Page 21 of Secret Desire

“Obviously not.” This was the most annoying conversation I’d ever had.

“As I was asking…”

A movement caught my attention, and my eyes homed in on Laura again. She was slowly caressing her arm as if she was comforting herself. The motion itself had been so slight, I barely noticed it.

I handed Shortie my lawyer’s business card. “We’re done.” Not waiting for an answer, I shoved past them, making my way to Laura.

But why was I so desperate to get to Laura? She wasn’t in trouble. And she didn’t need a shoulder to cry on. Not her style. And even if deep down she wanted to let someone comfort her, consciously, she wouldn’t accept it. At least not from her boss. Not from me.

I shoved my hands into my pockets. Not because they were cold, even though they were frozen stubs now, but to stop myself from wrapping my arms around her like a comforting blanket. Instead, I stood as close to her as I could, while maintaining a certain distance. As much as I yearned to be near her, the last thing she probably wanted, after nearly being attacked, was a man invading her space.

“Officer, do you have what you need? It’s late, and Ms. Bloom needs to go home and rest.”

The cop nodded and put the notebook in her pocket. “Pretty much. We’ll contact you if we need anything more. But it should be fine. This guy’s been busted for mugging before.”

Laura looked around, scanning the sidewalk. “Oh. My purse.” She sprinted the few steps to where she had dropped it earlier and picked it up, putting the can in her bag.

“Lucky you were here,” the cop said, looking at me. “His victims usually end up with quite a few bruises from that baton he likes to use.”

My hands balled into fists inside my pockets. I should have taken the opportunity to throw in a few more punches when I had the chance.

Laura walked over to us, clutching her purse. “So, he wasn’t the escaped convict?”

“The rapist? Nah. They caught him an hour ago. Idiot hid at his grandma’s house, and she ratted him out. Good for her, I say. Wish I had been on that call, though.” The officer shook her head wistfully. “You should check YouTube later. The video of the officers arriving at her house went viral. His grandma was beating him with a broom, and he practically begged to be taken away.”

After the cops left, Laura and I resumed our walk to her parking space. It was awkward. The sidewalk was narrow, and I didn’t know how close to her I should be. Too close and she might be uncomfortable. Too close and I might scoop her up in my arms. To comfort her. And for warmth. Or maybe it was I who needed comforting to quell this annoying rage in my gut. She almost got hurt because I was a dumbfuck who forced her to walk the rest of the way alone.

I moved a bit further from her, my foot nearly sliding off the sidewalk. Any further and I’d be on the street. That would be overkill. If I did that, she’d probably be pissed that I was treating her like she was fragile. I had a feeling Laura never did the wholevictim mentallything.

She was a fighter. I could tell by the way she’d handled that prick Nathan at work. And the way she’d refused my help afterward. But I had sensed it even before then when I first saw the ambitious determination in her eyes. She would never let anything or anyone keep her down. Especially not her own fears.

I saw so much of myself in her: her strength, her drive. Except her personality shone like sparkly sunshine, while mine was a black hole surrounded by barbed wire.

Could that be the reason I was acting so out of character? Shit, this was beyond out of character. All week I’d been smiling and grinning. What was next? Laughing? I didn’t even think I remembered how. And what the hell was wrong with my dick? It kept saluting her every time she walked into my office.

My thoughts made me forget why I was keeping my distance, and I soon found myself nearly touching shoulders with her.

Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks and put her hand on my arm. “Oh my god, I totally forgot.” Her eyes were full of worry. “Are you hurt?”

I wanted to say, ‘No, of course not,’ but the words wouldn’t come out. The sweet pressure of her gloved hand on my arm was temporarily scrambling my brain. Not to mention the way she was looking at me. No one had ever looked at me like that before. Her eyes held genuine compassion and affection.

I wasn’t delusional enough to read too much into it, to think she felt anything more for me than the polite concern of an intern for her boss. Or the type of concern someone would have for their rescuer.

When people looked at me, their eyes always showed either fear or greed. Not tenderness.

The kindness in Laura’s gaze made me forget where we were and why we were here.

Until I saw her give herself another subtle soothing squeeze.

How was she capable of showing me so much concern when she was still shaken up? “I’m fine,” I said as I motioned for her to keep walking.

She looked down and pointed at the tear in my pants. “But you’re hurt. I’ll take you to the hospital.”

The absurdity of her wanting to take me to the emergency room for a scraped knee was almost laughable. If I ever laughed. “It’s nothing. Let’s get you home.” I held my hand out. “I’ll drive.”

Gripping her purse more tightly under her arm, she marched on. “Nope. I’ll drive you back to the office, then I’ll go home.”

The stubborn woman hadn’t learned yet that no one ever dared disobey me. “Ms. Bloom, this is not up for discussion.”

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