Page 47 of Beautiful Desire

Ugh, of course he would follow me. Turning around, I’m met with his sparkling baby blues that are all too familiar, staring down at me, concern written all over his face. Looking me over from head to toe, he lands back on my face.

“Are you okay?” he asks, eyes locked onto mine.

I swallow hard because this is the first time since Gia’s wedding that we’ve been this close to one another, and even though he left me, my body still reacts to him the same way it did back then.

“I’m fine, really. I think Fabi was worried because this was my first week back and—”

“And you walked back into a shitstorm,” he finishes.

“Yeah, something like that.” I give him my first real smile since he’s been back.

We stand rooted in place in the middle of the hallway just outside his office, staring at one another.

“Wait. Did you say this was your first week back? Oh, my God, you’ve been working late nights too. Are you sure you’re okay? Do you have any restrictions I need to know about? I don’t even know what surgery you had.”

His concern for me makes my heart flutter, but I can’t let him see that he still affects me.

“I’m fine, really. Just tired. I think it’s best if we maintain a strictly professional relationship like we agreed on,” I tell him, hoping to end this conversation sooner rather than later.

“Right. Sorry,” he says, clearing his throat. “But please tell me if you need a break or if I’m working you too hard. And before you yell at me for that, I would say that to any of my employees.”

“I know you would,” I reply, because it’s true. He would.

Looking at his watch, he checks the time before cursing. “It’s after seven. You should get home. Do you want me to call you an Uber?”

Shrugging my shoulders, I answer. “No, I’m good. I’ll just get a cab.”

“I hate to break it to you, but getting a cab this late on a Friday is nearly impossible.”

Shit, he’s right. I’ll never get one.

“I’d offer to drive you home, but I’m afraid you’d knee me in the junk. So at least let me arrange for one of my drivers to take you home. They’re more reliable and much safer, plus it would give me peace of mind, knowing you made it home okay.”

Damn it, Dom. Why do you have to be so sweet?

I know I shouldn’t accept this. Every bone in my body is telling me no, that this is a bad idea and I’m going to regret it.

“Okay,” I find myself saying.

“Great. Let me grab my stuff, and I’ll call and have them send a car around for you.”

Turning around, I walk the rest of the distance to my desk and quickly pack up my things. Shutting down my computer, I check to make sure I have everything before I leave.

“All set?” Dom asks, scaring the shit out of me, causing me to jump and scream. Laughing, he says, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Holding on to my chest, I try to quell my rapid heartbeats. “It’s okay. I just wasn’t expecting you.”

“If you’re good, Bill’s ready for you downstairs.”

“Bill?”

“My driver,” he says as I make an O shape with my mouth.

We walk in silence to the elevator, and he presses the down button. Since we’re the last two people in the office, it’s so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The elevator dings, and we get in, both reaching for the lobby button at the same time. Our hands brush against one another, and the contact sends a bolt of electricity up my arm and down my spine.

How can one little touch create that much heat?

The doors close, and we move. He’s on one side of the elevator in the corner, and I’m on the other. The whole time, we steal glances at one another, but don’t utter a word. Once we reach the main floor, he lifts his arm in an “after you” motion before walking next to me.

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