Page 99 of The Romance Library

‘Yeah?’ I asked. Only because I knew we were supposed to be keeping our distance.

‘Yes. We have to be realistic. Like I said earlier, we’ve tried several times to fight the attraction and it’s not working. So maybe we should just go with it. Set realistic boundaries. This presentation is important to both of us, so during the day, we stay focused and work. Then after hours we hang out as the kids say.’

‘Okay.’ I nodded. ‘Let’s hang out. Maybe we shouldn’t the day before the presentation as we’ll both need a clear head, but for the next seven days or so I think we’ll be fine.’

I wanted to ask what would happen after the presentation, but one step at a time. We could discuss that at a later date. Right now I was happy to have an all-access pass to Theo’s body.

‘Deal,’ he confirmed.

It probably wasn’t the smartest decision I’d made, but as Theo rolled over and pressed his hard body against mine, all thoughts of the consequences evaporated.

And I wasn’t even sorry about it.

32

Theo

‘Good morning.’ Glenda raised her eyebrow as I reached the bottom of the stairs. I was hoping I could slip out to the bakery to get breakfast without bumping into her, but no such luck.

‘Morning,’ I said cheerily.

‘Did you sleep well?’ She grinned.

‘Yes, thanks. You?’

‘Well, I did, until I was woken up by some very strange banging noises. Sounded like the ceiling was about to cave in!’

The corner of her mouth twitched. She knew exactly what had caused the disturbance, but I wasn’t about to confirm it.

‘Sorry to hear that you were woken up. Hope your ceiling’s okay.’

‘Funny thing was, there was more banging this morning. Lots more.’

‘Interesting.’ I smiled, still giving nothing away.

‘I’m not one to gossip about what guests do here, but it’s just the ceilings and the beds I’m worried about. Things are a little tight, and let’s just say I don’t have the funds for replacements right now.’

‘Ah.’ I nodded, thinking that explained why everything was so dated. Glenda didn’t have the budget for renovations. ‘I see your predicament. Well, might I suggest that if any ceilings, or beds, are broken, whoever is responsible pays for it. That’s only fair.’

Her eyes widened like the thought hadn’t even occurred to her.

‘I couldn’t do that. Could I?’

‘I think in this case, it would be fine. And you know, Glenda, if you ever need any help around here—if you need something to be fixed—I’m very good with my hands.’

‘So I heard!’ She chuckled. ‘I’m sure young Jess would agree!’

‘I don’t know what you mean,’ I said innocently, trying to stop my face breaking into a smile. ‘Have a good day.’

‘You too! And give my regards to Jess. So glad to see you two getting it on—I mean, getting along—better.’

I smiled and waved.

With the amount of fucking Jess and I had done in the past twenty-four hours, it was inevitable Glenda would’ve heard us. We’d tried to keep away from each other, but it was out of our control. There was an unstoppable magnetic force pulling us together. Resistance was futile.

That was why I was glad that Jess was happy for us to continue seeing each other until the night before the presentation.

It might make me more productive. Instead of getting distracted by trying to suppress my feelings, now I could focus on work knowing that at the end of the day we’d get to spend proper time together.

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