Page 14 of Undeniable Temptation

Another step. Another dose of fear to add to the growing pile. “It’s always mattered. You know that.”

Don’t.The demand shoved to the forefront of her mind, begging to be set free. “I should start packing.” She slid backward, putting necessary space between them.

His eyes were killing her. They didn’t focus on her in friendship. They looked at her as if she instigated the start of world peace.

“Leah…”

He took another step, breaching personal space and snapping something painful inside her. “Stop.”

His face fell, his agony heavier than a beach-load of sand. “What’s wrong?”

She tried to recover, tried to pull her shit together and fake a brilliant smile. “I’m busy. That’s all. You should go.”

“No.” He stood firm, his agony turning to anger. “What have I done?”

Everything. Nothing. And neither answer made sense. “Please, I’ve got a thousand people to call before the end of business today.”

“Right… So Blake can hug and kiss you but I can’t get within two feet? I thought we were trying to get back to the way we were.”

And there it was. The confrontation she should’ve prepared for. “We’ve been trying for months. Obviously, we’re going nowhere.”

“No.” He shook his head, his stare narrowing, shrinking her. “You’regoing nowhere. I’m more than happy to revert to normal and forget that kiss ever happened.”

But ithadhappened, and now her lips would be forever haunted with his affection. “It’s not that easy for me.”

“Why?” He straightened, preparing for battle.

She had to shut this down, extinguish any chemistry or attraction, or whatever the hell made this situation unbearable. This had to end. Now. “Because you carelessly risked my job with that kiss.”

He recovered from the verbal slap quicker than anticipated. “And now you think I’m going to smack one on you whenever I get within arm’s length?”

“No. It’s not that.”

“Then what is it?” His voice softened. “I need to make this right somehow. We both know I messed up. But it’s time you let me fix it.” He inched closer. “I need you. This divorce and the stress with Grander is killing me without my best friend to talk to.”

Three big cheers for the fucking friend zone.

He smiled, a curve of lips so sad and small, yet so monumental. “And having to rely on Mason for advice has brought me to a remarkably new low.”

“Ouch.” She chuckled despite her best intentions. “That is pretty low.”

“See?” He spread his arms wide in temptation. “I’m a mess without you.”

No, no, no, no. She wasn’t going to risk her job again. She wasn’t going to fall victim to temptation. To desire. To longing. She’d successfully suppressed that shit long ago.

“Can’t we just hug it out?” he asked, as if the question resembled, ‘Would you like ketchup on your fries?’ When in reality it hit her ears to the tune of, ‘Would you like a lobotomy with a side of disembowelment?’

“Hard pass.” She repeated Sean’s latest catch phrase to combat the burst of adrenaline scorching her veins.

“Why?” He chuckled. “I give the best hugs.”

He did. He really did.

“No, you don’t.” She screwed up her face to back up the lie. They were fast approaching ground zero and there was no way she could return to the destruction of her body against his. Not now. Not ever. “I need to pack.” She side-stepped. “Is that all—”

He grabbed her around the waist, his devastating grip tugging her into his chest in one fell swoop. Two seconds. That was all it took for her to go from struggling to manage her composure, to complete and utter devastation.

An apocalypse had nothing on this moment. And all she could do was stand there, her hands on his shoulders to keep herself vertical, while her heart went through a shredder at a snail’s pace. She mentally clung to her professionalism, not letting the platonic squeeze slip into fantasy territory.

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