“So how long have you lived in New York?” Loch asked, breaking the silence.
“Me?”
“No, the others in the elevator,” he said, grinning and pretending to look around at the empty elevator.
A hot flush crept over her cheeks. “Since college. I’m actually from South Carolina. Very small town. I wanted to get away, though. Not much opportunity there. So I’ve been here about five . . . six years.” Wow. Looking back, it was a little embarrassing. Six years and the best job she had with her computer science degree was tech support? Dang, that was disappointing. “Um, how about you? How long are you in the city for?”
He shrugged. “Until I grow weary of it, I suppose.”
“Ah.” Must have been nice to not have to worry about money. New York wasn’t exactly the cheapest place to just hang about. “And you’re like, Griffin’s cousin, right?” She’d met him once, at a party. “Isn’t he an earl? Does that make you a duke?”
He looked down at her, frowning slightly. “Bellissime only gives out titles to the royal family, and I’m actually a baron. Why?”
She shrugged. She had the vague impression he wasn’t too keen on discussing himself. “Baron sounds kind of badass. Do you get anything cool with that title?”
His smile tugged up again. “Just a coat of arms.”
“Oh man, your own coat of arms. I’d be throwing that shit on everything.” She grinned. “Personal checks, phone case, you name it.”
Loch laughed. “It’s really quite ugly.”
“Doesn’t matter. It’s just badass that you have one.” He made a sound in his throat that sounded like vague agreement, and she winced. “Am I making you uncomfortable? I can shut up at any point.”
“It’s fine.”
“You can back out at any time, you know. No hard feelings.”
His smile remained but his brows drew together. “Are you trying to get rid of me, Taylor?”
“No! Not at all! I’m just saying that if you ran away screaming at the sight of my Doctor Who decorating theme, I wouldn’t blame you.”
This time, his laugh was genuine. “Forewarned is forearmed. I promise not to scream in too much horror.”
“You say that now, but wait until you see it.” The elevator dinged, signaling her floor, and she got out, pulling her keys from a clip in her pocket. “I have to warn you that I wasn’t expecting company and I’m a bit of a slob.”
“As long as you don’t make me sleep on the floor, I’m sure it’ll be charming.”
“You can’t sleep on the floor. That’s where I keep all my laundry.”
He laughed again, and she moved to her apartment door quickly. She was down at the end of the hall, and she prayed like heck none of her neighbors would come out and see her with a man—
Actually, scratch that. If they saw her with Loch? She was pretty sure they’d be high-fiving her for her excellent taste in hookups.
But then the door was open and it didn’t matter. Taylor mentally steeled herself, hoping her apartment wasn’t as bad as she remembered. “Come on in.”
She stepped inside and breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn’t nearly as bad as she’d suspected. Most of her laundry was piled on one end of the futon that doubled as an extra bed for when a friend slept over. She was a little messy, but not too untidy. Her bed was unmade, but that didn’t matter. It wasn’t like they weren’t going to wreck it shortly anyhow. “Home sweet home.”
Loch, however, looked shocked. “This is your place?” He stepped inside and rubbed his jaw.
“Um, yup. Is that bad?”
“It’s rather . . . small.”
She gazed around her place, trying to see it through his eyes. It was a wee bit crowded, but she was only one person. The futon was along one wall, the TV hanging on the wall on the opposite side of the room. Her bed was along the windows and in the corner next to the bed was her computer desk, set up with both of her laptops. Directly to the left of the door was her small kitchen (okay, really just a cabinet or two and a microwave and sink) and next to that, the bathroom. All in all, she felt she made pretty good use of the four hundred square feet. “Well, anything under two grand a month doesn’t get you much in the city. How much is the place you’re renting?”
Loch’s brows drew together. “I’m . . . not sure.”
She shrugged. “Might want to ask before the price tag takes you by surprise.”
“I should,” he murmured, slowly walking farther into her apartment. He rubbed his chin again, gazing around him.
This was getting uncomfortable. “You want a drink? I have some bottled water.” She would have offered him a snack but she suspected he wouldn’t be into the Cup Noodles that was her staple.
He shook his head and held a hand out to her. “I’m being a rubbish guest. My apologies.”
She shut the door behind her and locked it, then set her backpack down. “It’s okay. It is small. It took some getting used to when I moved here. You can get an entire house in South Carolina for what I pay for this shoebox. Sometimes I think I should go back.”
Loch sat down on the edge of her bed and then leaned back on her covers. “Well, for what it’s worth, I’m glad you’re here.”
Oh, god. The sexiest man alive was lying back on her bed. Her. Bed. “Me, too,” she breathed. She licked dry lips and moved toward her computer desk, setting her phone down. The moment she did, she accidentally tapped the mouse and her computer screen unlocked, displaying her email tab, which she’d left up. Sixty-one new messages. Sigmund’s name was on every single message she could see.
The sick feeling in her stomach returned.
“Everything all right?” A warm hand caressed hers.
Taylor looked over at Loch. He was so sexy and so delicious and so . . . here. She’d never get this chance again. And Sigmund was going to be pissy and weird about everything anyhow, so what did she have to lose? Nothing. She pushed aside her worries and laced her fingers with his. “Just some stupid shit that can wait for tomorrow.”
“Then come sit down with me.”
And because her mama didn’t raise no fool, she did. Taylor gingerly sat on the edge of her bed, a little uncertain because she wasn’t used to giant, sexy beasts sprawling all over her twin bed.
Loch immediately put a hand on her waist and dragged her down onto the bed next to him, until she was flat on her back. His big body was on its side and he gazed down at her, a thoughtful look on his face. “You’re not getting shy on me, are you?”