Page 37 of Never Have I Ever

“You were?” he asks, hovering in my vicinity. I only just turn my head to catch a brief glimpse of him through the corners of my eyes before turning my attention to the veggies in the fridge. “How far did you get in your planning?”

“Not very since you’re doubling my pay.” I wait with a grin I won’t be able to restrain more than a few seconds.

Three.

Two.

“What was that about your pay?”

With grapes in my hand, I casually turn to put them on the counter. “You wanted me to stay earlier, so I accept since you’ve doubled my pay, effectively putting your money where your mouth is. But I also have a condition.” Bobbing my head, I laugh. “Other than amnesia.”

“And when did I supposedly do this?” Scratching the back of his neck, he clenches his jaw. It’s a habit of his that I’m not upset at all about.

My full attention deviates to the two lines between his brows when he clears his throat, though. How does he manage to make confusion look sexy? And is it weird to want to lick that spot until it’s relaxed again? Probably.

Forcing myself to look away, I laugh, feeling better than I have in days. “I’m only here until my car gets fixed, remember?”

“I don’t love it, but that’s fair.” He plucks a grape and pops it in his mouth before leaning back on a nearby counter, his smile traveling to mine. “Revisiting the earlier on-and-off comment, some consider banter a form of foreplay.”

I burst out laughing but then realize I could do anything I want with him under this NDA, and it will remain a secret. Why am I so devious? I can’t. I shouldn’t. I need to shut this down before it gets out of hand, and I end up in his bed breaking my golden rule of no sleeping with clients.

Waggling my hand between us, I add, “I think you’ve forgotten about the contract. I’m not supposed to talk to you, much less joke around like this. Throw in the fact that there’s an ironclad NDA in place, and we’re toast.”

“You signed an NDA to work with me? What did they think I would say to you?” he asks, his palms pressed to the countertop.

“I signed an NDA to work for you. And I’m pretty sure they were more worried about what I would do or say about you. It’s standard procedure.”

We’ve come a long way. This feels so normal between us. I like it. He makes the job a lot more interesting. “I’m no notary, but we can always add clauses and exceptions.”

When his grin grows, he chuckles and says, “Sounds like you’re staying.”

Throwing my arm toward the lake, I reply, “Judging by the amount of snowfall, it doesn’t look like I have a choice. But only until I can get my car fixed.”

“Got it. You’re leaving as soon as you can. Not even the double pay could talk you into staying.” He turns to gaze outside, giving me a chance to study his profile. A confident smile remains, but a boyish charm has taken over his demeanor.

It’s then that I realize if I’m not careful with Laird, I’ll be breaking more than a contract. I’ll be breaking my golden rule.

13

Poppy

“Why are you isolating yourself from the rest of the world?”

“I’m not isolated. You’re here.” His right cheek quirks upward.

“Ha. For real, though. Personal? Business?” I lift an eyebrow in teasing suspicion. “Escaping the law?”

Since we’re leaning against opposite counters, our feet are crossed at the ankle next to each other’s. It’s been pleasantly casual and easy to spend time with him since we manage to get over the initial hiccups of this relationship. He replies, “I’m pretty sure they’d find me if I were hiding from the law. This is my parents' house after all.”

“If it’s their house, where are they? Hmm?” I laugh because even though I know he’ll have a reasonable explanation, it was the perfect setup for a gotcha moment.

“San Diego.” Unexpected once again just like his foot that occasionally taps into me. He’s been playing it off. I’ve been pretending not to notice. I think it’s on purpose, but whatever this is, it’s been nice to get to know him.

I stop from plopping the grape in my mouth. “Are you really going to make me ask every last question? You can offer up the answer on your own, you know?”

Crossing his arms over his chest, he chuckles. “I know. It’s more fun this way, though.”

My eye roll practically bruises the socket on that spin. “By the way, this is totally against the contract I signed, so I’m going to need you to rip that up so we can continue the fun.”

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