Page 101 of Unexpected Hero

When the moment gets too intense, I blink to clear my head. “I was just kidding. Dante had me complete my employment paperwork in his office, and he talked about the expectations he had of his staff. Stuff like that. Totally innocent.” I raise my free hand up like I’m taking an oath. “I promise.”

James shakes his head repeatedly and licks his lips. His demeanor shifts into something softer and more playful. “Of course. I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“For almost breaking the desk on your first night here.”

He gives me a lopsided grin, and my panties flood.

The comforting vibe we’ve developed in our time together slowly returns. “Is this going to be a frequent problem? Should I alert management of the need to reinforce the carpentry? Perhaps replace it with steel?”

His chuckle is low, quiet, and utterly arousing. “That’s unnecessary. I’m good now. I’m just a little protective over you.”

I let my eyes dance. “Are you? I hadn’t noticed.”

He moves a step closer to me. “You know I am.”

I inch closer to him, brushing my arm against his. “Yes, I suppose I do.”

“How are your toes?”

“A little sore, but I stayed off them like the doctor told me to.”

“Being a good girl, huh?”

Unable to stop myself, I nibble my lip, loving how it draws his attention. “Uh-huh.”

He rolls his shoulders back and averts his eyes. “Did you have any questions so far? Anything I can answer for you?”

I have a million questions. None of them about my actual job, and all of them about his activities here.

“Nope.”

Awkward silence.

“Oh. I saw your last name on the contact list, though, Mr. Harris.”

“Yep. That’s me.”

“My last name is Holt. And I don’t know why I’m bringing that up.”

“I already knew that from when we went to the urgent care.”

“That makes sense. This is some great small talk, huh?”

He bites his lower lip, holding back a grin. “Okay, I’ll let you continue training. I’ll send Freya back.”

My stomach leaps into my throat at the idea of him leaving. Not because I’m afraid to be alone, but because I don’t want him to go back there. “What are you going to do?”

“I’ll help monitor the floor. If I stay up here much longer, I’m going to do something reckless.”

A rascally smirk settles on my face. “Well, if you’re going to be reckless, just ensure consent first. And you already know you have that with me, sir.”

In a voice as smooth as silk, he warns, “Don’t call me sir.”

My hand involuntarily cups my stomach to stop the riot of butterflies from making me levitate off the floor. “I thought that was customary for Doms.”

“I’m not your Dom. And you’re not a sub.”

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