Page 17 of Dear Grumpy Boss

“I don’t think that, Mouse.” A strand of affection coats the words, and then, it slips into me, like a thread of magic, and coils itself around my heart. “But I will know all your secrets before the night’s out. Although I’m not so arrogant that I’d discount any hints you might throw me.”

I laugh then, because this is the man I’ve fallen in love with.

This negotiator who goes from intense to charming in three seconds. This caring man who he rarely lets out but when he does… I feel like I’m the only star in the entire fucking universe and everything orbits around me.

Heorbits around me.

“What do you want from me, Mouse? Say one word and—”

“A kiss. I want a goodbye kiss.” The words rush out of me.

Then they drift in the space between us, like there’s no gravity, for what feels like an eternity. His sweat and musk wind around me again, squeezing everything tighter, making me prickle with need.

He smacks my hand from between us and inches closer.

A soft gasp falls from my lips as his chest presses against my breasts, as his hands grip the counter near my hips, and I’m engulfed by him.

His amber gaze drifts to my lips. “Okay,” he says, stunning me into silence.

Wait, what?

“But what if I want more?”

“More?” I repeat, like a bird.

His hand slides to my cheek and cups it. “What if one kiss isn’t enough? Are you game for that, Mouse? Or are you going to scurry away into your hidey-hole again?”

I should be annoyed by his mocking, but I know what he means exactly.

I’ve been hiding myself, for most of my life, in books and fantasies and comfort zones. Maybe it’s the freedom that comes from cutting off your own life support, but suddenly, I don’t care where this leads or the fact that come tomorrow morning, Zayn will regret it.

There’s one thing I need to know for sure before I take the plunge. “Why…why do you want more?”

“Why do I want to kiss you and touch you and lick you and mess you up in ways I shouldn’t be thinking of with my best friend’s younger sister?” He tugs off the pink string at the end of my braid and unravels my hair. It’s such a possessive move that I nearly melt inside. “Why do I want to ruin my naive, innocent, shy assistant in the filthiest of ways? Why have I tried my damnedest to keep you at a distance?” He sounds almost angry at the end.

He’s tried his damnedest to keep me at a distance…Okay,that explains a lot.

My swallow is audible. Every inch of me is on fire. I know him and he’s dead serious. He wants this. He wantsme.

Why, how, when it started…I don’t care about that right now.

“I want everything you said,” I say, bringing my hands to his stomach. He’s warm and solid against them, and slowly, I inch them up his muscled torso.

I trace his thick shoulders, then lace my fingers behind his neck. With each inch I cover between us, my curves push and squeeze against his and that drag is so good that I moan.

Zayn simply stares at me from under those thick lashes, unbending, challenging.

And then I realize another thing.

My very confident, very grumpy boss isn’t sure that I won’t back away from this. He’s just as twisted up about this as I am.

I push onto my toes and press a kiss to the corner of his mouth. “I want a whole night with you, Zayn. One night, please. And I’ll play by your rules, do whatever you want me to.”

Seven

Zayn

Sasha isthe sweetest thing I’ve ever tasted, and it goes straight to my veins, like some new drug, bringing me under. But instead of calming my dizzying brain, she makes every nerve ending come alive.

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