“Excuse me?”
“You heard me.Get up.If mine doesn’t work, I’m taking yours.”
“I don’t think so.”He spins the chair away from me, but I grab it again and pull.
“It’s only fair,” I say through gritted teeth, trying to drag the chair out from under him.“You steal my parking spot, you sabotage my chair?—”
“I didn’t sabotage anything?—”
“Then you won’t mind switching.”I give the chair another yank, but he’s heavy and doesn’t budge.
“Get your own functional furniture.”
“This is my office, too!”
I lean over him to grab the armrests, determined to physically remove him from my rightful chair, but he catches my wrists to stop me.His grip is firm, unbreakable, and when I try to pull away, I realize with a jolt that I can’t.He’s so much stronger than I expected, and the complete helplessness of being held in place sends an unwelcome thrill through me that I absolutely refuse to think about.
“Let go of me,” I hiss, trying to pull free and failing completely.
“Stop trying to steal my chair, and I will.”
I lean down further, getting right in his face, testing his grip again and finding it immovable.“It’s not stealing if you sabotaged mine first.”
“Prove that I did.”
We’re nose to nose now, his hands still wrapped around my wrists like steel bands, and I can feel the heat radiating off his skin.His blue eyes are dark with a visceral hunger, and suddenly the office feels too small, too warm.I can feel his breath against my cheek, and my pulse starts racing.The fact that I’m completely at his mercy, that he could hold me here as long as he wants, makes a burning, treacherous excitement ignite in my core.
“You’re enjoying this,” I accuse breathlessly.
“Am I?”His voice is rough, lower than it was a moment ago.His thumbs graze the inner sides of my wrists, and I have to bite my lip to keep from making a sound.
“You think you’re so clever.”
“I think you’re in my personal space, Princess.”But he doesn’t let go of my wrists.If anything, his grip tightens slightly, pulling me closer, reminding me exactly how easily he can control my movements.
I should back away.I should straighten up and walk back to my broken chair with whatever dignity I have left.Instead, I lean closer, my hair falling forward to brush against his cheek.
“Fix my chair,” I whisper, my lips so close to his ear that I can feel him shiver.
“Make me.”
Suddenly we’re not talking about chairs anymore.His hands slide up from my wrists to my forearms, and I can feel the heat from his palms through the thin fabric of my blouse.Every nerve ending in my body is on fire, hyperaware of how close we are, how strong he is, how easy it would be to close the few inches between us and?—
“Morning, you two!”
Flora’s cheerful voice cuts through the tension like a knife, and I jerk back so fast I nearly lose my balance.Caleb releases my arms immediately, but the damage is done.My skin is still tingling where he touched me, and I can tell from the way his jaw is clenched, he’s just as affected as I am.
“Good morning, Flora,” I manage, my voice only slightly breathless as I adjust my blouse.
“Everything alright?”Flora looks between us with curious eyes, taking in my flushed cheeks and Caleb’s rigid posture.
“Just discussing office equipment,” Caleb says smoothly, spinning his chair to face his computer screen.
“I see.”Flora doesn’t look convinced, but she doesn’t push.“Well, I brought banana bread again, if anyone’s interested.”
“That sounds lovely,” I say, taking a slice, grateful for the distraction.I retreat to my malfunctioning chair, but when I try to sit down, I remember my predicament and have to perch awkwardly on the edge of the seat.
“Eve?”Flora frowns.“Why are you sitting like that?”
