Page 17 of Bossy Trouble

Although, just because it wasn’t sexual didn’t mean that it wasn’t intimate.

In fact, for some reason, feeling his heart beat against my chest, his breath on my hair, and his hands slowly rubbing my back felt more intimate than anything else we’d ever done.

Alarms clanged in my head.

“Sorry,” I murmured, attempting to pull away. I’d hugged him out of pure instinct, not thinking of the repercussions. “I just got excited. I shouldn’t have—”

“Stop.” I’d attempted to step back, but his order kept me in place. His arms did not release me. If anything, they became tighter. “Stay here for a minute.”

“Um…” I wasn’t sure what to say. “Okay…”

He didn’t sound like his usual sardonic self. He sounded different, almost a little surprised. Maybe he realized it was the first time I hugged him too.

Nah. A man like Donovan wouldn’t keep track of something like that. The only reason I knew was that I’d been obsessed with the man for the better part of a decade.

Which was why I should probably not still be in his arms right now.

Still, I stayed.

We remained like that probably longer than was smart. I wasn’t sure how long because, at some point, time sort of faded into the background. I subconsciously began counting the seconds by his heartbeat, and then eventually, the thought transformed into noticing other things about him. Did he know that his heart beat so strong but so steady at the same time? It was soothing, like the sound of a wave crashing on the shore again and again. His fingers had begun running little circles on my back…in patterns that didn’t make sense. I wondered if he knew he was doing that. Was he deep in thought, or was he as lost in this hug as I was?

Had I ever had a hug this good before?

“What are you thinking about?” His murmur was like wind on my hair, and it sent a breeze all around my body.

“Nothing,” I responded truthfully. My mind had been blank for the past few moments. I wasn’t even sure how long we’d been hugging. “What are you thinking about?”

“About how good this feels,” he responded, and the ring of honesty in his tone sent a flush of heat down my body.God. I wasn’t the only one. He was thinking about it too. “Why haven’t we done this before?”

“Um…I don’t know.” Donovan never seemed like the type one could just hug. Rather, he seemed like he just may bite the head off of anyone who tried. “But we should probably stop soon.”

“Why?”

“Because…” I tried very hard to think of a reason. Unfortunately, multiple came to mind. “Your girlfriend will probably not like it.”

“Oh.” He sounded like I just reminded him of an unpleasant reality. “Right.”

Still, he didn’t let go, not until I made a concerted effort to step out of his arms again. His arms slipped off my waist, and I looked up to find that his eyes didn’t have the shield that was normally there. Instead, he looked warm and slightly befuddled.

“Thanks for agreeing to loan us the money,” I said again. “I really appreciate it. You have no idea.”

“I think I have some idea,” he said with amusement, and I noticed his eyes lower to somewhere around my chest area. I followed his gaze and was mortified to find hints of my nipples peeking through. Shit. I’d been in such a hurry this morning that I’d also forgotten to throw on a bra.

But instead of doing the expected and taking advantage of my current state, Donovan checked his watch again and sighed. “I have to go. There are a few more things I have to take care of at the office. You can send me all the pertinent information, and I’ll have my people reach out to you with a contract by Friday. You have my email, right?”

I nodded, feeling the excitement bubble up. He was making plans.Wewere making plans. This was happening.

“Perfect,” he said and then headed to the door. I followed him. Before he left, he turned around, and with a sly smile, he stuck out his hand. I assumed he wanted a handshake, so I tried to give him one, but instead, he turned my hand over and brushed his lips over my skin. Butterflies multiplied in my stomach.

“It’s nice doing business with you,” he said, then added with emphasis, “Friend.”

* * *

The restof the week was spent in a flurry of activity.

I went over to the factory that supplied the leather for the bags, requesting a meeting with the owner. I let him know that we would soon resume production of the new line. Terry, the old man in charge, was glad that we were resuming our business, and he lightly smacked me several times on the back before announcing, in his loud Bostonian accent, “Ha! I knew you could pull it off.”

After our brief but enthusiastic conversation, I went over to our office downtown and let the landlord know that I would soon be paying this month’s rent. I’d initially shut down the office and let my employees work from home, but I made a note to send out an email to let them know we would soon be going back to the office.

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