Page 25 of Sass

“Hey.” JJ stuck her head around the open kitchen door and I startled, almost dropping my phone. “Sorry, but you’ve, um, got a visitor.” Her eyes danced with mischief.

I frowned, glancing at the clock on the wall. “Is my client early?”

“Nope.” Her mouth curved up in a sly smile.

Jesus Christ.“Then who?”

She gave an innocent shrug. “Now, that would be telling, but he’s hot.”

I arched a brow. “He?”

“Yep.”

“And hot?”

JJ batted her eyelashes. “Sizzling.”

“Please tell me it’s not an ex?”

“Not an ex... that Iknowof,” she amended, with a glint in her eye. “Unless you’ve been a very naughty boy and kept secrets from us?”

I sighed. “I’m gonna regret this, aren’t I?”

JJ said nothing and I sighed. “Oh, for fuck’s sake.” I followed her out, getting as far as the end of the hall before freezing at the sight of the man standing at the service desk with a dripping coat hung over one arm and a wayward lock of hair plastered to his forehead. Unaware of our approach, he was busy rearranging our business cards and dusting off our brochures like they personally offended him. As we drew close, he looked up, face still damp from the rain, and I wanted to lick every inch of him dry.

Chris.

Well, fuck me.

He looked anything but comfortable, agitated even. He also looked ready to take flight at any second and it was so unlike the Chris I knew that it gave me pause, long enough to appreciate his slim, fit body poured into a fitted black button-down over a pair of arse-hugging scrumptious shiny grey trousers. Both of them damp and clingy, which only added to the overall appeal.

“Chris? Sorry... Kip. This is a surprise.” Then a stab of worry hit me. “Shit, is there a problem with the flat?”

Chris stared at me, and if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed the red stain that crept up his beautiful neck. He was actually blushing. Well, damn.

“Hi.” His pale green eyes flicked nervously over my face. “And no, the flat’s fine. It’s nothing like that.”

“Oh, right. So, what can I do for you?” I tried not to smile as I took in his unusually dishevelled appearance. “A towel, perhaps?” My gaze lingered on the brochures in his hand. “Or maybe a dusting cloth?”

He scowled and slid the brochures back on the desk, shuffling them to the back of the cards before smoothing his hair. “You should always have your business cards up front,” he said, deadly serious. “Brochures at the back.” He pulled a cloth from his pocket and waved it. “And I have my own duster, thank you.” He ran a fingertip across the desk and studied it. “But it’s not too bad, surprisingly.”

I ignored the snorts of amusement coming from JJ and Tyson, both of whom had witnessed Kip dressing me down on more than one occasion and were clearly beside themselves with delighted anticipation at whatever was about to happen next. I could almost hear the popcorn popping. As if she’d heard me, JJ reached for the lolly jar we kept on the service desk and helped herself to a handful before handing it on to Ty.

Chris glanced awkwardly between the two of them, the colour on his cheeks rising by the second. I almost felt sorry for him. Almost. Then I remembered his fondness for putting me in my place on a regular basis and held my ground.

When Chris realised JJ and Ty weren’t about to give us any privacy and that I wasn’t going to rescue him, he sighed and turned to grab something from the table in the waiting area. Walking back to the desk, he shoved a Bump and Grind coffee my way, grumbling something that sounded suspiciously like, “This is for you.”

For a second, I simply stared at it, blinking like an idiot. “For... me?”

“Yes,” he huffed. “Figured I owed you one. Milk and one sugar, right?”

I bit back a smile. Only Chris could make a peace gesture sound like a criminal sentence. I put a hand to my chest. “Why, Mr Grantham. Have you been stalking me?”

JJ almost choked on the jellybeans she’d been furiously shovelling into her mouth, and I shot her a warning glare.

Chris rolled his eyes. “You’re not the only one who pays attention. But if you’re going to make me regret it, I’ll just leave this here and let you get on with your day.” He spun on his heels to leave.

I lurched forward and grabbed him by the wrist. “No, please. Stay. I’m sorry.” Except I couldn’t help the grin. “But itwaskind of tempting.”

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