Page 17 of Forbidden Hearts
I am not attracted to Phoebe. Not even a little.
“You scared the shit out of me.”
“Clearly, unless that was your attempt at dancing and flashing your boss.”
Her lips move while she rolls her eyes, mimicking what I just said. Why do I find that adorable? Oh, I don’t. Nope. Nothing about this is cute. Not the fact that her long brown hair flows down her back in waves or how her arms are crossed, pushing her breasts into the perfect position.
“What the hell did you just barge in here for?”
“You yelled forhelp.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Yes,” I argue back. “You said, ‘No more! Help!’”
She sputters. “I . . . I was singing!”
“I didn’t know that! I thought someone was hurting you.” I chuckle beneath my breath. “I thought maybe you were trying to deter them from attacking you with your singing.”
Her jaw falls open. “You are such an ass!”
She’s not wrong, but I have to distract myself from thinking about how gorgeous she looks.
“You know, for an employee, you are extremely rude. Hasn’t anyone told you that you’re supposed to be nice to the person who writes your check?” I push her buttons because it’s better than pushing her against the bed, kissing her, and palming her breasts that I’m pretty sure will fit in my hands like they were made for me.
Doing a bang-up job at forgetting, Asher.
“Oh, and has anyone told you that as an employer, you suck? Because you’re not exactly overflowing with kindness and understanding.”
“I didn’t fire you today when I caught you lying, that was nice.”
“You don’t exactly have a replacement either,” she reminds me as she steps closer. “I don’t know that your kindness would’ve extended to me if you weren’t desperate.”
No, I don’t, but that last part isn’t true either. There was something in her eyes when she was apologizing that I couldn’t shake. She was so sincere, so hopeful that she’d have another chance that I knew I wouldn’t have fired her.
Phoebe may not be the world’s best childcare, but all I’ve heard for the last five years is how smart she is and how hard she works at school. She went to undergrad at Penn and then the University of Iowa for graduate school. Her father is beyond proud of her, as he should be. It would be unfair of me to think she hasn’t grown up.
However, that doesn’t answer the question of why would she leave her school before the semester ended and before finishing her graduate program?
It’s none of my business.
“Brynlee would’ve quit her job if I really needed her to.”
She shrugs. “Well, I survive another day. Uh, I meant to ask, but you were in the shower. This is my room, right?”
“It actually isn’t.”
“No?”
She’s too close. I catch a hint of the scent of lemons and sugar, tart yet sweet. The air around us charges as though an electric current has been unleashed.
I shake my head, hoping to dispel the desire I feel rising. “This is for myotherovernight guests. You have the guest house out back.”
Her eyes widen and then, as though the words just finally doused the same fire I’m fighting, she steps back and a look of disgust crosses her face. “Is that in the binder?”
I breathe and then grin. “Nope.”
She turns to look at the bed and shivers. “Considering the available number of single women around here, I’ll move out now. I’m not sure I want to risk cross contamination.”
