I say, “Come in.”
Mackenzie sticks her head in, notices the receiver sitting on my desk and then looks at me. “Flynn is wondering if you’re coming tothe board meeting.”
“Crap, is it already ten?”
“Ten after.”
“Ugh, tell him I’ll be right there.”
I begin gathering up the agendas and other items I printed at Natalie’s request on Friday and rush out of my office where I crash into someone in my haste. Him . Of course I crash into him , and my papers fly out of my hands, and it’s all I can do not to break down right in front of him. At leastI didn’t drop my laptop, too.
Squatting, I gather the papers, thankful that I stapled everything on Friday, so it isn’t a total disaster.
He squats next to me, helping.
I want to tell him not to bother, that I’ve got this, that I don’t need his help or anything else. Remember the part about him being one of my bosses? Yeah, that’s why I don’t say any of those things. Rather, I take the papershe hands me without actually looking at him and mumble my thanks.
We both stand.
“Addie—”
“I’m late for a meeting.”
I brush by him, hating the way my body reacts to even that slight contact. I hate him. I hate myself. I hate walking into the conference room now twelve minutes late when I’m never late for anything—ever. That’s Hayden’s fault, too. Everything is his fault. I hate that Natalie,Flynn, his parents, sisters and the other Hollywood heavy-hitters he recruited for the foundation board stop their conversation when I enter the room probably looking as frazzled as I feel.
I’m never going near him again.
And then he walks into the room, smiling as if he hasn’t a care in the world. “What’d I miss?”
I hate him.
Chapter 5
She won’t look at me. I know this because I haven’t taken my eyes off her since I came into the conference room to officially join the board of Flynn and Natalie’s foundation. I wasn’t going to attend the meeting until I saw an opportunity to be in the same room with Addie for an hour to gaugewhat’s up with her.
She’s ignoring me. That’s what’s up with her.
And why does that bother me so much when it’s exactly what I want her to do? It’s what I need her to do. Except, the thought of losing my friend Addie is excruciating. Goddamn, I fucked this up so bad by having sex with her in the first place, then sneaking out and going silent on her afterward. I suck. I know I do. But bettershe find out now that I’m no good than to let her think I’m someone I’m not.
Now she knows exactly who and what I am—someone who would fuck his friend and then go silent on her when I know she has feelings for me that go beyond friendship. I’ve known that for a long time. Hell, I have those feelings, too. I feel more for her than I have for any other woman. She’s amazing and smart and scaryefficient and beautiful and so fucking sexy she makes me drool—and that was before I had the sublime pleasure of seeing her naked and losing myself in her.
And the pleasure was sublime. It’s all I’ve thought about since the early hours of Monday when I took what I’ve wanted for so damned long. Though I keep thinking about what a heartless, selfish bastard I am for fucking her, I can’t forgetthe way she took the lead, how she offered herself to me.
In addition to being a selfish bastard, I’m also no saint. When someone I’m painfully attracted to offers herself to me on a silver platter, I’m going to indulge like the glutton I am.
Staring at her now as she studiously avoids me, I remember every detail of what happened in her bedroom. I remember every sound and every touch. I rememberhow tight and wet she was, how she struggled to take all of me and what it felt like when she came so hard she tested my legendary control. More than a day later, I can still taste her sweet flavor.
I thought maybe if we indulged, if we did what we’ve both wanted to do for years now, that maybe
Mackenzie sticks her head in, notices the receiver sitting on my desk and then looks at me. “Flynn is wondering if you’re coming tothe board meeting.”
“Crap, is it already ten?”
“Ten after.”
“Ugh, tell him I’ll be right there.”
I begin gathering up the agendas and other items I printed at Natalie’s request on Friday and rush out of my office where I crash into someone in my haste. Him . Of course I crash into him , and my papers fly out of my hands, and it’s all I can do not to break down right in front of him. At leastI didn’t drop my laptop, too.
Squatting, I gather the papers, thankful that I stapled everything on Friday, so it isn’t a total disaster.
He squats next to me, helping.
I want to tell him not to bother, that I’ve got this, that I don’t need his help or anything else. Remember the part about him being one of my bosses? Yeah, that’s why I don’t say any of those things. Rather, I take the papershe hands me without actually looking at him and mumble my thanks.
We both stand.
“Addie—”
“I’m late for a meeting.”
I brush by him, hating the way my body reacts to even that slight contact. I hate him. I hate myself. I hate walking into the conference room now twelve minutes late when I’m never late for anything—ever. That’s Hayden’s fault, too. Everything is his fault. I hate that Natalie,Flynn, his parents, sisters and the other Hollywood heavy-hitters he recruited for the foundation board stop their conversation when I enter the room probably looking as frazzled as I feel.
I’m never going near him again.
And then he walks into the room, smiling as if he hasn’t a care in the world. “What’d I miss?”
I hate him.
Chapter 5
She won’t look at me. I know this because I haven’t taken my eyes off her since I came into the conference room to officially join the board of Flynn and Natalie’s foundation. I wasn’t going to attend the meeting until I saw an opportunity to be in the same room with Addie for an hour to gaugewhat’s up with her.
She’s ignoring me. That’s what’s up with her.
And why does that bother me so much when it’s exactly what I want her to do? It’s what I need her to do. Except, the thought of losing my friend Addie is excruciating. Goddamn, I fucked this up so bad by having sex with her in the first place, then sneaking out and going silent on her afterward. I suck. I know I do. But bettershe find out now that I’m no good than to let her think I’m someone I’m not.
Now she knows exactly who and what I am—someone who would fuck his friend and then go silent on her when I know she has feelings for me that go beyond friendship. I’ve known that for a long time. Hell, I have those feelings, too. I feel more for her than I have for any other woman. She’s amazing and smart and scaryefficient and beautiful and so fucking sexy she makes me drool—and that was before I had the sublime pleasure of seeing her naked and losing myself in her.
And the pleasure was sublime. It’s all I’ve thought about since the early hours of Monday when I took what I’ve wanted for so damned long. Though I keep thinking about what a heartless, selfish bastard I am for fucking her, I can’t forgetthe way she took the lead, how she offered herself to me.
In addition to being a selfish bastard, I’m also no saint. When someone I’m painfully attracted to offers herself to me on a silver platter, I’m going to indulge like the glutton I am.
Staring at her now as she studiously avoids me, I remember every detail of what happened in her bedroom. I remember every sound and every touch. I rememberhow tight and wet she was, how she struggled to take all of me and what it felt like when she came so hard she tested my legendary control. More than a day later, I can still taste her sweet flavor.
I thought maybe if we indulged, if we did what we’ve both wanted to do for years now, that maybe
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