Page 104 of Destined To Fall

I head to my study, about to hide it under the desk I don’t use, when I catch sight of it again. It really is beautiful, and it would be a crying shame to treat it so poorly. Luke put his heart and soul into it; the least I can do is give it a proper home.Settledon putting it up in my study, seeing as I don’t go in there almost ever,I shift a few things aroundtorelocate the one above the fireplace and hang it up. I’ll get a clear view of it when passing, so that’ll do.

It takes me longer than I’m proud of to get it up and straight. The irony in thatisn’t lost on me. Spent afterward, I collapse into my office chair. Swiveling aimlessly, I realize I don’t think I’ve actually spent any time in here, not since I first moved in. I take it all in as if for the first time.

Quite possibly, it is the first time I’ve sat in here.

It’s making me picture what it would be like to be in an office. Working at a desk, barking orders, and talking on the phone endlessly. Having a sexy assistant I’d shamelessly flirt with. Someone, probably Laura, slapping the rules of conduct and sexual harassment laws on my desk.

The thought of Laura makes my gut churn, but surprisingly enough, the thought of a day job doesn’t, not like it used to.

God, what’s with that? I don’t even know what I would do with myself chained to a desk. Probably get fat. I tend to munch when stationary. Plus, the whole nine-to-five thing in one spot really doesn’t appeal.

Once again, though it’s no surprise, my mind drifts back to Jeremy. The painting and being at the gallery with him, cubicles, and under meeting room tables. I bite my lip automatically, picturing things I shouldn’t.

And now I’m angry again.

What the fuck was that at the club? Seriously. It’s like he was possessed, except, in a way, it feels like it’s always been Jeremy under the surface. Waiting to explode and break control. It’s what I’ve been pushing for all this time, tormenting him, waiting for him to react and let loose, isn’t it?

Damn it.

I run to my closet and throw on whatever my hands land on first, add some shoes to the mix, and bolt for my front door, blessedly remembering to swipe my keys and phone on the way out.

My doorman, George,takes one look at me flying out of the elevator and has the phone in hand, taking no time calling me a cab. Before I can come to my senses, the yellow death wagon pulls up outside Jeremy’s building.

There’s only one way to find out what’s going on, and I’m sick of stewing and, frankly, of myself. But I’m not going to lie, I’m sweating. I’m freaking out and second guessing myself like I never have before, but I still knock, though with a shaking fist.

The door opens slowly, hesitantly, as if Jeremy knows it’s me, but he opens all the same. Staring right through me.

“What are you doing here?”

“What was last night?”

“Too much alcohol and not enough sense. It never happened, okay? Just forget it.”

“I’ve been trying to,” I mutter, stupidly loud enough for Jeremy to hear.

He raises an eyebrow, bemused.

“You kissed me, Jer. You broke my number one rule. That’s not something you just forget. And I know you have more self-control than that. Why?”

“You kissed me back.”

“What? No, I didn’t.” His eyes narrow, and he opens the door wider, stepping closer.“I didn’t have time to kiss you back, you…what are you doing? Don’t—”

Before I can utter a single syllable more, Jeremy has an arm around me, pulling me to him, his other hand tangling in my hair and his lipsdevourmy own.

Like the fool I am, I kiss him back. With ten years of pent-up lip action. My hands are in his hair, gripping tight, angling his face just how I need it. I maneuver us past his threshold, never breaking stride, kissing him back with all I’ve got. I kick the door closed behind me, making Jeremy jump. He breaks our connection, staggering back, his eyes glazed and his lips slightly agape.

“Like I said,” he starts, clearing his husky voice,“you kissed me back.”

I shove him hard, and the asshole has the fucking cheek to laugh at me. If looks could kill, my eyes would be incinerating him right now. I stalk over to him, making him retreat and look a little sheepish.

“Don’t look at me like that. You’re always one to prove a point.”Touché.“And despite what you’re thinking right now, I do actually respect your rules. That’s the last time I’ll touch you, I swear.”

“I’m about to prove many a point, the first one being that I was one hundred percent correct on what an excellent kisser I am. The second, you’re about to break that promise.”

I kiss him with the ferocity of a thousand suns, with everything I am. I’m burning alive, but I’ve never wanted anything more in my life. Just to bask in the tantalizing warmth of his lips until I suffocate.

He collapses into a chair, with me still attached and on top of him. I’m flooded with memories of the last time I was here, in this very chair, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d say Jeremy was too. He groans as if in pain, but as I promised, he breaks his word, and his hands crash down on my thighs, gripping them so tightly I groan, or moan—one and the same—in bliss.

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