The elevator doors closed with a quiet click. I was trapped in a tiny space with Malakai Thorne. He did not look at me. He just stood there, looking at the floor numbers as they changed.
He was so tall that he made the whole elevator feel small. He smelled like expensive wood and cold rain. It was a smell that made my heart race.
"You have a lot of courage, Queen," Malakai said. His voice was low, like a growl. "But courage can be dangerous. You shouldn't have stopped my elevator."
"I don't like being pushed," I said. I stepped closer to him. I wanted him to see that I wasn't scared. "And I don't like being told what to do by a man who doesn't even know my last name."
Malakai turned his head slowly. He looked at me with dark, hungry eyes. He stepped toward me until I was pushed against the cold metal wall of the elevator. He put his hand on the wall next to my head.
"I don't need to know your name to know that you are shaking," he whispered. He leaned down until his lips were almost touching my ear. "Your body knows who is in charge here, even if your mouth doesn't."
I wanted to push him away, but my hands wouldn't move. The heat coming off his body was making me feel weak.
"I am not shaking because of you," I lied.
"Liar," Malakai rasped. He reached out and grabbed my waist. His grip was firm and possessive. He pulled me closer until I could feel every hard muscle of his chest against me.
For a second, the world stopped. There was no office, no city, and no money. There was only the heat of his hand on my skin and the way he looked at me—like he wanted to own me forever.
The elevator stopped. Ding.
Malakai let go of me and stepped back. He looked perfectly calm, but his eyes were still dark.
"My office. Now," he said. "We have a lot to talk about, Queen."