Page 73 of Dating the Boss
“You watch that whore mouth,” Monty said, then cringed when he looked at Gwen. “Sorry.”
When we were joking around and having fun, it was hard to remember sometimes that she was his and Quinn’s boss. She just laughed it off like the rest of us.
The cake tasted even more incredible than it looked. Quinn beamed with pride when watching us enjoy it. As we ate, he handed me a card from him and Monty. It had a fifty-dollar gift card to fill my Kindle with more books.
“We also got you this,” Quinn said, standing from the table and leaving the room a moment. He returned with a blue gift bag and a white box and handed them to me.
I opened the box and found a denim jacket tucked inside. It was one I’d wanted for a while. “Thank you.” I hugged it to my chest.
“Now, the bag,” Monty said, grinning.
I dug into the bag and pulled out a new decorative scarf that I fucking adored, plus something… fuzzy. “What in the heck?” I lifted a groundhog plush out of the bag. Daniel choked on a laugh, and Monty gave another shit-eating grin. “A groundhog? Really?”
“It suits you,” Monty said.
“This was your idea, wasn’t it?” I asked, not amused. Okay, maybe I was alittleamused. The plushie was super soft and cute, but I wouldn’t say it out loud.
Monty only winked before stuffing more cake into his mouth.
When our bellies were near bursting, Brian stood from the table and gathered everyone’s empty plates before opening the fridge.
“Can I get ya a beer, Dan?” Brian asked, bending to look inside. “Is it okay if I call ya Dan?”
“That’s fine,” Daniel answered. “And sure, I wouldn’t mind a beer.”
I smiled.Dan. It made him sound so… well, normal. Approachable. Like he was one of the humble townsfolk instead of the powerful king ruling over them.
Daniel used to seem larger-than-life. In many ways, he still did. But as I sat beside him at the table, watching him smile and drink a beer with the man who’d unofficially adopted me as his son, I felt a tugging in my chest and a warmth in my belly.
I was happy.
That happiness followed me all through the night and back to Daniel’s house where he laid me on the bed, our naked bodies pressing together, and eased into me. Slow. Deep. He slid his fingers through mine and held our joined hands above my head as he rocked into me.
“Happy Birthday,” he murmured against my ear, fucking me slow and oh so good.
I squeezed his fingers a little tighter and nuzzled his jaw, whimpering as he hit my sweet spot. I felt so connected to him in that moment, and not just because he was inside me. With him close, I breathed easier and felt like I was walking on air.
As I lay in his arms afterward, both of us falling asleep to the sound of rain mixed with sleet hitting the window, I had never felt so thankful for everything in my life. A very happy birthday indeed.
Chapter Sixteen
Daniel
“Mr. Crawford called a meeting for eight thirty,” Jennifer said first thing Wednesday morning.
“Oh.” I had just finished making out with Reed in the elevator on the way up and hoped like hell my lips didn’t look as swollen as they felt. “Thank you for letting me know.”
She looked around me at Reed. “I love your jacket. Denim looks amazing on you.”
“Thanks,” he said, walking past me, his hand brushing my thigh out of her sight. “Is everyone invited to the meeting or just the higher-ups?”
“Everyone,” she answered him. “Cinderella can go to the ball. Don’t worry.”
“I’m so honored.” Reed grinned before walking toward his desk.
I forced my eyes away from how delectable his ass looked in those tight pants and nodded to Jennifer. “Excuse me.”
Reed went to his desk and smiled at me from the corner of his eye. I continued to my office and shut the door. My phone buzzed with a text.
