Page 58 of Forever with the CEO

“I’m serious.”

I shook my head. “I’m not sure what to say.”

“We’re a team, Allison. Never forget that.”

“Oh.”

Nick frowned, coming closer to me. Which made the advantage of not seeing his abs completely disappear. I was right back on edge.

“Why are you surprised?” he asked.

“Because until now, I’d never thought about it.”

“Me marrying you didn’t give you the hint?” He curled up a corner of his mouth.

“You’re right. I just... I don’t know. I figured that you’d like to help, but not as a team. I’ve never been a team with anyone.”

“Neither have I. I hope I’m not going to blow this. But we’ll figure it out somehow. I’m very confident in our chances.”

“That’s because you’re always confident.” I playfully swatted his shoulder—except I somehow ended up with my palm on his chest. It was even harder than I’d imagined. I was downright desperate to check if his abs were the same way too.

I heard a very low groan and immediately moved my hand.

“That’s true.” He cleared his throat. I took a step back in the water but didn’t make it far because we were at the edge. “So, hit me. What’s the issue with the project?”

“For the first time ever, I asked how much more I’d get paid. Usually, I just say yes and hope they throw a bonus my way. The money the company’s offering is simply not enough for the number of hours I’d have to put in, so I turned it down. And I feel surprisingly good about it.”

Nick grinned. “That’s good. You should know your worth and ask to be paid for it.”

I nodded. “I think so too.”

“For future reference, if you want to take on a project, we’ll work out a system.”

“But you’ve got a lot on your plate too. You want to open new branches.”

“I’ll manage.”

For the first time, I realized that his confidence made me relax. I didn’t have to be on edge all the time, thinking about all the things that could go wrong.

“What do you say about swimming for a bit?” I suggested.

“You go ahead. This thing is so small, I’d reach the end in three strokes.”

I rolled my eyes as I floated backward. “I didn’t mean actual swimming, just moving around a bit.”

“That’s fine. I like watching you.”

We both fell silent as I kept moving backward. The only sound was that of water moving. I then turned back, swimmingin the other direction. Like this, I couldn’t see him at all.Phew, that’s better.

I relaxed until I hit a solid wall of muscle and immediately straightened up. I accidentally brushed him with my forearm as I turned around, then with my palm. Those abs truly felt amazing.

“Damn, Allison.”

I jumped back. “I’m so sorry, Nick. I didn’t realize you were here.”

“I moved. I should have given you a heads-up.” His voice was a bit rougher than before.

He smiled lazily as I took a few more steps back, putting one arm at the edge of the pool and then the other one, as if he was trying to show off his biceps.

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