Dan followed her up the stoop, and Harper turned to look at him. They lingered outside her door for a beat too long, alternating between stolen glances and staring at their feet.
Dan knew this marked the definitive end to any real reason for them to spend time together, and a sharp pang of dread punched at his ribs.
Harper fiddled with her keys but didn’t move to go inside, and Dan clung to the hope that maybe she didn’t want the night to end either.
He pushed the hair off his forehead and let out a deep breath, watching the puff of mist it created.
“So, what are you studying for tonight?” he asked.
“Advanced pathology,” she answered automatically. “You?”
“This week is immunology … I think. It’s hard to keep track,” he said, dragging a hand across the back of his neck. “Pretty overwhelming.”
“It’s like drinking from a fire hose.”
Dan chuckled, but his heart sank. He felt the conversation ebbing, and he scrambled for the best way to ask to see her again.
“Do you want to come upstairs?” Harper practically shouted the words at him, and he blinked at her in surprise.
“To study,” she added quickly. “I can make … coffee. Or something.” She looked up at the sky like she was begging for help.
“Coffee would be great,” he said, trying to control the spark of happiness that ignited in his chest.
Harper’s eyes flicked to his face, and she nodded. She jammed her key into the lock, and Dan noticed the shakiness of her hands. Her whole body seemed to be vibrating.
She opened the door, and they walked across the foyer to the elevator. They waited for it in tense silence, Harper tracing random patterns on the floor with the toe of her shoe.
The energy between them shifted dramatically, and Dan worked to keep his own body still. He refused to walk into her apartment with any assumptions. Even if this turned out to be the world’s most platonic late-night coffee, it still meant more time with Harper. But he couldn’t completely ignore the hope that it would be something … more.
The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. Harper stepped aside, letting him go in first.
“It’s a bit small,” she said, following him in.
That was an understatement. The elevator was ancient and almost comical in its tininess, so narrow they couldn’t stand next to each other. Harper stood in front of him, and his body became hyperaware of hers. Each of his cells strained to touch her.
She pushed the button for the fourth floor and let out a shaky breath. Harper’s warm scent filled the space, making him want to breathe in every inch of her. She felt like an energy, a force that invaded his senses.
“It’s, um, slow,” she said, staring up at the old dial showing the elevator’s rise. Dan looked at the graceful curve of her neck and decided he wouldn’t care if the elevator stopped altogether.
“I don’t mind,” he murmured, tilting his head to say the words closer to her ear. He watched her swallow and saw the pulse fluttering at the base of her throat. Her breathing picked up, and Dan’s blood heated as he imagined how the little puffs of breath would feel against his skin.
The air stilled, and everything paused. Harper closed her eyes, and the tension in her muscles hinted at the battle raging in her mind. Dan felt a decision pressing against them, filling the space between their bodies.
Harper let out a breath and leaned, almost imperceptibly, into him. A featherlight touch of her back to his chest.
Electricity shot down his spine, and he stiffened at the thought of touching her. Pressing himself to her. Pushing her up against the wall and dragging his lips down her neck, feeling the short waves of her black hair between his fingers.
The elevator dinged again, and the sound made them both jump. Harper bolted out and down the hall as soon as the doors opened.
Dan scrubbed his hands over his face and through his hair, feeling like his brain had short-circuited, making it impossible to move. Being half-hard didn’t help his situation, and he willed his dick to stand down as he followed her.
Dan’s lust-muddled nerves knotted into apprehension, and he considered coming up with an excuse to leave. Not because he didn’t want to spend more time with Harper, but because he couldn’t get a clear read on her, and the last thing he wanted was her feeling uncomfortable.
She stopped at a door near the end of the hall and flipped through her keys before unlocking it.
With her hand on the knob, she turned to look at him, squinting one eye and scrunching up the rest of her face.