Page 27 of My Forbidden Boss

Brianna

At some point during the night, Wesley had returned to his room and I had missed him immediately. The confession he had made and his decision to let me share in his pain had ignited something within me. Hope? We couldn’t live without each other, just two days were agonizing, this weekend had shown me that. How this would affect our future? I had no damn idea. It definitely wouldn’t be easy and uncomplicated.

Maybe we first needed to find a way that suited both of us. That would take time, but that was no problem for me.

»Hey.« Elliot came into the kitchen. He had slept outside all night and he looked the part. Deep circles under his eyes, running his hand through his hair with a hint of shame.

I stood at the stove making scrambled eggs, while Veronika and my mom set the table outside on the terrace where we wanted to have a farewell breakfast.

Elliot stood next to me, arms crossed, his voice rough and sleepy. »Wow, you reek, you’re filling the whole house,« I said without looking up.

He pinched my cheek and I returned his gaze. »Sorry, Sis. I was way out of line yesterday.«

»You were.«

»Do you forgive me?« He gave me his puppy dog eyes, which immediately melted our mom. And me, unfortunately.

»Depends.«

»I’ll do anything for you! Should I be your butler today?«

I stifled a laugh. »That would be the least.«

Elliot pulled me close and squeezed me so hard that some vertebrae in my back cracked. »Ouch! Not so hard!« I shrieked with laughter and he let me go. I smoothed out my top. »Okay, fine. But next time, you listen to me and go to bed before you make me your target again.«

He fluttered his eyelashes. »Promise.« Then he grabbed my stirring spoon and shoveled a huge amount of eggs onto it, before shoving them into his mouth.

»Hey! Wait until we’re all at the table!«

»Of course!«, he mumbled with his mouth full and grinned broadly before ruffling my hair again and heading outside. I grabbed the pan, dumped the eggs onto a large plate and followed him.

The others had already gathered around the table. Wesley was joking with my dad and Elliot, while the others chatted and I had to hold my breath for a moment. This moment here seemed so normal, as if it had always been this way.

Wesley looked up and met my gaze. A gentle smile rested on his lips, and I too was immediately reminded of our night together. No more rules, no more restrictions. From now on, I wanted to be guided only by my feelings and they were screaming loudly that I should grab Wesley. Just as my aunt would put it now.

***

With a smirk, I eased back into my office chair, slipping my bag under the desk. As I unlocked the screen, an email from Isabelle flashed up.

Thanks for the lovely lunch break! I hope you don’t get in trouble with Mr. Hottie for being a few minutes late ;-) Kiss Kiss

Oh, I was hoping to get into a bit of trouble. Since our weekend together, I had changed my tactics. I craved his attention, wanted him to lose a tiny bit of control. Even if it got us in hot water.

Even though Elliot’s words had hurt me, he was right. I had always been the goody-two-shoes, hiding behind my sarcasm. Now, I had enough of being good.

As hoped, my phone rang, and I picked up.

»Mr. Crush?«

»Come to my office.«

Excitement surged through me as he hung up without a please. Yesterday, we had parted with a harmless hug in front of my parents‹ house and hadn’t heard from each other since. This morning, when I entered the office, Mr. Crush stood before me again with no trace of Wesley. But something in his gaze told me that he might not be entirely the untouchable boss he usually was.

My heart pounded as I rose, smoothing my skirt, and headed for his office door. I knocked lightly and entered at his »Come in.«

He didn’t even look up as I closed the door behind me. Like a dutiful assistant, I stood in front of his desk. »How can I assist you, Mr. Crush?« I asked, composed, while my body began to melt with fiery desire. Just seeing him sitting there, straight, his broad shoulders framed by a perfectly tailored suit, made me forget everything. And I was now ready to fully embrace this feeling.

»You’ve extended your lunch break again, Miss Sullivan,« he replied, interlocking the fingers of his strong hands on the desktop. He scrutinized me, and it felt as if I were naked. »Haven’t we already discussed this?«