Read Online Repeating History (History #1) by Hanleigh Bradley - Free Book Online Page B

directors,” I tell Lisa and Ashley.
    They both start typing into their tablets, no doubt adding that phone call to the schedule they both intend to keep me to. I get to my feet and pull my jacket back on. I rub the back of my neck as I try to centre myself. I leave the two assistants in my office and make my way towards the lift. Clara has beaten me there. She’s wearing a black pencil skirt and a purple shirt that is unbuttoned just enough to give me a glimpse of her cleavage. Her hair is down and she’s smiling radiantly. The sight of her calms my nerves slightly. She doesn’t even look at me, “how was your Christmas?” she asks politely.
    “Nice enough,” I reply honestly, “you?”
    “Christmas like...” her answer is vague, “how are Landon and Aurora?”
    “She’s not awake yet,” I tell her.
    “Oh dear,” she looks suddenly gloomy, “she missed Christmas... that’s just too sad.”
     
    The journey in the lift is awkward. Even in my nervousness about the directors meeting I can still feel the tension between us. It’s electric. Pure static. I straighten my tie and try to focus my mind. She finally turns to look at me and I see compassion in her eyes. I hate that she sees my weakness. I’m not like my mother. When I find a weakness, a fault in myself I resolve to fix it. She steps towards me in the moving lift, “you are going to do brilliantly.”
    “Y-you think?” I hate how unsure I sound.
    “I know.” She sounds sincere. She surprises me when she places her hand on my arm and squeezes it gently. If she’d hoped to calm my nerves she was mistaken. Her touch only ignited a different fire in me. I took a step towards her and pulled her into my arms, “what the hell are you doing?”
    “Kissing you,” I tell her huskily. I don’t move. I just hold her there. When she tries to pull away I merely hold her closer. She licks her lip and I can’t take my eyes off her tongue as it moves seductively across her plump lower lip.
    “I thought you were going to kiss me,” she’s given up fighting now and is just standing limply in my arms, staring up at me wide eyed. She’s trembling and I can’t help but wonder if she wants me too. Her cheeks are flushed. I lean down to kiss her, my lips brush hers for just a second before the lifts doors open and I have to pull away. That kiss, it isn’t even really a kiss, more like the prelude to a kiss but it is everything it has promised to be. I want more. I take her arm and guide her towards the conference room. Her breathing is harsh and I’m not sure if she’ll be talking to me later after I pulled that stunt.
    I hold open the door for her before following her into the empty room. We’re the first ones there. “Clara...” I begin.
    “No. Andrew, I don’t want to play any games.”
    “It’s not a game,” I’m more sincere than I’ve probably ever been with her.
    “It’s always a game with you,” her words resound around the room and leave me feeling hopeless. She takes a seat at the table. I follow suit, trying to think of anything that I can say to make this right but she takes me by surprise when she says, “I really do think you will do a good job.”
    “Thank you Clara,” I smile sadly. Normally her praise would make my day but following her previous sentence it just stings.
    “Don’t be nervous okay,” she smiles. There’s something familiar about that smile. Something that I don’t like. It’s the look my mother gives me when she puts her hurt aside momentarily to help me. That thought disturbs me enough to make me want to run from the room.
    “I’m not,” I lie because I still don’t want her to see my weakness and now I’m worried that I’ve hurt her again. As if the years of torment I inflicted on her in school weren’t enough.
    “Sure,” she nods.
    I need to change the subject. I need to get this onto safe territory, “how is Maya doing?”
    “She’ doing well... she’s working on the Lorrell