My Protector

Chapter 20: Elevator Games

Loren's POV

I took a deep breath as I walked into Killian's building that I had only ever been to a few times. I had the thick manila envelope in my hands as I weaved through the crowd in the lobby.

I rushed into the elevator as the doors were about to close, thankful because I didn't have a badge of my own to let me in. I quietly pressed the button for the top floor but it didn't light up like the rest. I pressed it another time and again, it did not light up. A knot formed in my stomach as I realized not everybody could go up to his floor.

Of course. It only made sense that his floor would be extra secure. I let out a sigh as I stepped away from the buttons, careful not to draw attention to myself. Room in the elevator became larger as everybody stepped off at their respective floors. I leaned against the wall and stared at the buttons trying to figure out how I would get up there. I came here to do one thing and one thing only and of course it was more complicated than I thought.

The elevator started to move down again to pick up another passenger. These elevators are honestly probably the hardest working things in this building. Forget the CEO and everyone else, these elevators were always expected to be ready at everybody's beck and call at any time of the day.

The door opened drawing me away from my nonsense thoughts. I continued to stare at the buttons in front of me and out of the corner of my eye a tall blonde man walked in, a powerful presence following him inside. He just gave off the vibes of importance.

"Excuse me, miss" He spoke and I stepped back, not realizing I was basically blocking the buttons. He pressed the button for the top floor and pressed his finger print to the scanner, my eyes growing larger as I saw the button light up.

I tried so hard to keep my cool as I just realized this man was my saving grace today. Because of him I was going to finish what I came here for. Worried that he might be suspicious of me, I glanced up at him but he was busy on his phone. I closed my eyes with relief that he wasn't staring at me.

The man looked familiar but I couldn't quite pinpoint where I had seen him before. I shook my head as the door opened and he quickly walked out, not even paying me another look. I followed behind as we entered the small and familiar lobby.

"Morning Val" The man spoke as he walked past the desk and straight through the double doors of Killian's office.

I walked up to the receptionist desk and the petite blonde looked up at me with her icy blue eyes. A small smile formed on her glossed lips as she saw who I was. She had to know who I was, she was probably Killian's private investigator. Plus he had sent her photos of me so that she could go shopping for me.

"H-hi Val, Im Lor-"

"Loren! Nice to finally meet you. Mr. East will be pleased to know you're here," She smiled after cutting me off and paused "but he doesn't necessarily like drop ins"

"No it's okay I didn't come here to see him. I just came to drop this off" I placed the manila envelope in front of her and she looked down at it. "Please tell him I don't need it" I spoke again as she picked it up and set it beside her computer.

Clearly confused, she looked up at me again and opened her mouth to say something but before she could, I thanked her and walked over to the elevator. After what seemed like forever, the door opened and I walked in, quickly pressing the button for the lobby. A wave of peace covered me as the door was almost closed but was short lasted as a hand stopped the door, pushing it back open.

I jumped back and my heart raced to a million beats per minute as my eyes made their way from the perfectly polished leather loafers up to Killian's strong jaw line, his lips formed a smirk and his eyes glistened with a hint of mischief.

"Hi Princess," He spoke as he walked into the elevator, the manila envelope that I had just left with Val was in his hand.

My lips formed into a thin line and I tried to look frustrated but the blush creeping up to my cheeks said otherwise. The elevator door had closed and we were already moving down as I watched him press the emergency stop button. We came to a stop and I sighed, closing my eyes. I was THIS close. If I had just been a few seconds faster, he would have missed me and I would already be walking to my car.

"You didn't like my present?" I opened my eyes and saw him holding the envelope up.

"I didn't want it" I shrugged my shoulders and looked down at it.

My answer didn't seem to please him as he scoffed and said nothing for a while, long enough to make me look up at him.

"You left me without a word. No notes, no texts, no phone call. You left me alone, leaving my own imagination to guess why you weren't anywhere to be seen when I got home." His golden eyes pierced into mine, his jaw clenched together. "I went to your house after I saw what was opened on my laptop and you were gone. In a matter of just a few hours you got on a plane and left, no explanation. Do you have any idea how angry that made me?" He growled his last sentence and stepped towards me and I instinctively pushed myself farther back into the cold metal of the elevator wall.

"I'm not mad that you left, I'm not even mad that you were snooping on my laptop. I'm just mad that you didn't tell me. I had to play Sherlock, dammit!" He turned around and hit the wall leaving a small dent in the metal.

"I thought something had happened to you," He whispered and turned back around to face me. His face softened as he studied my own. "And then you come to my building and return my present, not to me but to my assistant." He seemed amused and stepped closer to me again, causing my heart to skip a beat. "You couldn't have thought that you would come here, just steps away from my door without me noticing, do you?" He asked honestly.

I slowly nodded my head and he laughed, taking one final step towards me and took my face with his hand. My left cheek melted into his rough palm and I forgot why I had even come here in the first place.

"Darling, you don't come to the Alpha's den without expecting to see him" he whispered into my ear causing me to shudder. His hand moved towards my hair and his finger tugged on a few strands causing shocks of electricity to run down my neck. "And you do not reject his peace offerings" he held up the envelope and tilted his head.

"I- I didn't want it" I blurted out nervously

"I couldn't tell" He scoffed and stepped back

"Why are you here?" I finally asked, not quite sure where he was going with this temper tantrum.

"I could ask you the same thing" He stared back at me. "Are you trying to play games with me Loren? Can you just tell me what you're thinking instead of coming here to return this without intending to see me? Especially when you know damn well I want to see you. I've been giving you space even though it kills me. So you tell me, why are you here?" He studied my face, waiting for a response.

"I came here to drop that off and leave! But now you have me trapped in this elevator just to yell at me!" My eyes started to tear up. I just wanted to go home. My emotions were swirling inside of me. I couldn't tell what I wanted. One minute I wanted him to kiss me, the other minute I wanted him to leave me and let me go. He had caught me, I basically was playing games as much as I hated to admit it. Ugh.

His face softened as his thumb wiped away a tear that had started to run down my cheek. "Come over tonight. Let me cook for you and we can talk." He spoke softly now. "Please" His eyes now resembled a sad puppy's who was begging its owner for a walk. I could tell I hurt him with my statement but I wasn't lying. I did come here with the sole purpose of returning his "gift".

I let out a sigh and nodded. "Okay" and a small grin formed on his lips.

"I will send Edward to pick you up at 6." He gave me a short kiss on my forehead.

***

Wow, sorry for not updating for long!! I was so busy with the Holidays. I hope you all have a great holiday and spend it with your loved ones! What do we think will happen with Killian and Loren???