Page 44 of Broken Boss

The door to my bedroom is slightly ajar. I see her hesitate for a second before touching the handle. A rush of hot adrenaline goes through me at the thought of Autumn in my bedroom.

On my bed.

Legs spread beneath me.

Shaking the thought off, I look over her shoulder as she pushes the door open.

Frank, snuggled into a tight ball on my bed, looks up as if we’ve interrupted his nap.

“Frank!”

His tail thumps against the navy comforter. Autumn is blushing, biting her lip with her arms crossed. It’s adorable, and I can’t help the deep laugh that escapes me.

“It’s fine, really. Probably one of the better bedmates I’ve had.”

She lets out a little huff. “I don’t want him to feel too at home.” Her narrowed eyes dart back to the dog, who’s tucked his head back into his paws and has his eyes half open.

“Jealous?” I ask with a grin.

She glares up at me. In her flats, I’ve got a few inches on her. We’re still in the doorway, and I can’t help looming forward, wanting to see if…

There it is. That shiver that straightens her shoulders, arches her breasts toward me.

So I’m not the only one still affected. Good to know.

“Can we talk for a minute?”

The words slip out and I’m immediately ticked off at myself. Why would I ruin this moment?

Her smile drops away, a suspicious look on her face. “O-kay.”

We head back to the kitchen where I offer her a coffee, which she turns down with a scrunched nose. Thinking back to the first day we met, I ask with a sly smirk, “Hot chocolate?”

The blush that colors her cheeks gives her away. She shifts uncomfortably on the high stool before giving in with a roll of her eyes.

“I highly doubt you have hot chocolate here. This house is like a museum.”

Trying to ignore the arrow right to my heart, I reach into a ceramic container and pull out a packet of luxury hot chocolate mix. Autumn’s face brightens immediately, her eyes questioning.

“Nieces and nephew, remember?”

She tries to suppress her pleasure, but can’t, and I grin openly as I start my coffee and heat up milk for the hot chocolate.

“So…how old are your nieces and nephew?”

“Well, my older brother has two daughters—Eva and Roux. Roux is only a few months old, so she skips the hot chocolate. My younger brother has a son. Milo. He’s a little over a year old. Eva is the hot chocolate hound, if I’m being honest.”

I pass the mug over and she smiles, wrapping her hands around it for the warmth.

“I didn’t realize. You don’t have any pictures of them at the office, and you haven’t mentioned them before.”

I shrug my shoulders uncomfortably. “Yeah. I like to keep work and family separate. Makes things easier.”

Autumn’s eyes suddenly get a faraway look. She sits up, holding the mug close, almost protectively.

“So what did you want to talk about?”

The change of topic and hard edge to her voice take me by surprise. One hand on the cool countertop, I look at her closely. It doesn’t matter how intimate we’ve been; I still can’t figure out Autumn Cavendish.

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