Page 67 of Born to Make You Smile

“I can’t believe I get to have you like this,” he murmured, his eyes gleaming with dark lust. “I’m so glad we have an extra night together.”

Something about the way he said that caused my mind to spiral. The blood in my veins ran hot, and suddenly, I was no longer in the mood to touch or be touched.

I pulled away.

“I can’t do this.” I jumped off the bed.

He held my arm to stop me. “What’s wrong? Is it too much? Talk to me. Please.”

“Is this just about sex? Is that why you want an extra night with me? So we can fuck around?” My voice became heated as everything came rushing out.

“Of course not.”

“It’s just that, when you pulled away today, at the convention, it made me feel…low. Dirty. Like you were embarrassed of me. And now that we’re alone, you’re all over me like you can’t get enough.”

He pulled me back toward the bed.

“Grace, love. I’m absolutely not embarrassed of you. I’m sorry I pushed you away like that. But you have to understand that we must tread carefully. On my end especially. The dental world is a very small world. Word gets around fast, and I don’t want to jeopardize everything I’ve worked so hard for. My livelihood depends on it. Let’s not forget you are not only my assistant but also half my age. And at times, it’s hard to reconcile the fact that I’ve known you so long. Of course you’re grown now, but what we’re doing could be deemed inappropriate in many circles. The last thing I want is for people to assume I’ve taken advantage of you. I haven’t, have I?”

I shook my head, getting back into bed with him. “Please. I want this as much as you do.”

“I love being with you. I really do,” he said, wrapping his arms around me. “But right now, I think it’s best we keep our situation private.”

I nodded. His career was at stake, and I wasn’t thinking when I carelessly reached for him. “I agree. We have to be extra careful. At the office.”

“Yes.”

“And around the girls,” I added.

“Definitely.” He ran a finger down the length of my arm in a soft caress. “So I’ve been very curious. Why haven’t you been sexual with anyone before?”

“I just haven’t felt that pull to be with anyone in that way. Actually, I recently found out that I’m demisexual, which is on the asexual spectrum.”

“All right. I’ve heard of asexuality, but I’m not familiar with demisexual.”

“It means I don’t feel sexual attraction like most people. I require a deep emotional connection first, which I’ve never felt before until I started feeling it with you. But only recently.Especially after seeing you with Michelle. I saw you kissing from your front window.”

“Oh,” he said, surprised. “You saw us.”

I bit my lip sheepishly. “I didn’t mean to watch, but I just couldn’t look away. After seeing you two, I saw you in a different light. I’d never felt that way about you before. Then I don’t know. We kept touching. Connecting. Then after our kiss, I wanted you.So badly.”

He ran his lips over my neck, and my body vibrated.

“For me, something sparked the night of the raccoons. I realized I really loved the feeling of you being in my arms, like this. And of course, it terrified me. I tried to forget and push it down, as I was dating Michelle. But everything just seemed to escalate. Then when I saw you with that twat, Ethan, I was so bloody jealous I couldn’t stand it.”

I laughed, and he kissed my head.

“Let’s just take this day by day. I cannot make any promises or guarantees, Grace. But I feel something for you. And it’s something more than sex.”

My phone beeped on the nightstand. I reached over and opened a message from Joshua with a photo.

Joshua:Goldie! Check out my new whip. Felix is gonna get it tonight ;)

He was dressed as a border collie in the photo, holding a long red whip.

“What’s going on there?” asked Gavin, peering over to look at my screen. “Who’s that?”

My heart picked up speed. He could not find out about my job at X-PLORE. Not only would he be disappointed that I didn’ttell him but he’d likely also be horrified at the idea of one of his employees having a night job at a kink club.

---