Page 10 of Last Minute

Ellie’s cheeks darken with a blush, but her posture on the bed doesn’t look sheepish or embarrassed.

“No enjoyment here. It’s all business.”

I drape my tie over my suit jacket and undo the top button on my shirt. Ellie cocks her head to the side, squinting at me. “You still look too done up to be convincingly incognito with me.”

“Can’t you put on something that’s a little less casual?” I ask, placing my hands on my hips. “Meet me halfway?”

Ellie tips her head back and laughs, a magical sound. The corners of my mouth tip up like they have a mind of their own. I force it back into a flat expression before Ellie looks back at me.

“I didn’t bring anything less casual. Athleisure for days.” She rubs her palms down her thighs, feeling the fabric covering her legs. “I might never go back to pantsuits and skirts now. These leggings are heaven.”

I snort, which makes Ellie laugh. And I want to do it again. I shake my head, trying to dislodge the thought.

“Which brings us back to you,” Ellie says, breaking me out of my thoughts. “We’ll just have to caszh out what you’ve got. Try rolling up the sleeves.”

I shake my head again, feeling ridiculous at this point, but I’ll oblige her. She was correct in her statements of boss and employee. While I’m on this assignment, I technically work for her. Double it up with the fact that she’s royalty and I am not—even though she’s not my princess in any way—what she says goes.

I unbutton and flip up the cuff of one sleeve. As I roll it above my elbow, I look up to find Ellie watching me with pink cheeks and glassy eyes. I bring my arm upright and twist my forearm, making the black ink tattoos from my wrist to elbow ripple and shift.

I clear my throat and start rolling up my other sleeve. Ellie jolts, blinking heavily, her cheeks darkening from a rosy pink to a furious shade of red.

I smirk.

“Is this casual enough for you, Ellie?” I ask as I anchor my sleeve at my elbow. I take a moment and examine the collection of tattoos across my forearms. They’re a permanent reminder of what got me to this point in my life.

Ellie buries her face in a pillow and lifts a hand with her thumb up. “Yup. You’re perfect—uh, perfectly casual.” I hear an awkward choking sound and then laughter.

So much laughter.

And I smile. Big and broad, stretching the skin on my cheeks in a way that’s foreign.

Ellie rolls onto her side, pressing the pillow into the bed. When she gets a grip on her giggles, she sits up and looks at me. “I’m sorry, Erik. I’m not laughing at you; I’m laughing at how ridiculous I’m being.”

“I’ve never had someone react that way to these.” I hold up my arms and twist them, showing off the ink. I’m not ashamed of them. They tell a story—one I might share with Ellie one day—but I keep them buttoned up behind my collared shirts and suit jackets for work. I like to put my most professional foot forward with clients. Some might think that my tattoos make me look tougher, like I could easily defend my clients, but I prefer the sleeper build: unassuming until my skill set is needed, and then wholly unexpected. It’s what seems to work for me, so it’s the way I continue to operate.

“You’re smiling.”

I look away from my ink to Ellie, who has a look on her face I haven’t seen yet—curiosity mixed with wonder. I fight to put my expression into a cool neutral.

“No,” she says softly. “I like it. You don’t have to stop because of me.”

I nod, but my expression has already returned to its default.

“Well, anyway, uh,” Ellie fumbles over her words. “I’d say you are sufficiently casual.” Her eyes drift to my tattoos again. “So, yeah.”

A blooming warmth in my chest nestles alongside my heart. I know I shouldn’t let myself think about Ellie like this, but her unintentional approval sparks more than a little interest.

“Now that I’m ‘sufficiently casual,’ what is the itinerary for the rest of your trip? Normally, I’d have already gone over all this information with a client before taking on the assignment, but everything about this is out of the ordinary.”

Ellie’s face immediately sobers, the last vestiges of her embarrassment melting away. “I didn’t have a lot planned, actually. I booked my flights and my hotel and figured I’d wing it when I got here.”

“You thought you’d wing it?”

“I was supposed to be here with one of my friends, not some stranger.” I raise an eyebrow and she shrugs. “What? I didn’t know you until a few hours ago. Would you prefer ‘previously unencountered man?’”

Alright, she’s got me there. I nod, encouraging her to continue.

Ellie’s eyes drop to her hands. “I got into a bit of a pickle due to having an excessive number of plans. And the loss of those plans is why I’m here now.” She shrugs again. “I figured I’d give the ‘fly by the seat of your pants’ method a try for once.”

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