I’ve ever met,” the man said. “Come on.” He wiggled his fingers back and forth. “I promise I won’t bite you.”

      “I didn’t think you would.” Her cheeks flushed. Retrieving her purse off the floor with one hand, Paige reached up with the other. She allowed him to help her stand, then immediately took a careful step backward.

      The stranger grinned. The bottom fell out of her stomach. Turning his back to her, he checked the telephone.

      “No answer,” he told her.

      They both checked their cell phones. No service.

      “Isn’t there any other way to get help?” she asked. “How will anyone know we’re in here?”

      Noting the slight panic in her voice, Jared tried to reassure her. “Hey, there’s nothing to worry about. The minute the power went out, the emergency generators kicked in to keep the lights and the ventilation working. The maintenance crew should have things going again pretty quickly.”

      “But it’s Friday evening. Don’t you think everyone who works in this building has gone home?”

      “No. There should be at least one maintenance man on duty twenty-four hours a day.”

      “What if the outage isn’t just in the Wellman Building?”

      “There’s no way to know,” he said. “But one way or another, we’ll get out of here, so stop worrying, honey.”

      Jared stood quietly for a while, silently fidgeting and trying not to look at the woman. But when he glanced at her, he noticed her actions mimicked his.

      “Are you sure the air is circulating in here?” She tugged on the collar of her suit jacket. “It feels awfully warm to me.”

      “The air-conditioning probably isn’t on, if that’s what you mean,” Jared said. “But the air ventilation is working just fine. Relax, honey.”

      “Would you please not call me honey.” The woman glared at him, her chin tilted defiantly, as if she were a schoolmarm scolding a naughty little boy.

      “Sorry, but since I don’t know your name—”

      “Paige. My name is Paige.”

      “Hello, Paige.” He smiled and held out his hand. “I’m Jared.”

      Paige stared at his hand, but this time she didn’t accept it. Instead she crossed her arms over her waist and tapped her fingers up and down on her elbows. Glancing around the elevator, she sought a means of escape. She couldn’t stay here any longer, trapped inside this tomb.

      She unbuttoned the top two buttons of her suit jacket, clutched her throat and took a deep breath. She couldn’t fall apart. Not in front of this stranger. After all, they weren’t in any real danger. They had air and light, and sooner or later someone would rescue them. Sooner, she hoped. “Jared, please find a way to get us out of here!”

      “I’ll do what I can, hon—Paige. Maybe I can open the doors.” Pressing his hands flat against the metal surface, he positioned his fingertips along the sealed edges and pushed. “We could be stopped right at floor level.”

      “What if we aren’t?”

      “Then we’ll either climb up or step down.”

      “All right.” Forcing a smile, she nodded affirmatively. She’d suffered mild attacks of claustrophobia all her life, but she usually managed to avoid situations that might trigger her problem. Unfortunately, using elevators was a necessity. And if she hadn’t stopped to call and tell her mother about her new job, she wouldn’t be stuck in this elevator—with a rough and rugged cowboy!

      “They’re opening!” Jared pried the doors apart, then cursed under his breath. “It appears we’re trapped between the mezzanine and the first floor. And if I remember correctly, the first floor is about forty feet high.”

      Paige stared at the solid wall behind the open door. “Then we are trapped, aren’t we.” She rung her hands together.

      “We aren’t trapped.”

      “But you said—”

      “Sorry. Poor choice of words. But there’s no reason to panic.” He took a couple of tentative steps toward her.

      Paige backed away from him. “I think I should tell you something.”

      Lifting his eyebrows, he looked quizzically at her. “Let me guess. You’re claustrophobic. Right?”

      “Sort of. But I’m only slightly claustrophobic.”

      “Oh, I see.” Hell, it was just his luck to get stuck in an elevator with a young, nervous and shy woman who was only slightly claustrophobic.

      Paige couldn’t help but notice that Jared’s devastating smile had vanished and been replaced by an intimidating scowl. “I haven’t cried or screamed or anything foolish, but you’re angry with me, aren’t you?”

      “I’m not angry.” He was not angry. He was frustrated. And he had to admit that the thought of dealing with a potentially hysterical woman unnerved him.

      He СКАЧАТЬ