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students didn’t see things the way I did. Since my father was a respected scientist, I thought he’d understand when I explained I could tell by observation and scent whether or not the chemical composition of my project was correct. But he looked at me just as strangely as my teacher and classmates had. That was when I figured out to keep things like that to myself.”
    “That’s tough.”
    Certainly hadn’t been easy. She was labeled a geek and a loser, and she’d never lost that outcast status. In time, she learned to live with it. Then she’d found out about the Otherworlds, and what a relief that had been. For the first time in her life, she had no longer felt like such a freak, and she’d discovered there were far crazier things out there than a human with a touch of magic.
    Sometimes she wondered if her attraction to Jeffrey had been due to her past status as a social outcast. When he’d first expressed interest in her, it had seemed like a dream. A star surgeon—a man who was popular and widely admired—had wanted her , of all people. Maybe, in a way, he’d been the jock she never got to have in high school.
    And look how well that turned out.
    “You seem far away.”
    Cresso’s softly spoken words startled Genevieve back into the present. “Sorry.”
    “It’s okay. You’ve got a lot to deal with right now.” He turned into the entrance of a large, stately apartment building, one of the swankiest in the posh Mayfair area.
    Genevieve’s mouth dropped open. “You live here ?”
    A ghost of a smile crept to his lips. “Yup.”
    Whoa. She knew he wasn’t a pauper—his Gucci shirts and well-tailored slacks told her that—but she’d had no clue he was this well off.
    He pulled up to a valet station and popped the trunk. A uniformed man approached and opened the door for Genevieve. Now she wished she’d worn more than a plain black sweater and battered old pair of jeans. How low-class of her.
    She fought back her self-consciousness as she slid out of the car. “Thanks.”
    “Ma’am.” The valet hurried across the car and took the keys from Cresso, then retrieved her suitcase from the trunk and handed it to Cresso. “Have a good evening, miss. Dr. Taylor.”
    Not even one curious glimpse her way. Bet he’s used to female visitors spending the night. In fact, if anything about this scenario surprised him, it was probably that there was only one of her.
    “I can carry my own bag.”
    Cresso gave her a dry glance. “I got it.”
    Genevieve opened her mouth to argue, but then thought better of it. One piece of luggage wasn’t worth fighting about. With a shrug, she followed Cresso through the set of glass double doors in front of them. They led into an opulent lobby decorated in burgundy and gold-toned metal inlay.
    A young, sleepy-eyed porter snapped to attention when he saw them. “Good evening, Dr. Taylor.”
    “Evening, Peter.” Cresso gestured toward her. “This is Dr. Russell. She’ll be staying here for a few days.”
    The lecherous glint in Peter’s eyes set her teeth on edge, but when he spoke, all he said was, “Welcome, ma’am.”
    Genevieve followed Cresso into the elevator. When he saw her expression, he arched a brow. “Why the sour face?”
    “Oh, no reason. He was just so charming .”
    Cresso’s airy laugh filled the space in between them, its tenor creating invisible waves that speared her body with arousal. “Wait until you meet the porter who works during the day.”
    “Can’t wait,” she muttered.
    The elevator opened with a ding and Cresso led her out and to the right, where a single door was set into the hallway. She looked behind her. “Only two apartments per floor?”
    “Yes. Gives the flat a secluded feel.”
    And it screamed money. How much are they paying him at Elcorp? Had to be far more than her, or else he was independently wealthy. “How long have you lived here?”
    “Just a few months,” he said without looking back. When he lifted his arm