Page 38 of A Break in Communications

Wonderful. Maybe we could have started here.do tell.

how do I shut off the coffee machine in the office breakroom? the pot is overflowing

Jesus Christ. Was she texting me about my party while the office floor was getting flooded with coffee?Kelcey what the hell can’t you just unplug it

She was quiet for a minute, and then she sent,oh that took care of it! thank you soooooo much

I pinched the bridge of my nose.how did it even have enough water to overflow?

I kept refilling the water because I thought it would break if it ran out

This woman had never made coffee once in her life. Why was she even in the office making coffee on a Saturday after a Friday off from the office?

Whatever. I didn’t care. I could not possibly have been persuaded to care.

For handy reference for next time, it’s supposed to run out of water, that’s when it stops brewing.

what????

I know. Wild how far technology has come.

Hey is your sister there?

I put my phone away. Right at the perfect moment, too, because that was when Lucy dropped down on the seat next to me, and I jolted at where she laughed, slipping a hand around my back.

“Just your darling girlfriend,” she said.

She was a little too confident. I turned and pressed a kiss to her cheek, and she laughed, ducking her head just a little. “Not the worst person from the office I’ve talked to today.”

“Someone messaging you about work right now?”

“Work might be a stretch… Kelcey wanted to know how to stop the office coffee machine.”

She pursed her lips in a weary smile. “And the reason it didn’t just stop when it ran out of water?”

“I was afraid it would break if it ran out of water.”

“Lovely. I’ll make sure the order gets in for a new machine on Monday.”

“And wanted to know if Veronica was here…”

She shook her head. “And you said?”

“Nothing. Left her on read and went to go spend time with someone who was neglecting me…” I said, adjusting the collar on her coat, “to go be a scary snow monster instead.”

She smiled wider, tugging on my coat in return. “Are you getting jealous, princess?”

She was harder to shake this time… I put a hand to her chin, cupping her gently and turning her to face me. “Absolutely,” I said, my voice low. “You know you’re supposed to be all mine.”

She quirked a smile at me, that glint in her eyes she got when I challenged her. When she wanted to meet that challenge. “So, does that mean you give consent, Miss Preston?”

“What’s this?” I raised my eyebrows. “You weren’t shy when you came up and pinned me to the counter earlier.”

“Do you want to repeat that experience? Because I could.”

I kissed her—leaned in and pressed my lips to hers, moving quickly and trying to catch her by surprise, but it didn’t work. She met me with a kiss like she’d seen it coming, moving her lips against mine, and something spiked up inside my body, something tight in my lungs. I pulled back, and my heart dropped when she chased me, her lips catching up to mine, and she turned to pin me up against the back of the seat, lips languid against mine, and when she slipped a hand into my coat to hold my side, I heard myself moan. It slipped out involuntarily, and I burned under the suddenness, the embarrassment of it, but she didn’t spare me, moving with me and kissing slowly, and I joined her, kissing, lips moving hot and wet together.

She’d… come prepared this time. Whatever. I could keep up with her…

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