Page 20 of Tempt Me Forever

He smirked. "I like to be prepared, Kimberly. To always be one step ahead."

"Yes, but I mean, don't you have places to be? A personal life?"

He narrowed his eyes as we walked along the corridor. "You were listening to my conversation."

"I’m sorry. I didn't mean to. I was walking by and was so surprised to hear a voice that I stopped to listen, and then... well, one thing led to another, and it sounded like there was someone who needed you. I don't want your girlfriend to hate your new job already."

He cleared his throat as we stepped inside the elevator. "She's my sister, not my girlfriend."

What is that I'm hearing? Angels singing?

My stomach was somersaulting. There was a thin sheet of sweat on my skin.

Why is that, Kimberly? He's still off-limits.

But at least I didn't have to feel guilty because my panties caught fire every time we made eye contact.

"It sounded like she could use your company."

"She probably does, but she's stubborn. Keeps telling me I don't have to check in on her every day."

"Is she the reason you're back?" I asked, taking a stab in the dark. "Sorry, you don't have to answer that. You said you don't want to talk about your personal life, and I respect that."

We were both silent until the elevator dinged in the garage.

"Yes, she's the reason I came back. She's going through a rough time and has no one else besides me. But my return isn’t helping her as much as I thought it would."

I felt a rush of kinship with him.

"Drake," I said softly. He looked up in surprise as we stepped into the garage. He wasn't used to this tone of voice from me. "Sometimes all we can do is be there for the people we care about. I think it helps even if you can't tell. Just knowing she has someone to lean on is probably a great comfort. Don't be so hard on yourself."

"Easier said than done."

I grinned. "That's right, because you always expect perfection from everyone, huh? Yourself included."

"You got that right about me, Kimberly."

I opened the door to the back seat of my car, and Drake lowered my package onto it. When he straightened up, his gaze focused on my mouth again.

Oh, sweet Lord.How could I react like this every time he did that? My entire body was on edge.

We'd made a bit of progress tonight. Maybe he wasn't an ass after all. Maybe he was just in a stressful situation. People tended to have a short fuse when they were under pressure.

Or perhaps you're just looking for excuses because you know he's single, and you have a penchant for attracting the wrong man. He's not for you, Kimberly. Even though all it takes is one glance for you to catch on fire.

"How come you came back to the office?" he asked, nodding at my package. “Just for that?”

"Yep. As soon as I got an email that my air fryer was delivered, I wanted to pick it up so I can experiment with it this weekend. I was at my aunt and uncle's for dinner earlier, so it was on my way home."

"You often get together for dinner with your family?"

I nodded. "Yeah, it's the best way to catch up. Otherwise, we can go a long time without talking to one another, especially now that all my cousins have their own families to look after. Although we text a lot, it’s not the same as seeing everyone. Anyway, you should take off in the evenings, Drake. I wouldn't want your sister to think we're overworking you."

"Is that an order, Kimberly?" His eyes glinted dangerously. My girly parts exploded.

“If I say yes, will you follow it?”

“Not my style.”

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