The elevator ride to the penthouse was silent except for Alexander's ragged breathing. His hands never left Emily—one tangled in her hair, the other gripping her waist like he was afraid she might dissolve if he let go. The moment the doors opened to their sanctuary, something in him shifted.
The cold, calculating CEO who'd orchestrated the dinner with Julian disappeared, replaced by something raw and almost vulnerable. He pulled Emily inside, then stopped just beyond the threshold, his forehead pressing against hers.
"You have no idea what you did tonight," he breathed. "No idea what it meant to watch you sit there, completely indifferent to him. To see that Julian—charming, strategic Julian—couldn't even make you smile."
His hands framed her face with trembling intensity. "You passed, Emily. You passed every test I didn't even know I was giving you."
