Page 67 of Heart of Stone
His office door was partially closed, so I knocked lightly and pushed inside. That’s when I realized he wasn’t alone. Our lead wilderness ranger, Terry, was there, along with two members of our trail maintenance crew, Dustin and Cody.
“Oh, I’m so sorry for interrupting. I didn’t realize you had a meeting scheduled.”
Reid was quick to assure me. “There’s no need for an apology. This wasn’t planned.”
I blinked in surprise, my eyes darting between Reid and Terry. “Is… Is everything okay?”
Terry offered a nod in return, but it was Reid who answered. “Perfectly fine, Natalia. There was merely an issue with some downed trees on one of the trails on the southwest side of the property. It’s going to require some additional equipment to address. Was there something you needed?”
I pressed my lips together and fought the urge to tuck my chin toward my chest while eyeing Reid. There were so many things I wanted to say to him, but given the status of things between us and that we hadn’t exactly made anything public, I had no choice but to refrain.
Shaking my head, I plastered a smile on my face. “No, sir. Nothing. I’m finished up for the day, and I just wanted to make sure you didn’t need anything before I head out for the weekend.”
Something that looked a lot like delight sparked in his eyes. “I don’t think so. We should be all set here.”
“Great.” I smiled at him before allowing my gaze to slide to the other men in the room. “Well, have a wonderful weekend. See you all on Monday.”
Dustin and Cody muttered goodbyes, diverting their attention to their laps, as Terry said, “Have a nice weekend.”
I gave him a nod and looked at Reid. “Enjoy your evening, Natalia.”
“You, too.”
With that, I turned and walked out.
As soon as I stepped outside, a rush of air left my lungs. What had just happened in Reid’s office was precisely why I had so many questions about where things stood for Reid when it came to us.
I made it back to my place, noted the time, and stripped out of my clothes to take a shower. An hour later, a knock came at my door.
Pulling the door open, I met the handsome face of the guy who’d been on my mind for weeks.
Reid had a mischievous grin on face. “Sir?”
My brows pulled together. “What?”
“You called mesirwhen you were in my office about an hour ago.”
I bit the corner of my lip. Clearly, I’d been trying too hard not to give any indication that there was something happening between Reid and me. “I didn’t mean anything by it.”
His chin jutted forward as he looked down and studied me. “Didn’t you?”
I shrugged. “What did you expect me to do? Sit on your desk and make out with you in front of my coworkers?”
“Are you worried about them seeing?”
“Are you?” I cocked a brow and crossed my arms over my chest.
Reid’s eyes dropped toward the cleavage I’d just accentuated and smiled. “I’m the one standing out here where anyone could see.”
My eyes rounded as I reached out and yanked him inside, slamming the door shut.
Laughter spilled out of him. “Change of plans? Are we staying in tonight?”
“We might have to stay inside indefinitely.”
Reid stepped forward, closed the distance between us, and slid his arms around my waist. “Now where would be the fun in that?”
“Pardon?”
