Page 21 of Elevator Pitch

He just showed up at the cafe.

Skye

He came?? OOH.

Would you look at the time?

I gotta go, Charlotte! The exterminator is here!

While the girls call me Cobweb Queen, she calls me Charlotte for that same reason. I exhale a laugh. I swear if she ever met the book club, she’d fit right in. While I don’t love our regular off-site events for work, I will say being able to hang out with her in person is the best part.

Me

LOL I cannot stand you.

I close our chat and remember to add a few topics to the agenda for this afternoon’s meeting. Greyson’s been quiet, but he’s busy with something on his phone, so I won’t bother him. He looks really fucking good today and fighting the urge to stare is becoming unbearable. He’s wearing a black form-fitting turtleneck and his sinewy muscles have sidetracked me enough. I avert my eyes, but I fear he caught me when he breaks the silence.

“Do you have a ‘workhusband?’”

I snort and shake my head. “Hell no.”

“Boyfriend?”

“No,” I respond with a head shake, purposely avoiding eye contact.

I wonder why he asked that.

I’m responding to a message from a teammate when I’m enveloped by his scent. A soft ‘hmm’follows that sounds awfully close. I spy him peering at my screen.

“No sexy spreadsheets today?” he asks.

“What?”

“I’ve seen you do things to spreadsheets that make my pants tight.”

I burst out laughing.

“Sir, please.”

“Sir?” he asks in a gravelly tone and peers at me over his glasses.

I cannot take this.

He attempts another stare down with me, but he’s looking over those damn glasses and I won’t make it. I will try though. I fail again while smiling at his handsome face.

Once he wins the stare-down, he changes the subject, telling me how he had done some traveling recently and that he was able to get a lot of reading done while he was away. We discussed the books I recommended to him and what stood out. I love that he reads my book suggestions and unpacks his theories with me. I gave him two more recommendations to start on and warned him that they were spicier than what he’s been reading. To which he said, ‘Game on.’

I smile at my screen as I keep typing. I can feel him staring at me, and I don’t mind it. His gaze feels like the warm sun on my skin on a spring morning. I want nothing more than to bask in it. When I return his gaze, he doesn’t shy away. He studies my body language like his desire is to become fluent.

Just to make sure he’s really attentive, I grab a hair tie frommy wrist and pull my curls back into a high ponytail. I resume working and wait for it. It doesn’t take long before he notices.

“The sunflower. What song inspired it?”

I bite my lip to hide my smile.

“Sunflower Vol. 6 by Harry Styles.”

I think back to what he said last week and I believe it now.

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