Page 40 of Fake Married to the Grumps

“That’s great news.” I take a deep breath to keep my insides steady. “How did you convince him?”

“Told him of my plans to expand. We’d be venturing into a lot more than airplane engines, Nelly. We’re talking trains, cars, and maybe even rockets. We’re working on this together, so if you’re free, we should head in together.”

Spending too much time working closely with him might not be the best idea for me right now.

He’s already so tempting.

“Sure,” I respond even as my head screams a different answer. “This is my company too, so we should work on a proposal together.”

He nods, and we spend the next few seconds staring at each other before he asks. “Lunch? We should eat before heading to the office.”

“I’ve got plans,” I lie with a smile. “I’ll just meet you there later.”

He nods, then tucks his hands into his pockets. Another second ticks away, and neither of us moves. It’s clear we’re both reluctant to leave, but I break out of the spell first.

Minutes after I leave the studio, Tom’s call comes in.

“Hey, Tom.”

He greets me on the other end. We spend the next few minutes discussing the merger and Ethan’s expansion plans before heends the call. I eat lunch at a private diner on Costway Avenue, then head to the Hart Holdings main office building in West Hollywood. Ethan’s already seated in his office with his laptop in front of him.

“What do you need me for?” I ask, taking off my blazer before flexing my arms. The dress I’m wearing seems like a flimsy excuse when his eyes run over the full length of my body.

“Here,” Ethan finally answers and hands me a document. “I need a proposal for electric cars. I’ve created a list of possible investors and mapped out a detailed plan for you to reference in your draft.”

“Got it,” I say, taking the document off his hands and making myself comfortable on the sofa in his office.

We work in silence for a long time, and I take periodic breaks to massage my temples or flex my arms and shoulders. I catch Ethan watching me when I glance his way.

He’s toying with his pen while leaning back in his chair, and he doesn’t blink even after I catch him staring.

“What?”

He lifts one shoulder in a shrug. “You’re beautiful, Nelly,” he says, and those words steal my breath away.

“Ethan …”

“It’s the truth,” he stops me, then leaves his chair and walks over to where I’m seated. Ethan lowers himself to the center table and strokes my cheek with one hand. His touch makes me gasp, and I inch backward, trying to put some distance between us.

“Your eyes … They’re intoxicating. I can’t stop thinking about them, about how you …” he trails off, and his gaze drops to my lips. “About how you taste,” he finally breathes out. His hoarse voice thickens the air with desire.

“You’re flirting, Ethan,” I reply, doing my best to maintain the lightness in my tone. “It’s against the rules.”

He smirks. “I know,” he admits with a shrug. “But the real fun starts when you dare to bend them a little.”

I smack his arm with the stack of papers next to me, and he pretends to be in pain while clutching his arm and laughing.

“Needed to get you to relax,” he says and leaves my side after that. I can finally breathe once he is far away, and the echo of his compliment refuses to fade.

Ethan takes a call, and I watch him while he’s standing next to his window with his back to me. The square shape of his strong shoulders and back is enough to make me forget what I was working on.

His laughs fill the room, and that tingle settles deep within me. He glances over his shoulder to look at me, and I quickly avert my eyes to my laptop, hoping he didn’t catch me staring.

Time flows by with ease while we work, and soon I doze off on his couch, curled up in a ball with my arms supporting my head. I intend to sleep only for twenty minutes, then get back to work. But when I wake up, I’m in a bed, bundled up in soft sheets.

I jerk off the bed quickly and toss the sheets aside to find that I’m still dressed. My pulse thunders. The rush leaves me flushed, and I plaster both hands to my cheeks.

What happened?

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