Page 22 of Surprise Me Tonight
Let me know if you need anything else.
I grip the handle of the mug a littletoo tightly.
Maybe it was nothing. Maybe I imagined the weight in his voice. Maybe he was just trying to be polite and accidentally leaned into something more.
But then again, maybe not. I definitely felt something. Unless he’s the sort of man who gets aroused by firing off emails. The thought makes me snort before I catch myself. Silly. Maybe he really does find me attractive.
The thought is… baffling. Callum Wright, who looks like he walked off a film set. All rough edges and sharp jawlines and arms covered in ink. He’s what? Thirty-three? That’s nine years younger than me. And with that face, that body, and that bank balance, he could have anyone. Literally anyone.
He doesn’t need an overweight forty-something with laugh lines and stretch marks and a drawer full of M&S knickers.
I glance at my reflection in the window and catch the pink in my cheeks.Bloody hell, get a grip, Stella.
I finish making Jasper’s tea and take a steadying breath before heading back down the hallway. My palms are still too warm, and the memory of the kitchen scene won’t let go. I give myself a quick mental shake before knocking gently and stepping into the office.
Jasper sits astride a visitor chair backwards, chin resting on his arms over the backrest, like this is the most natural thing in the world. He grins the second he sees me.
“There she is,” he says. “An angel with a brew. I might hang around more often.”
I smile faintly, offering him the mug. “Do you need sugar?”
“No, thanks, Love.” He grins and givesme a wink.
Callum doesn’t respond although he pulls his shoulders back and tenses up.
“Thanks, Stella,” he growls. Yes, growls. Maybe I’m not the only one still rattled by what happened in the kitchen.
“Do you need anything else?” I ask, trying to keep my tone neutral.
“No,” he says, eyes fixed on me. “Once you’ve arranged the meeting with the Ministry of Environment, you can head off.”
I blink. “Go home?”
“I don’t have any new tasks for you today. No reason to keep you sitting around.”
I hesitate. “Right. I just wasn’t sure if—”
“You’re salaried,” he says, cutting in with that same flat tone. “There’ll be days I’ll need you to stay late. When I say leave early, take it.”
I nod, not trusting my voice to say anything without sounding like I’m second-guessing him again.
Jasper chuckles, sipping his coffee like he’s just watching a mildly entertaining episode of something. “He’s not as scary as he acts, you know,” he says lightly. “I’ve known him for over a decade. I’m the poor bastard who talked him into starting his first company.”
I raise an eyebrow at that. “So you’re like a mentor.”
“Every now and then I have to be his conscience, seeing as he forgets he’s got one.” He grins. “Don’t let the scowl fool you. He’s not half as terrifying as he looks, more like a softie who hasn’t figured out what to do with his own heart.”
I glance at Callum. The look he gives Jasper is meant to be a warning, but it doesn’t land that way. Not when it’s clear this is just part of the back-and-forth between twofriends who never stop teasing, yet always have each other’s back.
“Right,” I say, half-laughing.
Jasper raises his cup in a mock-toast. “Welcome to the madhouse.”
I nod again, then quietly leave, closing the door behind me.
Two men. One smiling, charming, impossible to read in the best way.
The other... unreadable for entirely different reasons.
