Page 44 of When Hearts Ignite

“Hayley asked me to give these to you. We just prepared a fresh set of analysis on the Scott portfolio,” Grace whispers, her fingers twisting in front of her before clutching the sweater in a death grip. She gnaws on her plump bottom lip again.

My eyes dip to the motion before trailing back up to her gaze. Lifting a corner of my mouth, I rasp, “Nervous?”

Her eyes flare and spark before her lips quirk up into a big grin, no doubt thinking about a similar conversation we had the first time she stepped foot into my office.

“No.” She crosses her arms and stands taller. Definitely an Amazonian disguised as a weakling. “I’m just waiting to see if you have a question for me.”

I smile at her near verbatim response from that first morning when she sat in front of me, determination laced in her voice as she fought to stay composed, to not cower in front of the King of Wall Street.

The organ in my chest thumps harder, pumping the warmth to the rest of my body. A tingle appears at the base of my spine and my breathing comes out in soft pants. I slowly stand, watching her lips part as she looks up at me, towering over her by almost a foot. My fingers trace circles on the binders she placed on the desk just now, fighting an impulse to reach out and haul her toward me.

And what? This is getting ridiculous. Common sense and logic, Steven.

The guilt wars with the desire as I try to shove these unfamiliar sensations back into Pandora’s box. I need to pull away, to put distance between us. It’s the right thing to do.

She’ll understand.

I flinch at the thought, clutching to it like a life vest in the middle of a sinking ship.

She’ll understand.

My fingers clench on to the binders. A muscle pulses in my jaw.

Grace swallows, her enticing mouth still parted, looking too inviting. Too tempting. She lets out a shuddering breath, letting me know I’m not alone in this strange insanity we find ourselves trapped in. She takes an imperceptible step back.

Creating distance. Letting the shutters fall.

It’s smart. It’s logical. It’s rational. It’s what I should do.

But damn if I don’t want to stride around the desk and pull her flush against me so she can’t escape. Then I’ll bury my nose in the crook of her neck and inhale the sweet scent of jasmine and spice, giving my lungs a breath of life. Then I’d beg for forgiveness and tell her to give me one year so I can get the promotion, save Father’s company, and give her a better job offer.

I’m going crazy. The abyss in my chest finally swallowing me whole.

“I-I couldn’t help overhearing just now, before I knocked… Is it your birthday today?”

I nod. My voice is on a hiatus, every nerve ending in my body sizzling, the circuit on the verge of overloading from the barrage of sensations and…emotions scrambling inside me. I can’t even begin to comb through and make sense of them all.

A spark of excitement appears in those gorgeous eyes, and she smiles, showing the whites of her teeth.

My heart skips several beats.

“I want to make a deal.”

The tingles in my spine burgeon into a sharp current and I can’t help myself but lean forward, transfixed by the energy she emanates.

“A deal,” I murmur, watching the pulse fluttering in her neck as she holds herself still as if fighting an impulse to step back.

She nods vigorously. “I’m guessing you don’t have any plans today. It seems like I can’t leave you to your own devices.”

“And what are you going to do about it?”

“I know you won the bet and one of my days is yours. But I’d like a rain check on that. Instead, I’d like to have one of your days.”

My blood heats as I’m reminded of the night I didn’t want to think about, and the strange emotions that coursed through me when I was standing on the stage singing…for her.

My life is about order. Papers stacked neatly in corners. Turning the faucet specifically three times to achieve the optimal level of heat. Making sure I only have one pen of each color on my desk before I start my day. Going to the gym at precisely four a.m. on the dot. Burying myself in my work, my only passion in life.

And she comes barreling in like a wrecking ball, toppling over my carefully constructed routines, teasing out the thoughts nestled in the deepest recesses of my mind, unlocking emotions I thought I didn’t have.

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