Page 59 of When She Falls (The Fallen)
CHAPTER13
GEMMA
“Gemma?”
I blink, snapping out of my trance. Ras is holding the car door open, his hand outstretched, and his expression questioning. He’s probably wondering what’s going through my head. If only he knew.
“We’re here.”
It takes me a moment to process the fact that we’re in an underground parking lot.
“Oh.”
I give him my hand, and his warm grip swallows it for the second it takes me to hop out of the car. Something zings lightly beneath my skin, and I shiver.
“Come on. This will only take a moment.”
I shake out my hand and follow behind him.
As we walk through the lot, we pass by a man with gray hair and a name tag. When he sees Ras, his face breaks into a smile, and he waves. They exchange a few friendly words in Spanish, and Ras laughs at something the man says. The corners of his eyes crinkle, and his whole face lights up.
It’s…devastating.
My heart flips inside my chest.
Jesus Christ. What’s wrong with me? The fact that Ras is handsome has never been lost on me, but I’ve always managed to ignore it. I usually filter that part of him out of my awareness.
The last few days must have broken that filter.
“You coming?”
My head snaps up to see Ras arching a brow at me. “Yep.”
We get to the elevators, and Ras gestures for me to go in first. He uses a fob, presses on the button labeled A, and comes to stand by my side.
“What does the A stand for?”
“Ático.”
“What is that? Penthouse?”
“Yes.”
“Fancy. Have a lot of guests?”
“Used to.”
The elevator moves at a glacial pace, giving me plenty of time to bask in the awkwardness between us. I might no longer hate him, but Ras seems intent on drawing a clear line between us.
I never thought I’d say this, but I miss the banter. It felt far better than this cool indifference.
Ras’s biceps brushes against my arm. His scent fills the tiny space.
Vanilla. Chocolate. Burnt wood.
Something tightens low inside my belly. Why does he have to smell so good?
I roll the hem of my shirt between the tips of my fingers and shoot him a sidelong glance.
