Free Rush of Innocence (Rush Series #1) by LR Potter Page B

done earlier in the night. Her breath
caught in her throat as she caught a glimpse of a panicked, near naked Rush, as
the doors slid blessedly closed.
    Because
of the way she’d hit the buttons, the elevator stopped at every floor. She
hurried out the elevator doors into the lobby. Shame colored her cheeks as she
walked out carrying her shoes. She could only imagine how she looked. She
avoided direct eye-contact with anyone she passed, humiliated at her obvious
walk of shame. She raised a hand to smooth her hair back into place and strove
to regain some control. She shivered against the cold when she stepped out into
the late night air and thought briefly of Sundra’s wrap lying across the chair upstairs. She walked quickly back down the sidewalk
that she’d previously walked on happily just hours before.
    She
stopped trying to rein in the tears. Her chest burned with hurt from his
rejection. More than anything, she wished she wouldn’t have stopped him… not
told him. She entered the lobby of her own building and stood with her head
bowed at the elevator doors, praying they’d open quickly.
    She
gasped when a hand whirled her around. An angry Rush Drayton stood before her.
    “What
the hell are you doing?”
    A sob
broke free from her lips, further cementing her shame. With an oath, he
gathered her against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. “Don’t… just
don’t,” he whispered against her hair.
    “Please
let me go,” she begged as she struggled to contain her scattered emotions.
    The
elevator doors pinged their opening. He ushered her into the car. “Which
floor?” he murmured.
    She
shook her head. “Please just go,” she sobbed.
    “Which
floor?” he demanded between clenched teeth.
    “Ninth,”
she uttered as tears streaked unheeded across her cheeks.
    It
seemed to take forever to reach the ninth floor. He led her out and stopped.
    “Which
condo?” he asked gruffly.
    Trying
to shake off his arms, she cried, “Please just go. You’ve done your gentlemanly
duty. You can certainly sleep well tonight.”
    With
a deep sigh, he murmured, “I promise you’ll thank me later.”
    She
struggled to gain control of her emotions. She panted against the pain of his
presence. With more calm than she felt, she said
quietly, “I’d appreciate it if you’d just go.”
    He
tensed next to her. After several long, agonizing moments, he released her arm
and turned back to the bank of elevators. With her head bowed, she moved
steadfastly down the hall until she reached the condo. She was happy to step
into the empty condo. She untied the dress as she walked. Numbly, she dropped
the shoes and let the dress fall. She turned on the shower as hot as she could
stand it and sank down to the shower floor. No matter how long she sat under
the scorching water, it never could penetrate the deep cold within her.
    She
feigned sleep when Sundra came stumbling in later. As
she lay dried-eyed, she wished more than anything she’d stayed home. Maybe she
did actually need her father’s protection after all.

 

 
    Chapter 4

 
    It was noon before Sundra and her friends rousted themselves out of their beds. Sundra stumbled into the kitchen in dire need of coffee. Trinity was curled up in one
of the padded barstools, nursing her own cup. In the other bedroom, she could
hear the other girls laughing and jumping around. Had she ever been that
carefree? No, her father would never have allowed such exuberance.
    Sundra grabbed a cup from the cabinet and filled it with steaming coffee. As she
stirred in the pre-sweetened creamer, she grinned up at Trinity.
    “So?
How was your dream date yesterday?”
    Trinity
gave her a tight smile. There was no way in hell she was ever going to admit to
anyone what had truly happened. “It was okay, I guess.”
    “Okay? Seriously? I mean, the man is a god!”
    Trinity
cringed at the description, which so closely matched her own assessment.
    “So?
Are you going to see him again?”