Page 67 of Deal Breaker
She blinks, caught off guard. “You saw me less than 24 hours ago.”
“Doesn’t matter.” I keep my voice steady, low. “Still true.”
I cross the room so I’m standing in front of her. My hands move to her jaw, needing to touch her. The way she instinctively leans into it, I know she needs the contact too. She doesn’t say anything, but I see the hesitation in her eyes as she calculates the risk of being together like this in my office. I lean forward and kiss her anyways, making it clear that I’m done pretending that we’re just colleagues, acquaintances, two people who knew each other once upon a time. The kiss is slow and chaste and when I slowly pull away, I say, “Have lunch with me.”
Her brow lifts. “Today?”
“Yes. I need to go to Vietnam tomorrow. I’ll be gone the rest of the week. I’ll order lunch, we can eat in my office. I know what you like.”
She hesitates and for a second, I worry she might say no. But then she nods. “Okay.”
“Good.”
I watch her leave, then sink back into my chair, heart pounding. I’m relieved she agreed to have lunch with me, but one meal isn’t enough. One weekend wasn’t enough. I’mnot sure anything ever will be. But it’s a start, and I’ll take whatever she’s willing to give me.
The next three hours pass so slowly it’s painful. I have a to-do list a mile long to get ready for this unexpected trip to Asia, but I manage to accomplish exactly none of it. Instead, I sit at my desk and re-hash the weekend we just spent together. It was impressive watching Landyn work. Jesse had said she was damn good at what she does, and he was right. And then afterwards, the nights I spent with her wrapped in my arms. The things she shared with me, and the things I know she’s still keeping hidden.
Finally, after I’ve checked my watch approximately 42 times, it’s noon, and there’s a soft knock on my office door. Right on time.
“Food’s already here,” I say as she steps inside, closing the door gently behind her. “Hope you’re still a fan of Chinese takeout.”
She arches a brow as she crosses the room. “Depends. Did you get spring rolls?”
I hold out a take-out box. “Two orders. I don’t share anymore.”
She smirks, but it fades as soon as her fingers brush mine when she takes the container. That one small touch has me instantly remembering her bare legs tangled in the hotel bed sheets.
I watch her settle into the chair across from me, folding one leg under her like she belongs here. She opens the lid, glancing at me through her lashes. “I’m not eating in here if this turns into a thing,” she says.
I lean back in my chair, my gaze steady. “What kind of thing?”
“The kind where you look at me like that.” Her voice is teasing, but there’s a warning in it.
“I can’t help it.”
“You could try.”
I shake my head once. “Not when you’re sitting across from me in that blouse looking as good as you do.”
Her lips part just slightly. Her tongue darts out to wet her bottom lip and just like that, the space between us is too small. I take a bite of a roll—anything to distract my racing heart. Anything to stop myself from reaching out to her.
“You don’t make it easy,” I say quietly.
She leans forward, elbows on the desk now. “Make what easy?”
“You don’t make it easy for me to be careful. Here, in this office, alone with you.”
Her breath hitches, but she tries hard to hide it. I watch as she allows the silence to stretch on, then I tell her, “I want more of this.”
She doesn’t answer, but when she finally looks at me, it’s not caution I see in her eyes, it’s longing. I hold her gaze, seeing the heat in it, and I don’t care anymore that we’re in my office. I don’t care that she’s trying to keep this under control.
I rise from my chair slowly and walk around the desk, stopping to stand in front of her.
“I want more of this, Landyn,” I repeat. “I want more of you.”
Her throat works as she swallows. “Ford…”
I reach down and gently push her chair away from the desk, just enough so that I can step between her legs. I take the container from her hand and set it on my desk. She doesn’t stop me. Her hands stay in her lap, but her eyes flick to my mouth like she’s already tasting me. I run my knuckles slowly along her jaw. “Relax, baby.”
