Page 41 of Curvy Love

“You’re talking about yourself in the third person.”

“Just answer the question.”

I lick my lips and nod, answering the question about whether or not I have feelings for Ezra without admitting it out loud.

He leans forward, wraps a hand around the back of my neck and pulls me towards him. “That’s all me. Everything I said to you was the truth. I never lied. I just didn’t tell you everything last night. I was hoping I could convince you to go out with me when I asked you as myself. But you turned me down.” He smiles and I swear my heart actually stops.

“I’m going to kiss you, Paisley.”

I think I nod, but then as he leans in towards me, I jerk back, pushing myself to my feet. I immediately start pacing, trying to get ahead of the panic chasing thoughts in my mind.

“I think I should go,” I blurt. “I need to think. To get some distance from this.”

From you, I want to say aloud, but don’t.

I need distance because Ezra’s magnetic appeal is clouding my senses and making me irrational. Making my body want things that my emotions aren’t sure they’re ready for.

“Paisley,” he says, standing and reaching out a hand in one motion. “Don’t leave—”

Before he can finish his sentence, a loud noise blares all around us and warning lights strobe from the ceiling.

“Fuck,” he shoves his chair back and stands. He moves to the other side of the table and picks up the phone, pushes some buttons. “What the hell is going on, Kent?”

I can’t hear the man on the other side of the line, but Ezra listens, nodding and grunting periodically. His chiseled jawline makes me so stupid.

“Keep me informed.” Then he slams the receiver down. He turns back to me. “Evidently there was a security breach so we’re on lockdown. It doesn’t happen often and normally only lasts a few minutes while they get everything under control.”

“What do we do?” I ask.

“We’re safe up here. They shut down the stairwells and elevators when this happens.”

“Did you plan this?” I ask, knitting my hands together in front of me.

“Did I plan this?” His eyebrows shoot up. “Did I plan to have a security crisis in the moment you were trying to leave so that you would have to stay and talk this out?”

Hearing it out loud, I laugh. “I guess that does sound pretty ridiculous.” I shake my head.

He gives a wry, self-deprecating laugh. “Yeah. I run a company. I don’t run the world.”

To my surprise, I laugh along with him and for the first time since he walked into the conference room, it feels like I’m talking to ZMan. “Apologies, that was a rubbish thing to say.” I wince at my silly accent.

“Fuck, you’re cute when you do that.”

I swallow at the compliment, but don’t say anything else. I admit. The boundary between Ezra and ZMan that seemed so sharp just a moment ago begins to blur.

“Besides,” he says, ducking his head and looking sheepish. “If I did have the power to plan out exactly how this afternoon would go, you bolting when I tried to kiss you is not how I would have scripted it.”

“How would you have scripted it?”

He looks up, meeting my gaze and after a moment says, “You would have been thrilled that I was ZMan.” His lips quirk in a smile. “Awed by my wealth and power.”

“Obviously,” I say with a nod.

His smile broadens when I play along. “Stunned by my brilliant coding and my masterful control of a software empire.”

“Of course.” Then, just in case he gets too cocky, I add, “But you would still be impressed by my plucky determination to forge my own path as a business woman.”

His smile fades and, with breath-taking sincerity he says, “Your plucky determination to forge your own path has always impressed the hell out of me. Don’t ever doubt that.”

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