Page 67 of The Unplanned Wedding

"And your laptop?"

That was given to me by the company as well.

"It’s uh, on my bed."

He looks past me at the unmade bed placed against the far wall of the room. Heat flushes my cheeks. The sheets are crumpled, and I’m sure the office clothes I stepped out of yesterday are on the floor next to it. At the time, I was too listless to gather the strength to drop them into the laundry basket.

But I refuse to be embarrassed by how I live. This is my space. I’m not his assistant here… I’m not his assistant, period. I quit, remember?I pivot and head to my bed. I pick up the laptop from where I placed it earlier, then straighten and gasp. He’s standing right behind me. I didn’t hear him move. For a such big man, he’s silent and walks with a precision, an economy of motion, that I’ve always admired. A testament to his military training. I tilt my head back, and further back, until our gazes clash. A cloud of heat spools off his chest and crashes into me.

I stumble back...and he moves forward. Which in turn, causes me to take a few more steps. He stalks forward, and I keep moving back, until I hit the side of the bed and sit on it heavily. He comes to a halt in front of me. And now, I’m at eye-level with his crotch. His tented crotch, whichhints that he’s aroused? Or perhaps, that’s just his resting dick state. Not that I’ve seen said dick in all its naked glory. And now, I never will. In fact, I shouldn’t be thinking of his naked cock because he’s going to marry someone else.

"You should leave." I glance away.

"Don’t tell me what to do." His voice is tight and annoyed, and for some reason, the fact he’s let those emotions slip fills me with satisfaction.

"I’m not your employee, anymore," I point out.

"Is that right?"

The smug tone in his voice has me glancing up at him again. But when our gazes meet, I realize it’s a mistake. Once again, I’m drawn into the depths of those cobalt irises. I'm frozen by the frosty blaze crackling in them. I’m pulled into him again, and damn, I so wanted to avoid this from happening.

I jump up to my feet, only now I brush up against him from thigh to hip, and my breasts, covered only by the thin fabric of my pajama top, brush against his chest. He inhales sharply. The sound echoes the turmoil in my mind. I shouldn’t feel this attracted to him. I need to put distance between us.Right now.I raise the laptop and push it into his chest. And when he brings up his hands to accept the device, I sidle away. He doesn’t stop me.I'm not disappointed. I'm not.

I jump up and around the bed to put some distance between us. Not that it helps, because somehow, facing him across the expanse of the mattress feels too intimate.

"You shouldn’t be here," I gulp.

"Why is that?" he asks casually, and I narrow my gaze. Typical man. He thinks he can get away with anything. And apparently, I need to spell things out for him. Well, fine. I can do that.

"Because you’re marrying someone else," I say through gritted teeth.

"No, I’m not."

"You—" I stop mid tirade.Did he just say—"Did you say?—"

"I broke it off with Priscilla. I stopped by her place before I came over to see you.”

"You broke it off with her?" I’m parroting his words, but really, I’m finding it difficult to get my head around what he’s saying.

He nods. “Turns out, she was vastly relieved. Like me, she was beingpressured into it. By her brother. And like me, she realized as soon as the engagement was announced that it was a mistake.”

“A... Mistake?” I rub at my temple, trying to digest this turn of events. "So… You... You’renotmarrying her?"

"That’s what I said." His lips thin. A muscle flexes at his jaw. He seems angry, and I don’t understand why. Unless?—

"But why? I thought your grandfather was keen on an alliance with her family. Aren’t they as rich and almost as powerful as the Davenports? Didn’t he want the two families united by marriage? And won't this risk your own position within the Davenports?"

"Worried about me?” he asks in a silky voice.

A flush courses through my cheeks. "I’m not.”

“And you’ve been listening to office gossip, if you know about the feud between the Davenports and the Whittingtons.”

Busted.I shuffle my feet, then tip up my chin, “It's…Wasmy responsibility to keep my ear to the ground so I knew what was being discussed and could bring anything of importance to your notice."

He nods slowly. "The ever-efficient Ms. June Donnelly. Executive Assistant par excellence, who delivers on her role with ruthless proficiency."

I frown. "Are you making fun of me?"

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