Page 21 of Tuned To Break
“That could take months.”
“Then I guess I’ll be working late for months.”
He steps into the office, closing the door behind him, and suddenly the space feels so much smaller. “The others have gone home.”
“I noticed.”
“So, it’s just you and me.”
“Apparently.” My breathing turns shallow as he moves closer, coming around to my side of the desk. This is a bad idea. My head and body are clearly in a battle. I should be stronger than whatever is happening between us. I should just tell him to leave, or I will.
“You know, I’ve been thinking about something all week.” His voice drips with seduction, and it takes all I have not tosquirm in my chair. All I have to hide the desire, I’m certain, is written all over my face.
“What’s that?” I push back from my desk and swivel my chair to face him. Unable to do the responsible thing and ignore his advance.
“That night at Grumpy’s. The masquerade party.” My heart starts pounding. He knows it was me. I fucking knew it.
“What about it?” I question, trying to fight the impulsive need to move closer to him.
“I keep thinking about this girl I met. Fiery red hair, incredible legs, and a body that should be worshipped. She was wearing a green mask that matched her eyes perfectly. Haven’t been able to get her out of my head since. I wonder why that is.”
I can barely breathe, and God, the last part. It’s like he crawled inside and stole what I’ve been thinking. “Sounds like you had an interesting night.”
“Oh, it was more than interesting. It was fucking unforgettable.” He steps closer, close enough that I have to tilt my head back to look at him. “She let me touch her in ways that still make me hard just thinking about it.”
“Jake...” I whisper.
“Tell me it wasn’t you, Stella. Tell me I’m imagining the way you react every time I call you ‘darl’. Tell me you don’t remember what it felt like to have my hand around your throat while I made you come.”
The words hit me out of nowhere, just like he did, and I can’t control the instant reaction they have on my body. My nipples pebble and peak, and there’s a throb pounding at my sex that’ll be impossible to ignore until he sates it. My head is still telling me this is a terrible idea. We should be professional. But my body is betraying me. It remembers that night.
“I...” I start, but I can’t form words.
“You knew,” he says, and it’s not a question. “You’ve known all week.”
“Not for certain,” I manage. “I suspected, but...”
“But?”
“I needed to be sure, and I didn’t want to complicate things here. I’m only just starting, and I need this job, Jake.”
He nods and reaches out to slowly trail one finger along my jaw. I shiver at the contact. “And now? Now are you sure?”
Instead of answering, I stand up, bringing us even closer together. We’re almost chest to chest, and I can feel the heat radiating off his body.
“What are you doing, Jake?” My head is still telling me to walk away. However, being this close to him, my need is taking over.
“What I’ve been wanting to do all fucking week.”
His hand comes up to cup my face, thumb tracing over my bottom lip. “I’ve thought about you every single night since then. Wondered what you’d feel like underneath me. What you’d sound like moaning my name.”
My next breath comes out needy. “This is a terrible idea. I’m technically your boss, and we need to maintain professional boundaries,” I whisper, even as I lean into his touch.
“Probably,” he agrees, but his other hand finds my waist, yanking me against him. “But I don’t give a fuck anymore.”
His mouth comes down on mine, and it’s like a dam breaking. All the tension, all the words we’ve been swallowing for a week, they detonate in the kiss. And when his tongue flicks against the seam of my lips, I don’t hesitate. I open for him like I’ve been waiting my whole damn life for this exact moment.
He tastes like coffee, just like I remember, but this time, it’s so much better.
