Page 20 of (Un)Planned

“Aww, Sunshine.” She placed her hand on my arm. “That might be the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

I reached out, placing my hand on top of hers. A breath escaped me as I felt the softness of her skin, wondering whather hands would feel like on other parts of my body. “I mean it, Calla. You’re right not to settle for something less than you deserve.” I inhaled slowly. “I hope you find it.”

“Theo…” Her eyes flicked down to my lips for a moment. Fuck, the temptation to claim her mouth was overwhelming, to taste the alcohol from her drink on her tongue, to swallow her moans of pleasure. As if able to read my thoughts, we both leaned in, our noses briefly brushing. My hand reached up, brushing an errant curl behind her ear.

Something about the move must have snapped the tether, because Calla jumped back, putting some much-needed space between us. She quickly gathered her belongings, throwing down a couple of twenties on the tabletop. “I, uh, should go. Devyn’s probably home by now.”

“Let me give you a ride.” I stood at her side. “My driver can be here in a couple of minutes.”

“No, no, thank you,” Calla said, walking quickly over to the door. “I’ll be fine. Just…” She sighed, staring at me for a long moment. “Good night, Theo.”

TEN

The next morning, all I wanted to do was crawl back into bed. Maybe it was the three…no, wait,fivedrinks I’d downed before eventually calling it a night. But in reality, it was more like I was dreading coming face-to-face with Theo again.

I stretched out my arms as I got to my feet, heading into the shower before I could convince myself to call in sick. Even though I desperately wanted to, there was no way I could take today off. Theo had several important meetings scheduled, and with my day ending at a regular hour yesterday, there was a ton left to prepare.

Maybe his meetings would keep him out of the office and away from my desk. The thought brought a strange chill down my spine, uncertainty twisting my stomach into a knot. After last night, I had no idea if I wanted him close or as far away as possible.

What the fuck was he even doing at the bar? I would have been less surprised to see my mother standing there than him. Theo never went out.Ever. If he did, it was for business meetings disguised as a night on the town.

It must have been a cruel joke from the universe, sending the one man I couldn’t get out of my head to my side when I finally decided I wanted to give dating a real shot. Even if I had met someone, all hopes were dashed as soon as Theo walked in. His presence was like lightning in my veins, and I couldn’t ignore it if I wanted to. This connection between us was becoming a real, tangible thing, and no matter what I tried, I couldn’t seem to make it stop. The harder I tried, the more I wanted to give in, to learn what his touch would do to my body.

I twisted the shower handle, blasting myself in the face with ice-cold water. Maybe aversion therapy would do the trick. Even if Theowasinterested, it wasn’t an option. He would never risk his job for a relationship. He wasn’t wired that way. He’d already made it clear that his career was his priority. I wanted the opposite, someone who preferred relationships, believed in love, and definitely someone I would not get fired for getting involved with.

All the things that Theo wasnot.

So, why couldn’t I get him out of my head? At first, I thought it was all the time we spent together. I must have had some kind of deranged Stockholm syndrome where I developed feelings for the man I worked for every day. But the more time I spent with Theo, the more I realized it was just…him.

As I climbed out of the shower and started brushing out my hair, my phone rang on the counter, and I smiled when I saw my best friend’s face shining back at me. “Hello, gorgeous.”

“Hey, stranger,” Alex said. “I was hoping to catch you before work. How’s everything going down there?”

I shrugged. “It’s going. I think I’m finally getting ahandle on this whole working woman thing, although the hours officially suck.”

“Devyn kept you out too late?”

“Nah.” I placed the phone on the counter to run some product through my long hair. “She ended up bailing, but luckily, Theo was there to keep me company for a little bit.”

“Wait…Theowas there? At the bar?” Alex scrunched her face. “Did you invite him?”

“Nope.” I shook my head. “He just happened to show up. We hung out for a little bit and then went home.”

“Together?”

I glared at her through the phone. “Seriously?”

She laughed. “You never know!”

“Iknow.” I shook my head. “He’s my boss, Alex. We would never cross that line. Plus, you know I’m not looking for a fling, and that’s all Theo’s capable of.”

She studied me, trying to assess the lies in my words. Even though I knew they were true, they still felt wrong. My head knew Theo and I would never work, but my libido had a different opinion.

“I guess,” Alex sighed. “Look, I know Theo is a good guy, but I just want you to be careful. If something does happen, it’s going to blow back on you, not him.”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s on track to be one of the partners in the firm, and you’re his assistant. If anything happens south–”

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