Page 56 of Kissing the Boss (Fairy Tale Quartet 2)

I tightened, suddenly apprehensive, not sure if I was ready to progress quite this fast or quite this far tonight.

Ezra paused, tuned in to my every muscle movement. “Have we reached our stopping point for the evening?” he asked, his gaze seeking.

I bit my lip. “I certainly don’t want to stop,” I hedged.

“But,” he finished, reading the word in my gaze, “we need to keep our pants on?”

I nodded, loving the way he understood and respected me. “For tonight, anyway.”

His head bobbed up and down. “Cool.” Then he leaned in to kiss me some more. “As long as we don’t have to stop the kissing yet.”

“Never.”

And we didn’t. Though our mouths remained fused, no more articles of clothing were removed. By the time I yawned hours later, I felt thoroughly ravished. Catching the yawn, Ezra decided to head home… To let me rest up for the next night, he said.

The apartment felt bigger, lonelier, and colder with him gone, but I think my smile was stuck in place, anyway, never to be removed, as I readied myself for bed and brushed my teeth.

Blushing, I met my own reflection in the mirror above my bathroom sink and caught sight of beard burn on my neck. Another grin exploded across my face. Ezra had definitely left his mark.

How long had it been since a man had left physical proof of his existence on me? No clue, but it felt like way too long. And I felt way too good.

Life was changing, I realized. And I liked where it was heading. I couldn’t imagine how anything could go wrong from here.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

I was still glowing when I sailed into JFI the next morning. After starting the coffee maker, I sat down at my desk to get a little email correspondence done. Then I researched different kinds of leather. By the time I heard Brick’s voice in the hallway, only an hour and a half had passed, yet I’d gotten an entire day’s worth of work in already.

Which was probably a good thing. Brick was as chatty in the office as he was everywhere else. It slowed my workflow considerably when he was around, so it was just as well that I got as much completed before he arrived.

He laughed, talking to some other man, as he entered the room, only to slow to a stop and inhale deeply. “Damn, you even brew the best-smelling coffee, kid.”

I grinned, soaking in the compliment like a flower greedily inhaling sunlight, even as I wanted to deflect and say the coffee beans had done all the work aromatizing the air, not me.

Popping to my feet, I brought the cup I had ready directly to him. “Thank goodness you’re here. I wanted to get your opinion on these quotes I’ve gotten from—”

“Later,” he said, wiping out business talk with the swish of a hand. “First, I want you to meet Robert King. Rob, this is my sister, Kaitlynn.”

“Nice to meet you.” Rob stepped forward, his palm outstretched to shake with me.

After we greeted each other, Brick, who was already at the coffee station, adding creamer to his cup, said, “Rob’s an associate with Cobb King Real Estate. He’s going to take you around today to find a new place to live.”

The smile I was giving Mr. King froze on my face. I blinked at him about four times before transferring my frozen smile to Brick. “New place to live?” I repeated from stiff lips that felt fossilized from my fake pleasantry.

“Yeah.” He waved a dismissive hand, then smacked a couple sugar packets against his palm before ripping them open. “You know, since you’re getting paid big-kid money now, you can afford something better. And don’t worry… If you don’t want to buy right now, he can help you find the best condos to rent too.”

“Brick,” I said, not sure where to start, and afraid I might blow a gasket if what I really wanted to say burst from my lips. I shook my head. “I appreciate your concern, but I don’t—”

“Hey, no thanks needed.” He poured the sugar into his coffee and stirred. “I told you I was going to make sure you got into a better place, and I am. Promise fulfilled.”

“And yet…” I shook my head, still too flustered to talk before blurting, “And yet you forgot to find out if I even wanted to move.”

He paused, confusion filtering through his gaze. Frowning Mr. King’s way as if I’d spoken another language and he needed a translation, he finally turned back to me. “Why would you want to stay in that place? It’s a shit hole.”

“Because,” I sputtered, spreading my fingers in the air. “It’s my home.”

“And that’s where Rob comes in.” Brick motioned to him, nodding with encouragement. “To help you find a new home.”

“But I don’t want a new home,” I ground out, glaring at him, only to transfer an all-is-good-here smile to Mr. King.

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