Page 23 of His to Keep
I bark out a laugh and her smile deepens. God, she’s so fucking beautiful. “You hungry?” I ask, without giving it too much thought.
Her smile immediately fades. “Um…”
I gesture back to my office. “I have a few more things to do, and I could use some refueling first. Join me. We’ll order take out.”
“I’m not sure—”
“I need supervision, remember?” I press. “Just think of all the trouble I could get up to alone in the office.”
Something darker flashes in her eyes and I wonder what kind of trouble she’s imagining. From the way her breathing kicks up, I hope it’s the dirty kind. “Look, it’s dinner time,” I try again. “I appreciate your help stepping in for Wesley. Let me feed you.”
She straightens her shoulders, clearly coming to some decision. “Okay. Let’s have dinner.”
Rebecca
Itry to tell myself that this isn’t a bad idea. Eating take-out after hours with the boss is probably the kind of thing personal assistants do all the time, right? Luke mentioned the Thai place he ordered from is a favorite of Wesley, so that means the two of them probably share meals on occasion. This isn’t any different.
Except for the fact that Wesley has probably never seen Luke naked.
Don’t even go there,I tell myself. I already fell into the trap of Luke fantasies this afternoon. Watching him stride around the board room, all confident and in charge, had been too much for me. It was a good thing he had me sitting behind the others at the table, because I’m pretty sure anyone who got a good look at my flushed face would know exactly what I was thinking.
Or maybe they wouldn’t. Most normal people don’t fantasize about being tied up by their boss, right?
“You okay?”
I jump, startled, and see that he’s watching my face. We’re both on the couch in his office, with what I hope is a respectful distance between us. Not far enough to prevent me from picking up the subtle scent of his aftershave. Or from noticing the flecks of darker chocolate in his brown eyes while he stares right at me. Of course I blush—he seems to have that effect on me. “Fine,” I squeak out, then shove a mouthful of noodles into my face so I have an excuse not to elaborate. Instead I watch Luke’s hands while he expertly wields a set of chopsticks. Is it weird to think of hands as sexy? Because Luke’s definitely are. So big and powerful, yet surprisingly elegant in moments like this. It’s hard to look at his hands and not think about what he can do with them, what he did to me with them—
“So tell me,” he says, and I startle again. Jesus, I need to get my mind out of the gutter. “What brought you all the way to Charlotte from Chicago?”
I blink at him, surprised that he remembered where I said I was from. “School. I was at Denby University until last year.”
He’s studying me. “Why Denby?”
I shrug. “It’s a great school.”
His lips twitch. “I know Denby’s a great university. I went there myself.”
“Oh.” I probably should have done a better job googling my boss. I’d gotten distracted by a photograph of him attending an event in a tuxedo. If I had thought the man looked good in a suit, the tuxedo pretty much sent my heart into overdrive. I expected to see a stick thin blonde model type at his side, but he’d been alone. That sent me spiraling down a google hole of looking at other event photos. He’d been single in all of them. Apparently Luke isn’t much for dating.
Which is absolutely none of your business,I remind myself.
“Denby’s pretty far from Chicago,” he presses.
I shift on the couch, uncomfortable. “I got a scholarship.”
I don’t know what reaction I expected—maybe that he would look down at me for requiring financial assistance. But instead the expression that flashes over his face looks more like pride. He turns a little, so he’s facing me more fully, bringing our bodies an inch closer
“You said the scholarship foundation went bust?”
My discomfort grows. “One did. I received a few more, but still, without that money things got tight.”
He frowns. “How close are you to finishing?”
“I was supposed to start my internship last fall.” The thought of all my classmates in the program currently finishing their student teaching experience makes my chest clench. I hate that I’m not there with them. “I need to complete that before I get my degree.”
His frown deepens. “You’re only a year from finishing?”
“Yup.” So damn close, yet so damn far.
