My eyes fly open, and I sit up so fast my side protests with a sharp twinge of pain.“Why?What’s wrong with my current job?”
Caleb turns to face me, his expression carefully neutral.“Nothing, nothing at all.”His hand slides under my shirt, warm against the skin of my stomach, carefully avoiding my healing wound.“It’s just that I won’t be there, and I’m worried you’ll miss me.”
The tension drains from my shoulders, replaced by amusement.“I’ll see you every evening, so I think I’ll manage just fine.”
“What about me?”he pouts, and it should look ridiculous on a grown man, but somehow he makes it work.“I’ll be miserable all day without you.”
I roll my eyes.“Don’t be clingy, Wilder.It’s not a good look.”
“I can’t help it,” he murmurs, his fingers running over my skin.The innocent touch sends shivers up my spine.“Besides, you could find a better job, one that will actually challenge you.”
I narrow my eyes, studying his face.There’s something he’s not telling me.“I’m listening.”
“There’s a position for director available,” he says, a little too casually.
“Keep talking,” I say, my curiosity piqued despite my suspicion.
“The salary is amazing,” he continues, his eyes lighting up with enthusiasm.“Benefits are stellar.Corner office with a view of the park.”
“What’s the downside?”I ask, crossing my arms.
“Why do you think there would be a downside?”he replies quickly—too quickly.
“Because you’re trying to seduce me into this job for some reason,” I point out.His hand is still under my shirt, now resting on my waist, and it’s extremely distracting.“You’ve got that look in your eyes.”
“What look?”
“The one you had right before you convinced me to try that ridiculously spicy dish at the Thai place,” I remind him.“I couldn’t feel my tongue for two days.”
He laughs, then hums noncommittally.“There’s no downside, really.You might just have a boss you’ll find...slightly annoying.”
My eyes widen as it clicks.I sit up straighter, ignoring the twinge in my side.“Oh, my god.No.I am not working for you!”
His face falls, but he immediately starts pleading his case.“Eve, come on!It would be perfect.You’d be amazing at it.And we’d get to see each other every day.”
“No!Absolutely not!”I shake my head vehemently.“We work fine together when we’re on equal footing, but as my boss?The power dynamic would be all wrong.”
“I’d make it worth your while,” he says, his voice dropping to that low, seductive register that usually makes my knees weak.Not this time, buddy.
“Caleb, be serious.”I cross my arms over my chest.“Mixing business with pleasure isn’t always the best idea.What happens when we disagree about work?”
“I’m completely serious,” he insists, shifting to kneel in front of me.“And I promise there would be clear boundaries.”
I raise an eyebrow.“Remember when we were cooking dinner last weekend and you insisted on showing me the ‘proper’ way to chop onions?”
“That’s different,” he protests with a laugh.“That was about knife skills and safety.This would be professional.”
“Right,” I say, unconvinced.“Like you were so professional when you consulted at Thalvyn?”Instead of answering, he pushes my shirt up just a little and presses a soft kiss to my stomach, just below my ribcage.My breath catches.
“That’s not fair,” I whisper.
“Never claimed to fight fair,” he murmurs against my skin, placing another kiss slightly higher.“Just think about it?Please?”
My fingers find their way back into his hair, and I tug gently, forcing him to look up at me.His eyes are impossibly blue and pleading.But I have to stand my ground on this.
“Caleb, I appreciate the offer, I really do.But I can’t work for you.I need to keep my professional life separate.I don’t think it would be healthy for our relationship.”
His face falls, and he sits back on his heels with a dramatic sigh.“Fine.But I still think you’d be amazing.”
