Page 34 of Promise Me Forever

“B-because once you’ve tasted one of Mario’s exploding donut balls, there’s no going back. You’ll have dreams about how good they are, they’re that addictive. Even though you know they’re bad for you, once you’ve tasted them, you can’t get them out of your mind.”

His jaw tics, his scowl murderous. The tension in the room is weird and supercharged, and I have no idea what’s happeninghere. Boy, I could really do with an exploding donut ball right about now.

Drake sucks on his top lip for a few seconds, his eyes never leaving mine. Then, abruptly, he hands me the white takeout bag. “I think it’s time I let you go home, Miss Ryder.” His tone is cold and detached, his expression closed down.

What the actual fuck? I thought we were good, that we made progress. There were a few lusty glitches, sure, but we got through them. We worked together, ate together, and had a conversation like two normal colleagues. Only now, he’s behaving like a total stranger, and there was a layer of frost in his voice with that last “Miss Ryder.”

“Did I say something wrong, Mr. James?”

“No,” he replies a little too quickly. “But it’s late, and if you want your neighbors to enjoy this food, you’d better get it to them soon.”

I accept the bag and turn to look for my coat. He’s right, I’m sure. Except… Except no. He’s being weird and rude, and I don’t like it.

“Are you mad that I think Mario’s exploding donut balls are better than your fancy expensive Thai food? Have I offended your male pride in some way?” I blurt out.

He glares at me, nostrils flaring like he’s trying to keep a lid on his temper. “You really think I’m that much of an asshole?”

“The jury’s still out on that, Mr. James. If you’d asked me that half an hour ago, the answer would have been no. But now? Not so sure. Why are you so annoyed with me?”

“I’m not.” His annoyed tone completely undermines his claim. He closes his eyes and rubs at his temples like he has a headache, then sucks in a deep breath, holds it for a second, and lets it out. “I’m not annoyed at you, Miss Ryder. I’m annoyed at myself.”

“Why? What have you done wrong?”

He steps around the desk and stands so close to me that I can feel the heat from his body. My eyes are on a level with his chest, and it’s almost impossible not to reach out and place my hand on it. I imagine myself undoing those buttons, one by one, revealing the gorgeous body I know lies underneath the civilized clothing. His cologne fills my nostrils and my head spins at the sparks flying between us.

“I think you should go,” he says softly, the words at odds with the tone. Time seems to stretch into an endless moment as we stare at each other, his liquid brown eyes growing darker as he scrutinizes my face.

“I will, don’t worry. But just so you know, youarebeing an asshole now. I’m going to go home and spend the rest of the night worrying about whatever the hell I did wrong and whether you’ll still be pissed at me in the morning.”

He shoves his hands through his hair and growls. “I’m not even pissed at you now, never mind in the morning. Look, you want to know if I’ve ever regretted tasting something so good that I can’t stop thinking about it? Something that I’m addicted to even though I know it’s bad for me?”

My knees tremble, and it feels like all the air is being sucked from the room. I manage to breathe out a single word. “Yes.”

He dips his head until his mouth is dangerously close to my ear. “I have, Amelia.” His warm breath dances over my skin, making me shiver even as my temperature skyrockets at having him so close. “You.”

Then, without another word, he strides out of his office, leaving me a quivering mess in his wake. I stare after him, open-mouthed, my heart hammering in my chest. Forcing myself to inhale deeply, I will my pulse to stop racing and look down at the bag of food dangling from my hand. I should get home. He has more work to do, and he’s clearly not going to get it done while I’m here.

Rolling my shoulders back, I walk out of Drake’s office and stride down the empty hallways until I reach the elevators. I’ve never been here so late before. I’m sure there are people still here working, shut away in their offices, but it’s silent and kind of eerie. A touch on the creepy side, especially for someone who already feels on the verge of a cardiac event.

Despite my anxiety, I feel a slow smile spreading across my face. I know Drake is my boss and that he’s a billionaire lawyer with the world at his feet. I know that he’s completely and totally off-limits and nothing can ever happen between us.

But in this moment, and only in this moment, none of that matters. Because he said it and he can’t take it back, and I will always have this one sweet victory.

I am Drake James’s exploding donut balls.

I say goodnight to the security guard at the front desk and step outside into the cool spring air, my bag of food clutched in one hand and my purse in the other. I recognize the sleek black SUV idling directly outside the lobby and Drake’s driver standing beside it.

“Miss Ryder,” Constantine calls. “Mr. James asked me to drive you home.”

“Hi, Constantine,” I say as he opens the car door for me. “How are you?”

I refuse to feel embarrassed about the last time we met, when I was bundled in the back of this very same car in the night-before’s underwear and a crumpled dress. I felt ashamed and dirty after Drake basically asked me to leave and only agreed to the ride because I couldn’t face the subway. And now, here I am again, confused by the way Drake blows hot and cold with no apparent concern for the way the rapid-fire climate change affects me. I have nothing to be embarrassed about, I tell myself.

“I’m doing quite well, Miss Ryder, thanks for asking.”

“And the baby?” I add. I learned during our last drive that his wife gave birth to a little girl just a few months earlier, and he even showed me the most adorable photo of her. I so appreciated that simple act of kindness at the time, the reassurance that I didn’t look like so much of a nasty tramp that he wouldn’t risk giving me a glimpse of his precious daughter.

“She’s fantastic. Now, how about you get in the car, and we can chat on the way back to your place?”

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