Page 67 of Hate Notes

I honestly had no idea how long our little secret rendezvous was going to take, so to be safe, I told her our meeting would have to wait until tomorrow. Even the subtle optimism made a pool of heat gather between my legs.

I expect to find you wet and ready when I arrive. Don’t disappoint me.

Orion’s words echoed in my mind, and I realized I didn’t need to worry about them. He definitely wasn’t going to be disappointed. Sure, I was almost certain we were rushing head-first into a huge mistake from a career and an emotional standpoint. But physically? Every fiber of my freaking being wanted this.

And maybe sleeping together would knock some sense into our heads. Maybe something would click to make us realize it was worth all the mess, that we could both wade into the chaos of hidden truths and sort it out together.

I fired off a few more quick emails to cover myself and make sure nobody would come looking for me. As far as anybody who mattered knew, I was going to be on an errand that meant I wouldn’t be available until tomorrow. Considering my now-regular off campus meetings with clients, it wasn’t a hard lie to sell.

I hurried to the bathroom and took a look in the mirror, making some last minute fixes as I anticipated the attention I was going to be getting in mere minutes. Stupidly, I even spent time fixing my shirt and tucking it back into my skirt more perfectly.

Orion is going to practically tear those off you, Ember. You’re wasting your time.

The thought sent a hot chill down my arms. After weeks of our clandestine email exchanges and numerous sessions of touching myself while imagining all the various ways Orion Foster might treat me if he was my lover, to say I felt a little anticipation would be the understatement of the century.

Just thirty minutes ago, I thought the chance of ever having his hands on me was near-zero. And now…

I could barely walk as I left the bathroom and headed for the janitor’s closet.

What if he’s already there, waiting for me? Would he expect me to undress for him before he arrived?

No…Orion liked control. He would want to be the one to take my clothes off. He would want me in there waiting for him,preparingfor him.

Once again, I was struck by how comical the idea of menotbeing wet and ready was. Hell, I was going to need new underwear after this.

I found the old closet where my desk had been and opened the door. To my mild relief and disappointment, Orion wasn’t inside. It was just an empty, carpeted space that was thankfully very clean. I looked at the ground and wondered if he was going to want to go vertical or horizontal. Either way, I was glad there was carpet, not that I would’ve let a little cold tile stop me from doing whatever the hell he wanted once he got in here.

I paced in a nervous circle for what felt like half an hour.

My thoughts froze when I heard footsteps approaching.

I backed up several steps until I bumped into the wall, eyes wide as I waited in the darkness and watched the narrow view of the hallway through the partially opened door.

I saw a suit and tie, immediately recognizing Orion’s broad, powerful shape.

He seemed to hesitate, standing just out of view for nearly a minute before he finally pulled open the door and shut it behind him.

“Ember,” he breathed into the dark.

“Hi,” I said, voice sounding meek. My sweaty palms were plastered against the wall as I tried to shrink into as small a shape as possible.

“Does anyone know you’re here?”

“No.”

“Will they come looking for you?”

“No. I told them I was busy until tomorrow. We… have all day.”

There was a pause. I could almostfeelOrion smiling. “That was good, Ember. We won’t need to rush, then.”

“Good,” I said a little too fast and too high-pitched.

I felt Orion moving closer in the small space. His big hands found my waist.

For the first time since we’d met, there was no hesitation or reservation in his touch. His hands were firm and greedy as he gripped me—nearly enveloping me and making me feel small. He slid them up as he sucked in a hard breath.

“I’ve wanted you for a very long time, Ember.”

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