Page 20 of Secretary Crush
His brows draw together, and his jaw flexes, but he lets the comment go. “Look, Ella, I messed up. You know that. I know that. And I’m sorry. But I’m only human. You can’t expect perfection at all times. And I’m sorry that I didn’t apologize sooner. You have every right to be mad at me for what I did. But you have to know that it was never my intention.”
“What wasn’t your intention?” I ask, cutting him off. “Cheating on me? Or getting caught?”
He rolls his eyes as a long breath leaves his lips. “I love you, Ella. I’ve been in love with you since the first time I saw you in my advanced English class.” His eyes glaze over, and his lips turn up into a smile. “You were wearing that white spaghetti strap shirt and those short jean shorts. You had those strappy sandals on, and your legs were crossed as you sat at your desk. Your foot was bouncing, the toe of your shoe tapping the floor every few seconds. At first, I was so annoyed by the constant noise. I turned around, prepared to ask you not so politely to stop, but when my eyes landed on you, you took my breath away.”
He lets out a quiet chuckle. “You stopped me dead in my tracks, and I’ve been yours ever since.” His blue eyes light up as he gives me thatI get everything I wantsmile of his.
You see, Josh is cute. Like boy-next-door cute. He’s tall, has tanned skin, and blond hair he keeps neatly styled and combed over to the side. He has blue eyes and thick lashes. Perfectly straight white teeth. He is the human embodiment of a Ken doll. Practically perfect in every way. His family has money too, and because of all that, he’s always been treated like he’s better than most. He gets whatever he wants out of life and out of women. I had only just caught him cheating on me, but I’m pretty sure he had been doing it all along. He thinks that he’ll be able to offer me that charming boy-next-door smile of his, and I’ll just fall to pieces at his feet. He needs to think again.
I shake my head. “I’m sorry, Josh. I’m done. Now, if that’s all you had to say.” I stand and move toward the door.
He quickly stands and catches my hand in his. The next thing I know, he’s pulling me against him. His chest smashes into mine, and he wraps his arms around me. It’s so fast, I can’t process it.
“I’m not letting you go that easy,” he says, pressing his mouth to mine.
I’m frozen. My eyes are stuck wide open in shock, in surprise, in anger. My body isn’t moving an inch. Not my feet, not my hands, not my lips. I can’t do anything. Even my thoughts are frozen. What in the hell does he think he’s doing?
That’s when the door to the office opens. “What in the hell is going on in here?” Hudson asks.
Suddenly, I’m able to move, to think. I push Josh away, and I stumble backward when he suddenly lets me go. Hudson’s hands reach out, latching onto my arms to steady me. The office door closes behind him, leaving the three of us in privacy.
“Are you okay?” he says, spinning me around to face him.
I’m breathless from the excitement of the moment, but I nod.
“Who is this guy?”
Josh steps up. “I’m her fiancé, and I’ve come to take her back home,” he says. “Thanks for making sure she’s okay, but I’ll take it from here.” He leans forward and grabs my hand even though Hudson still holds me by my arms.
I watch as Hudson’s eyes move down to Josh’s hand on mine. Then he looks back up at Josh. “She’s not going anywhere with you,” he says, releasing my arms.
Josh’s brows lift. “Didn’t you hear me? I’m her fiancé.” He steps up to Hudson, challenging him. I have to give him points for standing up. Hudson is several feet taller than him, and his bicep is the size of Josh’s thigh.
“You’re her ex-fiancé,” Hudson clarifies. “And the last I knew, she left town to get away from you. And now here you are, tracking her down and trying to take her back, kicking and screaming? I don’t think so.”
Josh lets out a puff of air. “You’re her boss. You can’t stop either one of us from doing what we want. She’s mine, and I’m taking her home.”
I see anger flash across Hudson’s face for only a second. The next thing I know, Hudson has a hold of Josh, and he’s dragging him out of the office by his shirt. He pulls him out the door, through the garage, and then to the outside parking lot. He throws him, and Josh goes tumbling to the ground as Hudson looms over him with his finger in his face. “I never want to see your face again. If I do, I will gladly rearrange it for you. Got it?”
Josh looks more pissed than scared, but he’s smart, and he knows he doesn’t stand a chance against Hudson. He doesn’t say anything as he scrambles to his feet and walks back to his car. He gives us one last look before climbing behind the wheel of his BMW and driving away, squealing his tires on the pavement before pulling out into traffic.
When Josh is no longer in sight, Hudson takes my hand and pulls me back into the office. He closes the door behind us. His hands catch mine, and they move up my arms to my face, his eyes following them like he’s checking me over for any damage. “Are you okay? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
I shake my head. “I’m fine. I’m sorry you had to see that, deal with that,” I breathe out as tears sting my eyes. I’m so embarrassed I don’t know what to do.
He tilts my head back until my eyes meet his. “You have nothing to be sorry for. If I lost you, I’d do anything to get you back too,” he says, moving his lips to mine.
I wrap my arms around his neck and pull myself closer to him, thankful he was here to stop Josh. Who knows what could’ve happened if he had caught me alone. He could’ve thrown me into his car and drove me back, kicking and screaming.
Hudson’s hands move from my face down to my hips. His fingers tighten around them, and then he’s quickly picking me up and setting me on the table. My legs wrap around his legs, pulling him closer as our kiss heats up. I can’t think of anything right now other than how badly I want him and how thankful I am to have him here.
The door opens, and we suddenly remember where we are. He pulls away, and we both turn to look at Tony. He’s sticking his head in the door as a big smirk stretches across his face. “Just thought you two should know before you start having sex that we can see everything you’re doing. Windows, remember?” He chuckles and closes the door, the blinds smacking against the glass.
We look at one another before looking out the windows. All the guys are standing in their stations, looking our way with big smiles and smirks.
Hudson lets out a deep breath and shakes his head. “I knew we should have kept those blinds closed.”
I giggle. “Those blinds have never been closed.”
