Page 37 of His Off-Limits Christmas Gift

“Seems to be a list from where I’m standing,” Julie teased.

My cheeks were on fire. I’d never tame this blush.

“Right,” Nate said, exhaling a deep breath. “Um, an emailed list. That’s right.”

God, even he was struggling to come up with a lie to cover what we had really come close to doing in here.

Embarrassed at being caught almost kissing the boss, I escaped without another word or look back.

14

NATE

Rachel didn’t close the door behind her as she left.

She didn’t leave me in this vacant office with Julie. She escaped. She bolted. But I couldn’t fault her for that. Being caught in a dimmed room with a boss would look damningly bad for her, a new temp assistant. Staying in here alone with my office manager didn’t suggest the same thing.

The longer I accepted that Julie wasn’t going to walk out and settle for giving me a sly, knowing look, the faster I tried to will myself to forget about having a stolen moment with Rachel.

I’d asked her in here for two reasons. To hear if she was interested in that player. Knowing she wasn’t was music to my ears. But I also wanted to simply hear her laugh. Taste her kiss. Make her smile. I was close to becoming smitten, but I wasn’t sure how to express any of those things. How could I after I told her that I was swearing off women?

I’d spoken too soon. Before she came breezing into my office and reinstating order, I would’ve been done with women.

Now, I was stuck. I wasn’t sure how to express that I felt drastically different about having a woman in my life again.

Saying I could give her a lesson seemed like the best segue into any sort of a discussion, but that quickly turned sideways, straight into a seductive moment.

Until you got curious…I frowned at Julie, wishing she could’ve come looking for me a moment later. Even seconds. I’d take anything I could get from Rachel—a kiss, however long it could last.

“You were looking for me?” I said as calmly as I could. Fortunately, my dick had only started to get hard being so close to Rachel.

“I was looking for her, actually.” Julie flicked the light on to full power and crossed her arms. “Then when someone said you’d asked her for a moment of her time, I wondered what you were up to.”

If I had more energy to quarrel, I would’ve gotten defensive. She wasn’t my babysitter. But I didn’t protest or question her. I was too riled up from being so close to kissing Rachel and losing the chance.

She was quickly becoming my addiction of choice.

“It’s like we said.” I cleared my throat, hating the taste of a lie. “We were going over that email.”

“I thought you said it was a list.”

I glared at her, not with heat but letting her see my annoyance. “Whatever.”

“Nate, I’m going to ask you one more time,” she scolded. “Just what the hell was that all about?”

“I wanted a moment with Rachel.” There. I was telling the truth, just the tip of it.

“For…?” She dipped her chin at the same time she raised her brows.

“For something.” Fuck, I didn’t have it in me to lie. It felt wrong to hide that I wanted my assistant, that I was interestedin Rachel for a lot more than what it might look like to the rest of the office.

“Nate.” She lowered her arms just so she could prop one hand on her hip. This pose made her look more intimidating. “Cut the crap.”

“No crap to cut through.”

“This ismeyou’re talking to.” She narrowed her eyes. “If I wanna find something out, I damn well will. No secret is safe from me in this office.”

“Glad to hear it,” I quipped.

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