Page 167 of When The Night Falls

‘Still, can we agree not to confirm anything to her?’

‘I never tell Ellie anything at all regarding my private life,’ he said. ‘She’s a darling, but her tongue is a tad too loose.’

‘My thoughts exactly. Glad we’re on the same page.’

Descending into his chair, he smiled up at me. ‘Was that all?’

I paused for a moment, thinking. ‘Yes, I think so.’

‘Right. Let’s get started on work then, shall we?’

‘Yes.’

§ § §

At quarter past five, I had finished everything on my to-do list.

‘I’ve done everything you asked me to,’ I said to William. ‘Am I free to leave or do you need me to stay longer?’

Glancing in my direction, he smiled. ‘You’re free to leave. Though, before you do...’

‘Yes?’

‘Practical question,’ he said while his gaze remained fixed on the screen of his desktop Mac.

‘Yes?’

He tilted his head from side to side, and I marvelled at how handsome he looked even while doing normal human things like that. What was wrong with me? The sight of him cocking his head from side to side shouldn’t send my heart racing like this. This was becoming ridiculous.

‘Well...’ He tucked his chin into his hand so that his index finger repeatedly tapped on the cupid’s bow of his lip. All the while, he was wearing an awfully sexy frown on his face. I wanted to slap it off him, just to spare my ovaries the grief.

‘Yes?’ I prompted.

Sighing, he reclined in his seat, his big hands gripping the arms of his chair. When he finally looked at me, his jaw flexed, his fingers tensing around the material of his chair.

While blatantly ogling me, he asked, ‘Do you have to look so appealing, Cara? Couldn’t you wear hessian sacks or something like that, just to spare me the pain? I mean, honestly, wearing a dress like that, you’re an occupational hazard.’

Confused, I blinked back at him before I dropped my gaze to my outfit. I was wearing a grey dress, and while it did cling to my curves, it was a sophisticated dress, like that of a secretary during the sixties, and it showed no cleavage at all. It was square at the top, hiding the golden necklace Mum had gifted me for my eighteenth birthday.

‘Is that seriously your question?’ I asked disbelievingly. ‘If you can’t control your erection, that’s not my problem.’

He chuckled and spun his chair around. ‘It’s going to become your problem, I assure you.’

I rolled my eyes. ‘I will not change how I dress.’

He kept spinning his chair around as he gazed up at the ceiling, and it caused a smile of amusement to bend my lips. Carefree William Night was a sight to behold.

‘It wasn’t actually a request. It was a cheeky, indirect compliment, nothing else. As for my question – practicalities. We could be traditional for our date on Friday, meaning I’ll take you to some expensive restaurant, or we could settle for something more...casual. Which do you prefer? And I won’t let you pay for a single thing. I’m not budging on that. Call me old-fashioned if you want, but I intend to uphold the traditions of a gentleman.’

‘Interesting. “Gentleman” implies a man of gentle nature, but you’re hardly gentle in bed,’ I teased.

His feet charged down to the floor, halting his spin. With a roguish gleam in his eyes, he watched me with a wry smile on his tempting mouth. God, that mouth, and all the things it could do.

‘Well, pardon my manners, but something about you turns me into a caveman.’

I stifled a giggle.

‘So, then. Which is it? Stiff or casual?’ he asked and propped his head on his fist.

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