Page 29 of Falling For Her Boss

She’s walking slightly ahead of me and it gives me an opportunity to ogle her. I know it’s rude to stare, but how can I not when she looks so damn good? Her jeans perfectly sculpt her sexy ass. With her hair up, it reveals her slender neck, each inch of it looking entirely kissable. Even the small of her back seems tantalizing to me right now. Her exposed skin is just begging to be touched. I work up the courage to get in step with her, placing my hand on her back. She smiles and slides her slim arm around my back. I don’t feel awkward this time when we lapse into silence, heading toward the park.

We come across a pizza vendor ten minutes into our walk. Isabella’s eyes light up and she glances at me like she’s asking for permission. I smile back and grab my wallet from my pocket.

“Let me treat you,” I tell her. She blushes happily, squeezing me close. It feels good to be the reason she’s smiling. Something as simple as buying her a slice of pizza seems to make her happy, and that’s perfectly fine with me. We order from the vendor and then wander through the park for a while, our pizza in hand. Isabella smiling to herself.

“What are you thinking about?” I ask her as we take a seat on a bench. She shakes her head, smiling even more.

“It’s nothing.”

I nudge her gently. “Come on! I want to know.” I lower my voice. “You know, if you’re thinking about how sexy I am, it’s alright, you can tell me.”

Isabella rolls her eyes and chuckles, nudging me back. “Alright, alright. I was just thinking of my brother, to be honest. When I was a kid, Joshua and I used to come here a lot, just to get away from the apartment. He found an old bike in a thrift store for a few dollars, fixed it up and would bring it here. I used to ride on the handlebars while he pedaled. And then when he got tired, we would grab a slice and sit in the park. I guess that’s why I have always liked doing it so much. It brings back happy memories.”

“That’s a great memory,” I tell her honestly. Typically, her cheeks flush, as they always do.

“I think so too. It always made me happy, at least. That’s what matters, right?”

“Of course. Did your parents ever come with you?”

Isabella falls silent. She picks a slice of pepperoni off her pizza absentmindedly. “They weren’t really around. Our Dad spent a lot of our childhood in prison. At first, it would only be a year or so at a time, but now, he’s pretty much there for life. I haven’t spoken to him in a long time.”

“I…I hadn’t realized,” I admit. Joshua has always been pretty private about his home life. I’ve known him for a long time, and I never even knew Isabella existed until he asked about getting her a job at my company. Isabella smiles sadly.

“It’s okay. I didn’t think you’d know anything about it. You know how Joshua is.”

“Yeah…look, thank you for telling me.”

Isabella bows her head shyly. “It’s okay…I feel like I can be honest with you.”

I discard the leftovers of my pizza in the trash. My hand finds its way to Isabella’s leg. “I know how it feels to not have your parents around,” I say. “I mean…I grew up with them always backing me, but the second they died…what I’m saying is I get that it leaves a hole.”

Isabella nods. “It can be hard. But we find ways to live without them, right?”

“Right. Absolutely.”

Isabella closes her eyes. “It feels good to talk about it with somebody. Joshua always cuts me off every time I try and mention it to him.”

I squeeze her leg gently. “I’m here now.”

CHAPTER 17

Logan

This night isn’t going as I expected it to, but somehow, it’s going even better. Opening up to Isabella about our families is the cleansing experience I didn’t know I needed. It felt good to talk for once instead of just keeping everything holed up inside. Not that I would admit that to anyone. It made me feel vulnerable, and I’m not sure that’s something I want to get used to.

But now that we’re headed to the hotel, the mood has changed entirely again. I can sense that Isabella is nervous. I guess I should have warned her that I had booked a hotel, but I wanted it to be a nice surprise for her. Now, as we enter the posh penthouse room she’s tense and quiet.

But when she steps inside, her jaw drops to the floor. I smile to myself, satisfied with my choice of hotel. I only want the very best for Isabella, and this place has certainly delivered. The room is shrouded in gold, with gold patterns in the wallpaper, on the painting frames that line the room and on most of the furniture. There are champagne flutes already waiting for us in the kitchenette, as I requested. Beside that, there’s also a platter of expensive liquor truffles. Isabella covers her mouth in shock, but even her hand can’t hide her smile.

---