Nina froze, the phone still resting on speaker against the bedsheet. A sudden, intense heat rushed straight up her neck, flooding her cheeks with a deep, furious crimson.
She snatched the phone off the mattress and pressed it close to her ear as if that could somehow hide her burning face from him… though she knew perfectly well he couldn't see her through the line. Her heart hammered against her ribs, each beat a reminder of how easily he could unsettle her.
"Well... obviously I called for Ethan," she stammered, her voice swinging into a defensive, slightly high-pitched register that she immediately regretted. The words tumbled out too quickly, betraying her flustered state. "I explicitly asked for him, didn't I? Why would I be calling a workaholic at seven in the evening just to chat?"
