Page 62 of Beautiful Desire

“I’m in,” he says.

I pump my fist in the air to celebrate.

“We’ll go anywhere you and your ma want to go,” I tell him, because I mean that. As long as it’s not here, I don’t care where we go.

Without hesitation, he says, “America.”

“You sure?” I ask cautiously.

“Positive. Americans have more rights than we have here, it’s far enough away where no one would be able to find us, and they have Victoria’s Secret models over there.”

I can’t help but laugh. “America it is, then.”

“We’ll be the most handsome, richest men they’ve ever seen. Men will want to be us, and women will want to be with us. We’ll never want for anything and answer to no one. Promise me that we’re doing this. I won’t tell Ma. Not until it’s time. But I need your word.”

“I promise. I won’t leave you behind.”

CHAPTER19

ELLE

I’m late.

Shittttt! How did I let this happen?

I know how: it starts with the letter D, and not the good kind of D.MyD.

Ugh, he’s not mine. Never was.

This is all Dom’s fault! I was completely fine working with him. We had that talk the first day he swooped back into my life. I laid it all out there for him. Well, not really. I didn’t tell himeverything, just the important work-related things. He agreed we should keep things strictly professional and what happened in the past is the past. Behind us. Water under the bridge.

Until it wasn’t. Until he went and fucked it all up! I blamehimfor what happened – and a little bit of myself, but mainly him. I just couldn’t sit at my desk and pretend I didn’t hear him throw shit in his office like everyone else did. Nope, my concerned, nosy ass needed to know what was going on and to make sure he was okay. I was only going to knock on his door and check on him. I was just doing my job and being a good PA.

Keep telling yourself that, Elle.

But as soon as I opened his office door and saw the distressed state he was in, I couldn’t leave. It felt like a tether was pulling me closer to him, and my feet moved all on their own until I was right in front of him. And his deep, husky voice when he said, “The only thing I need right now is you” nearly had me creaming my panties.

I don’t even think he realized he said that out loud, or if he meant to, so I sat there, a little shocked and a lot turned on, waiting for him to elaborate. When he did, my heart ached for him. I don’t know what had him so worked up yesterday, but when I saw him pulling at his hair and the rapid breathing conducive of the panic attack he was having, I couldn’t just sit there and do nothing.

I needed to console him, wrap him up in my arms and let him know I had him and everything was going to be alright. But I couldn’t. So instead, I took the seat next to him and gently ran my hand up and down his muscular back, trying to calm whatever demons he was facing.

Touching him again and feeling his warmth under my hand sent a wave of heat through my body and an ache to my core. When he lifted his head and looked directly at me, I was a goner. He leaned in and was a hair’s breadth away when the shrill sound of his phone broke us from the trance we were in.

Saved by the bell,literally.

I didn’t waste any time and hightailed it out of there, spending the remainder of my workday clamping my legs together under my desk, trying to quell the need I had for him. I was almost home scot-free too, but something told me that, despite our almost-kiss earlier, I needed to check on him and see if he needed anything. And now I wish I hadn’t and had told that bitch to take a hike.

When I walked back into his office, I saw the feral look in his eyes as he stalked toward me, and he was on me before I knew what hit me. I resisted for all of ten seconds before I gave in. We were like horny teenagers sneaking in a make-out session before their parents came back into the room.

Hands roaming each other’s bodies, all tongue, rubbing against one another. Having his hands on me again and knowing he was ravenous for me turned me on like no other. If I hadn’t pulled away when I did, I don’t think I would have stopped him at all.

Thankfully, Becca interrupted us, and that was my way out. I ran from his office so fast you’d think someone just told me Chris Hemsworth was in the building. Making a quick stop at my desk to grab my purse, I sprinted to the elevator and threw my body inside while the doors were closing. I needed to get out of there and away from Dom.

But it didn’t matter how much distance I put between us because I spent all night thinking aboutthat kiss. Going over it in my head and analyzing it, trying to figure out what it means or if it means anything at all. The more I thought about it, the hotter I got and needed to take matters into my own hands. Literally. Let’s just say I burned through my B.O.B. and need to get a new one. It was a vicious cycle that was on a constant loop in my head all night. Which is why I didn’t get any sleep.

I’m crabby, tired, and somehow still turned on.

“AHHH!!!” Shaking my arms out, I’m just about to make my way to pour myself another cup of coffee when a knock sounds on my door.

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