Page 57 of His Rules

We laughed together. While he’d mentioned my armor, he had a huge shield wrapped around himself. But I sensed it slipping away. “What I wouldn’t give to see a picture of that.”

“Actually, one of the jerks from the frat took one. I finally broke into his room about four months later and removed it.”

“You broke in?”

He winked and I was all flustered. “Your dad had the tools and did the dirty work. I just searched through the kid’s things. We might have left a little present for him as well.”

“Oh, dear God. What?” I couldn’t seem to stop laughing. I knew my dad wasn’t a saint, but hearing about the antics they’d been involved in was adorable. And I might be able to use the info for blackmail one day.

“The guy hated snakes, so we found like six and put them in his bed under the covers. You could hear him screaming at the coffee shop we were waiting at. Priceless.”

“You have a mean streak running through you.”

“Trust me, my perfect diamond. I do.”

Perfect diamond. I was catching the same vibes as I’d had when opening the bag holding the dress.

“Why don’t we head out?” he asked, already tossing his napkin on the table.

“Okay. I know we have a busy morning.” I took a last sip of wine, chastising myself that I didn’t want the night to end.

But that was the truth.

With the restaurant being on the one hundred and first floor of a building, the ride in the elevator took a little longer than normal. We’d all but closed down the place, only a few people left, which left us very much alone in the cramped box.

I backed against the wall, feeling more uncomfortable than I had before. He pressed the button and immediately crowded my space.

“We should talk about what happened between us,” he said, still with his deep voice.

“What’s there to talk about? We are adults. We enjoyed a night together. Now we work together and neither one of us wants to hurt my father. I’m fine with that. I’m a big girl.”

“What if I’d like to see you again outside of work? What would you think?”

“What would I think?” I was breathless, even lightheaded.

“Yes.” He placed one hand on the wall just above my head. Somehow, I had a feeling he wasn’t really asking. He was making a statement in a way that wouldn’t drive me away. I easily sensed it.

I reached out, tentatively placing my hand on his chest, even sinking the tips of my fingers into his muscles through his shirt. “I think you should wear jeans every once in a while.”

“Don’t do that.” He lifted my chin with a single finger.

“What am I doing?”

“Deflecting.”

“Oh.” I was a woman who rarely found herself tongue tied. That was the effect this man had on me. Even my pussy was throbbing in response.

He lowered his head until our lips were almost touching. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

“Yes, you will. Then life will go on and I’ll be forced to find another job.” And pick up the pieces. I wasn’t going to share that with him.

“I’m not going to fire you.”

“Are you certain about that?”

“Hell, lady. I’m not certain about much at this point except for one thing. I want you.” He rubbed his thumb from one side of my chin to the other and I was pretty certain he was going to kiss me.

“This isn’t a good idea.”

---