Page 26 of Kiss Me Forever

He sent me the pitch on Thursday at lunch, asking me to finish the formatting. I scrolled through it first. It was honest-to-goodness exhilarating to see all Luke had done. He’d taken great care to address the client’s questions and needs. I couldn’t wait to see him present it when we went to the client’s office tomorrow morning.

I stayed in the office long after sending it back to him perfectly formatted, wanting to take notes and study it. Once I was alone, I made myself tea in the kitchen and turned off the light in my office before sitting at the desk. It was cozy.

Luke had instructed me to think of all possible questions a client could ask, and he had even given me a few examples. I was writing down ways to answer them. I wanted to be well prepared for tomorrow.

"Megan?" Luke's voice startled me.

I turned around to face him. "Hi."

"What are you still doing here?" he asked.

My heart was about to jump out of my rib cage, I swear. And it wasn't just because he'd startled me. It was because he looked far too sinful, standing in the doorway with the lights off. There was a dim glow in the corridor, highlighting his physique. It transported me right back to our night together. A shudder went through me.

I cleared my throat, standing up. "Um, I was just preparing for our meeting tomorrow."

"It's seven forty-five," he said.

"Back at you," I replied just as he turned on the light. Okay, that was good. The whole thing seemed far less intimate with the lights on. But my body was still on alert.

"Yeah, but I'm the boss. You know what they say: If you don't want a nine-to-five, start your own company. Then you'll work around the clock."

I laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind in case I ever want to start my own company.”

"Tomorrow morning, I can pick you up to go to the client’s," he offered.

"Really? Oh, that would be great. I would need forever to get there with public transportation."

He frowned, "You don't own a car?"

"No. I don't like driving."

"Fair enough. I'll be there at eight o'clock. And grab your things. I can drive you home tonight too."

"Oh, that’s not necessary." I licked my lips, trying to calm down my racing pulse.

“It’s late, Meg.”

Meg.

That’s what he called me that night. I cleared my throat, trying to think rationally. It was late, and I didn’t love walking home from the metro station when it was dark. I’d heard catcalls a couple times, though nothing more dramatic had ever happened.

“Okay, thanks. That’s really nice of you.”

I grabbed my laptop and notepad, shoving them both in my bag. I’d changed my usual tote for a 2-in-1 style. It wasn’t trendy, but I didn’t like walking around with two bags all the time, and I liked taking my laptop home.

We descended the elevator together to the underground garage. To my surprise, there were still a lot of cars here.

“I didn’t expect so many to work so late,” I remarked once we were both inside the car. He was driving a Tesla.

“Some companies require that. Not everyone’s got a boss like me.” A corner of his mouth lifted with his half smile, flashing a dimple.

Were we moving into friendly territory?

I hoped we were, because I longed for the same camaraderie he shared with the others on the team.

He had a navigation system with voice recognition, so I dictated my address.

“Do you live alone or with a roommate?” he asked.