Page 50 of Secret Baby for Dr. Grump

My skin buzzes at the sound of his deep voice. I have a second to wonder if it’s my imagination before I glance toward the door where Luke is standing.

In the flesh. Looking so good that it hurts.

At my lack of response, he cautiously slips in and closes the door with a lock clicking, shutting us out from the rest of the world. My heart picks up speed as his gaze roams over me, then settles on my face. I swallow and finally push down my speechlessness.

“Luke…what are you doing here?”

He’s silent for a while as he just looks at me. Then he clears his throat.

“I saw you earlier. Wearing that…looking like that. You took my breath away, but you were gone just as quickly.”

The way he says it…I can hear his longing. The smile from earlier is gone, replaced by a desire glimmering deep in his gaze. There’s a triumphant feeling inside me that he never looked at the gorgeous woman in white this way, but it’s immediately smothered by the knowledge that they’re still a much better pairing than we can ever be.

“Is that why you followed me?”

His gaze flicks to my mouth at my whisper, then returns to my eyes.

“Yeah.”

I know a lie when I hear one, and this one sends warning bells all over my system. At the same time, it sends a shiver down my spine until I’m consciously taking a step to the side and further away from him. Dismay creeps in my throat when he steps forward, slowly closing the distance between us.

It’s dangerous. But it’s the kind of danger that sparks a thrill within me, the fear not present at all.

“Luke…”

“Date me, Liv. Go out with me.”

My eyes widen. “What?”

“Just us two. Not a playdate with Riley. I want to take you out.”

Is he asking what I think he’s asking?

Dating means intimacy and not just the physical type. Dating means getting to know each other more.

Dating means a potential relationship.

“You’re way older than me. You’re forty-five and I’m twenty-eight.” I blurt it out. “And you’re my boss. You said it yourself—there’s a power imbalance.”

“Are you reminding me of things I already know?”

“No. I’m trying to remind myself why this is a bad idea.” At my words, heat smolders in his eyes. I suck in a breath, desperately trying to find more reasons. “Besides, you can have anyone. Like that woman at the party.”

“She’s my friend. I want to date you.”

I gulp. “You already made up your mind about me and stopped?—”

“And it’s driving me out of my fucking mind.”

Oh, God. “What?”

The smolder in his eyes? It turns into an inferno as he stops inches away from me. Awareness slides in at his presence—at the heat his body emits and how intoxicating his scent is.

“Every time I tell myself I shouldn’t, you’re right there, and I turn crazier. I’m crazy with desire. I’m crazy with need. Liv…I’m crazy with fantasies of my mouth on you and making you feel good. It’s torture not being able to taste you with my tongue.”

Oh. My. God.

It’s not poetry, but it might as well be the most poetic thing I’ve ever heard in my life. A moan escapes my lips when his fingers whisper over my skin, not quite touching but close—and just like that, I can’t take it anymore as I realize I’m fighting a losing battle. I take a deep, shuddering breath and look him in the eye.

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