Page 67 of Dear Grumpy Boss

Holding my breath, I watched it slip even farther.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” she whispered.

“Because—” I squeezed my eyes shut. What was I doing?

“Do you…?” She placed a hand on my chest, over my pounding heart. “Why are you here?”

I opened my eyes, taking in the beautiful girl I should have stayed miles away from. That was a habit too. Whatever attraction I felt for Elise had been locked down tight for years.

Until now.

Nothing I did changed it.

Every time I saw her, it grew.

“I want you and pretending I don’t doesn’t make it go away. I fucking want you, Elise.” My jaw was so tense my declaration came out tight and angry.

She sucked in a breath, her fingers curling into my chest. “You’re an asshole.”

“I know that. And wanting you is impossible, but there it is. I know you feel it.”

Her chin went up. Defiant. Just how I liked it. “This will never work, you know.”

“I know that. But we need to burn this…whatever this is between us. We have to burn it out.”

Her brows winged. “Get it out of our systems?”

I took her face in my hands, rubbing my thumb along the cleft in her chin. “Exactly.”

“While we’re here?” she whispered.

“Only while we’re here.”

She rose on her toes, her mouth brushing mine. “I should say no.”

My lips twitched. “You absolutely should.” Then I slipped my fingers into the back of her hair and fisted it. “But you won’t because I know you feel it too.”

“You don’t know anything,” she hissed, leaning into me.

“I know I’m going to make you come until you scream.”

She shook her head. “No.”

I tugged her hair again. “No? Don’t deny me.”

Her lips ghosted across mine, and on the second pass, her tongue dragged lightly along my bottom lip. “The thing is, I don’t scream when I come.”

“Mmm.” I caught her lip with my teeth, tugging gently. “I remember exactly how sweet you sound when you come. But I think I can do better when there’s no one around to hear.”

She shoved at me, but not hard enough to make me think she meant it. “I’m mad at you. You know that, right?”

“I’m mad at you too.” I tipped her head back, licking a long line from her clavicle to her earlobe. “Still harder than I’ve ever been in my life. Still need to fuck you before I commit violence to rid myself of this insanity.”

“Is it so insane to be attracted to me?” she asked in a shaky whisper.

“The way I am, yes. You have no idea what goes through my head when I’m around you.” I sank my teeth into the tendon along her neck, sending shudders through her body. “When I see you, I want to eat you alive, spank you, suck your soft spots until I’ve marked every one of them.”

She let out a breathless moan, her head lolling back. “I’m all soft spots, West.”

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