“Yes.”

I couldn’t seem to get words out, kept looking at her mouth, unable to stop thinking about kissing her.

Amelia nodded and walked off in the direction of the kitchen while I walked into my room. I predicted that awkward conversations like that would become the order of the day now that we would be alone in the house.

Thankfully, we both worked which meant we’d rarely be home. That way we could avoid having to speak to each other. I thought that was what we both wanted so I was surprised when I heard a knock on my door a few minutes later.

I pulled the door open and found Amelia standing there, still fidgeting with her fingers. “I… um… I bought dinner. I figured since Agnes won’t be around. Anyway, I left yours in the fridge.”

“Thank you.”

She went to her room after that. I stared at her closed door for a while before I walked to the kitchen. I knew Amelia didn’t know how to cook because she’d never had to learn. Iappreciated her thoughtfulness in buying me dinner as well. I sat at the kitchen counter, eating and deliberating my next steps for the Fitzroy Corp issue.

The following day, Amelia and I sat at the counter together drinking our morning coffee. It was strange knowing that we were alone in the penthouse. I had to constantly resist the urge to kiss her.

Amelia stood and placed her cup in the kitchen. She was walking out of the room when it dawned on me that she’d been taking public transport when I could just give her a ride like I’d done on the day of her interview.

“Amelia. Wait.”

She paused and turned to me. “Is there something wrong?”

“No, not at all. I was just wondering if you’d like a ride to the office.”

“That would be great,” she said with a smile. I couldn’t help smiling in return.

From that moment, we fell into a routine of going to work together. I would drop her off at the consulting firm before going to my office. I didn’t mind the longer commute. The real issue was being in such a small space with her and not being able to kiss her.

On days when Eddie wouldn’t be driving, Amelia and I would sit in front. Me in the driver’s seat and her in the passenger’s seat. Today was one such day.

I glanced over at her where she sat with her head turned towards the window. We were sitting in traffic, so she’d been staring at the same spot since. It wasn’t hard to decipher that she was simply trying to avoid looking at me.

I suppose I should be grateful for her efforts to keep things neutral between us. There was no point going down that road again because it would only lead to one of us hurting the other one. Things were better this way.

It took us a while to get here but we were finally cordial with each other even though there were moments when I wanted to kiss her and shift from cordial to sensual. My grip on the steering wheel tightened until my knuckles turned white.

Thankfully, traffic moved, and focusing on the road helped me take my mind off Amelia. I only hoped I would be able to keep this up for the rest of her stay.

My life would certainly be easier that way.

Chapter 17

Amelia

My neck was starting to hurt because I spent the entire ride staring out the window. I’d seen this street and these buildings several times already so there was nothing particularly exciting to look at. Still, I kept my gaze focused outside.

I wasn’t ready to look at Matteo. I worried that if I looked at him, I wouldn’t be able to hold myself back. I’d crack like an egg and spill all my insides. I’d confess to him that I couldn’t stop thinking about that kiss he gave me.

When the car pulled to a stop, I had no choice but to look at him. I turned my head, wincing slightly at the tension that had gathered there. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

I opened the car door and stepped out. I stood aside as I watched him drive off. It was only when the car was completelyout of sight that I noticed someone else standing there. It was Ivy. She was the woman who I’d seen talking to Matteo the day I came for the interview. Working here meant I had to see her every single day.

Ivy walked up to me with a slightly scrunched nose and furrowed brows. “Is there a reason you just got out of Matteo Hayes’ car?” she asked.

Matteo had been dropping me off for the past three days, but this was the first time she was seeing him. I wondered what to tell her. I knew she liked Matteo. That much was obvious from the way she looked at him when I saw them talking outside the office that day. It was also obvious from the way she looked at me like she would attack me if I said there was something between Matteo and me.

“He was just giving me a ride.” I settled on a simple answer, true yet entirely vague.