Page 15 of Breathe for Me

“Because I live twenty minutes away,” I say in a rush. “If I come over, will you still be there?”

There’s a beat of silence. My pulse rattles in my throat, heat already prickling over my skin, because we’ve messed around at work so many times, but we’ve never beenalonethere. Truly alone, with no risk of someone walking in.

“Come quickly,” Levi rasps. I hang up the phone, tossing it to the mattress.

* * *

I want him. God, I want him. Need to get my ass to one of Dad’s meetings, because Levi Laurent is a drug to me, and I’m desperate for another hit.

My flip flops smack against the sidewalk as I charge across town. It’s late, the navy blue night sky speckled with stars, but the city is as lively as ever. Vendors call from street carts; cars roar past in the road. Lights throb and music thumps.

It’s hot. Sticky. A perfect night for bad decisions.

I weave around a dog walker chatting on her phone, five yappy dogs tangling her legs in their leashes. Don’t dogs need shut-eye too?

Come quickly, Levi said. Is he wound as tightly as I am? I’d sell my grubby little soul for the chance to kiss him again.

Want to crinkle his shirt. Want to rumple up his hair. Want to climb on the boss’s lap and make him forget all about deadlines and investors and product launches.

The walk normally takes twenty minutes but I do it in twelve, bursting into the Ignis lobby with red cheeks and a heaving chest. My reflections march past on all the shiny surfaces.

Ping.Stupid elevator. I pile on board, trying not to think about how I faked it breaking down with a crappy handmade sign; how that lie gave Levi such a headache. So many lies. So many times I’ve failed him already.

Tonight, it’s all about him. I already decided on the walk over: Levi Laurent needs to relax, and I’m gonna help him. On my knees.

The elevator hums all around me, the vibrations tickling through my bones, and I stare at my wide-eyed reflection, then fan my flushed face and smooth down my hair.

Honestly, the least I could have done is dress up for the occasion—worn a sexy lingerie set and a trench coat or whatever. But I was so frazzled after our phone call, so desperate to see Levi again, that I threw on the first rumpled sweatpants and t-shirt I found.

He won’t mind, will he?

Whelp. Too late now. The elevator pings again, the doors sliding open to the shadowy top floor.

Even in the gloom, my desk is such a mess. I should clean it, right? It would cause him less stress each time he walks by, so yes. I definitely will. But for now, I kick my flip flops off beside my desk chair and break into a jog.

Later, later. Everything else can wait, and when I burst into Levi’s office, he’s already pushing to his feet, eyes dark and hungry.

God, I love it when he goes all intense. My legs move faster, my arms pumping by my sides, and this office always seems so huge, but now I cross it in a flash. Levi steps around the desk to meet me, his arms spreading wide, and I smack against him with a thump.

“Georgina.” Face buried in my hair, Levi grabs me closer, squeezing the air from my lungs. Don’t care. Never want him to let go. “Are you…” His voice changes. Sounds bemused. “Did you come here barefoot?”

I shake my head, grinning against his strong throat. He shaved this morning, but now he’s all coarse and bristly. So manly. “Flip flops.”

“Ah. Good.”

And now we kiss hard, mouths hungry, hands roaming over clothes. Levi slips one big palm beneath my t-shirt, spreading over the small of my back, and I arch closer with a small noise. I could purr.

“I shouldn’t—have asked you—to come.” He grits the words between kisses.

“You didn’t.” I yank on his tie, working it loose, then pull it over his head. His collar stays folded up on one side, the top button undone. “I offered. I wanted to come, Levi. If I stayed at home, I couldn’t do this.”

His breath stops when I sink to my knees. My all-powerful boss looms over me, so tall and broad, but there’s something vulnerable behind those green eyes. A flicker of uncertainty.

“If you like,” I finish lamely. My hands rest against his thighs, so well muscled beneath his tailored dark pants, but I go no further. He needs to want this too.

But: “If I like?” Levi scowls, widening his legs and leaning back against the desk. The metal frame creaks beneath his weight, and I bite my lip as strong hands plunge into my hair. I’m already grinning as he guides me closer to his belt. “If Ilike? Are you serious, Georgina? I’m a flesh and blood male. Of course I’dlike.”

I shrug, the belt buckle clinking as I work it open. Maybe if I act all worldly and casual, I’ll hide how nervous I am.

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