Page 7 of His to Take

My heart skipped a beat at his words.

“Mr. Gates,” I answered in a professional tone.

His answering silence made my stomach flip. What was wrong?

Oh, right. He wanted me to call him by his first name.

“I apologize; I meant to say Ryker. I hope you’ve been well,” I quickly corrected myself. It was an innocent mistake, but somehow, it felt naughty. My face flamed and I was thankful that he couldn’t see it.

“I have,” he replied. “I’ve been enjoying much of what your city has to offer.”

“I’m glad to hear that. There is much to do and see here,” I said, a bit pridefully.

“Indeed, there is,” he echoed.

“I met with the council, and they approved our collaboration. There are two additional requirements to the arrangement, however,” I explained, purposefully keeping secret the fact that it had been my request.

“What is that?”

“I am to accompany you and the council will outfit us with an experienced security detail on our journey, neither of which is negotiable.”

“I see,” he replied.

“Is that a problem?” I asked curtly. He cleared his throat.

“No. It’s not an issue. It’s just a bit unexpected.”

I was quiet for a moment. The sudden urge to see him again hurtled through me and there was nothing I could do to stop what came out of my mouth next.

“Would you like to come to my place for dinner tonight so that we can discuss this adventure you’ve lured me into?” I blurted out.

“Sure,” he answered smoothly, with a hint of humor in his tone. I couldn’t tell if he liked the idea or hated it, so I kept talking even though everything inside me was telling me to keep quiet.

“I could tell you about the research I’ve uncovered and where I think we should begin our investigations,” I explained quickly, trying to backpedal and recover as fast as I could.

“That would be delightful, Dr. Vaughn,” he replied, his voice cheerful.

“Please, Ryker, call me Naomi.”

“With pleasure, Naomi. I’ll see you tonight at six o’clock.”

As I hung up my comm, I was left with a reeling sensation from hearing my name roll off his tongue, and I closed my eyes to savor it.

Shifting in my seat, I could feel that my panties were suddenly wet.

There was no hope of concentrating on anything for the rest of the day.

I left work early, taking my first afternoon off in probably the last five years. The security guards at the front desk raised their eyebrows in surprise, but they didn’t say anything, and I was grateful for it.

I was still struggling with what hearing Ryker say my name did to me. I shouldn’t be affected by a man simply saying my name. I shouldn’t let the way he confidently strode into my office get to me and I really shouldn’t be thinking about his hands on my naked skin.

These kinds of things didn’t happen here. Even talk of self-pleasure was extremely taboo and only minimally accepted in my world.

I’d tried touching myself once, but I hadn’t seen the point.

Breathing in the outside air, I left the museum, walking the few blocks to my home. The stroll was over before I was ready for it to be. When I unlocked the front entryway and went into the kitchen, I just stood there for several minutes.

I’d invited him to dinner.

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