Page 45 of Feel Me

“I’d still like to make you dinner,” she says. “Would Thursday work?”

She’s asking me for another date, and it’s just not for sex. Here’s the thing, I cut women loose pretty damn fast. It’s not going to play out the same way with Melissa, not when we’re working together, and not when I’ve been waking up wanting her for the last eight weeks.

I knew this before I kissed her, and I was willing to go for it. But now that we’re talking about next time, I’m not sure I’m ready.

“I can’t Thursday,” I tell her.

She nods like she can already guess there’s not going to be a second date. “Okay,” she says.

“What about Wednesday?”

“What?”

She doesn’t think I want to see her again, not in this capacity. But she’s wrong. As much as I never counted on this, I don’t want to discount it or her.

I place my wine glass on the bedside table, not wanting anything between us then lean in and kiss her softly. “We’re supposed to discuss the Keeley case. Why don’t we do all the other shit we have pending at the office then discuss the case here?” I shrug. “Or at my place.”

Her full lips curve. Yeah. She knows now I’m not about to walk away. Yet.

“I’m making dinner for my dad at his house on Wednesday so that doesn’t work.” She considers me. “My dad and I have this thing we do that I’d like us to do, too.”

“What’s that?” I ask.

She shivers when my hand grazes along her curves to massage her hip. “Work talk has to be kept to a minimum outside the office. Otherwise, we don’t get a break from it.”

“Good point,” I say, unable to stop raking my gaze down her figure.

She reaches behind her to place her almost empty glass on the table, tilting her chin as she resumes her position in front of me. “What’s it going to be like at the office?” she asks.

“Hard, now that I’ve seen you naked.”

“I think I know what you mean,” she says, pressing her hand against my chest and grazing it lightly. “As far as our coworkers are concerned, do you want them to know we were together?”

Or “are together”, right? She chooses her words carefully, not wanting to presume there’s something between us. I should be relieved, but there is something. Even the commitment-phobe in me can see it.

“No,” I answer truthfully. “I don’t want anyone to know about us.”

Although she keeps her hand against my chest, I sense her pull away as that wall she keeps around herself slamming in place to protect her. I don’t want her to think I’ve used her, but I want to be honest with her, and with me. “Mel, I don’t know what’s going to happen between us, or if anything will happen at all. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to give us a try.” I wrap a strand of her hair around my finger. “I just don’t want whatever happens to play out at the office.”

“So keep us a secret?”

It seems like such a shit thing to do. “Yeah. We’ll continue as is and take things slow.”

“Slow?” she questions. “As in not have sex anymore?”

“Oh, hell no,” I say.

She laughs. “Good.”

“Workplace relationships can get messy. I don’t want anyone questioning your position or mine because of what we are or aren’t. So let’s date and get to know each other in and out of bed.” I watch her hair slide down my finger. “When we’re at work, we’ll keep it professional like it’s been.”

“All right,” she agrees.

I pull her in for a long deep kiss. She clutches me against her, giving our contact an extra boost of heat. She feels good. But when I edge away, I still sense her apprehension.

“Any regrets?” I ask her, worried there might be.

She shakes her head. “No. What about you?”

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