Page 149 of Captivated By Danger

“Yeah. I knew that wasn’t a serious question.”

“Oh, lighten up, Diese…” I grabbed his earlobe.

“I didn’t miss that shit.”

“What did you miss?”

He looked out at the water.

“You’re gonna make me say it?”

“Yes. I think you should say it. Once you say it, you will stop fighting it. It’s not taboo to miss someone, Diesel. I missed you too. We’ve only been staying together and fucking for nearly a month, and you’re not as cold-hearted as you want me and other people to believe. I mean, I can see why you would want your peers and colleagues to think you’re mean, but not intimately.”

He cut his eyes at me and then shook his head before looking back out at the water.

“I don’t know what you did to me. What did you do to me?”

“Nothing. At least I don’t think I did. I think you were interested in me because you can’t really boss me around.”

His eyebrows raised. “I can’t boss you around?”

“No.”

He nodded his head. “Okay. That’s nice to know.”

“And I think you should ask yourself why you allowed yourself to be vulnerable with me when you had so many other women that you could be doing this type of stuff with. The type of things that you want in a woman—driven and smart, if I can remember correctly, Diesel, you could have at the snap of a finger. So, I can’t answer for you, but I would love to know once you have the answer. I would hate for us to be trauma bonding and shit, and we both end up unhealthily driving each other crazy.”

“So…” he turned his body toward me and finished off his champagne. “My dear, since you have all the answers, tell me why you like me so much? Those five dates you wanted, why do you want those? I’m not pleasant to be around. I’m mean.”

I waved my hand out for him to keep going.

“What?”

“Please don’t stop at mean. There are more adjectives you could use.”

He smiled. “Are you deflecting now?”

“No, Diesel, I’m not. The five dates were just that. So, I could get to know you in this type of setting, casual and lighthearted, non-work-related. That’s all it was. Nothing more or less.”

“So, um… do you still want to?”

I tried not to look and sound too thirsty. “Still want to get to know you?”

“Yes. Do you want to do the five dates thing still?”

I smiled before hooking my index finger in his shirt. He looked down at my hand and then at me.

“Greysen. Are you sure you want to do that? I still owe you for coming into my office with little shit on, pulling that fucking stunt.”

“You think I’m driven and smart, Sir?”

“Yes.”

I trailed my finger down the center of his chest, then his stomach, and then covered his crotch with my hand.

“So, you thought of me while you were gone?”

I grabbed his zipper and pulled it down slowly. He swallowed.

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