“Unbelievable.You run hot and cold like nobody I've ever met” he mutters, running a hand through his hair.“Fine.If that’s really what you want.”
“It is.”
“Then, fine.”But there’s something in his tone that suggests he doesn’t think it’ll be that simple.“We’ll pretend it never happened.”The casual agreement should reassure me, but something about the way he says it makes me think he’s humoring me rather than truly agreeing.
“Good,” I say, trying to sound more certain than I feel.“Then we understand each other.”
“Perfectly.”He turns back to the stove, and as I move around the kitchen to get cutlery, he snickers, “You know, I never noticed you had such a cute butt, Lopez.”
I nearly drop the forks I’m holding, spinning around to glare at him.“Excuse me?”
“What?”He flashes a mischievous grin, clearly enjoying my flustered reaction.“It’s a compliment.Very...professional observation.”
“Professional?”I sputter, my cheeks burning.“There is nothing professional about?—”
“About noticing that you fill out those jeans very nicely?”He leans back against the counter, arms crossed, looking entirely too pleased with himself.“I’m just being observant.”
“You’re being an ass.”
He just winks at me, reaching for his shirt, finally covering that distracting expanse of chest.I pick up a piece of bacon from the plate in front of me and throw it at him, which he catches effortlessly and pops into his mouth.
“We’ll see how long this ‘pretending it never happened’ thing lasts,” he says, still grinning as he finishes getting dressed.
And as I watch him, I can’t help but think I might be in more trouble than I ever imagined.
* * *
We arriveat the office at exactly the same time.I insisted we keep a ten minute gap between our arrivals, but Caleb’s sedan pulls into the parking garage right behind mine.So much for being discreet.
I take my time gathering my things, hoping he’ll go ahead, but when I finally step out of my car, he’s waiting by the elevator for me, checking his phone like he has all the time in the world.He looks infuriatingly put-together in a fresh navy suit, his hair styled perfectly, no trace of our night together except for the faint scratch marks I left on his neck.
“Morning, Princess,” he says without looking up from his phone.
“Don’t.”I jab the elevator irritably.“We agreed.Professional only.”
The elevator arrives, and we step inside together.The enclosed space feels impossibly small, his cologne mixing with the lingering scent of his skin that I remember too well.I focus on the numbers above the door, trying to ignore how my pulse quickens when he shifts closer.
“Relax,” he murmurs, his breath warm against my ear.“I’m not going to jump you in the elevator.”
My cheeks burn.“Good.Because I’d knee you in the?—”
The doors open on the seventh floor, and I practically bolt out, putting distance between us before anyone can notice the tension crackling in the air.
But I’m not fast enough.
Flora, Steven, and Joshua are already at their desks, and all three heads turn toward us with varying degrees of curiosity.Flora’s eyes widen slightly as she takes in our arrival together, Steven raises an eyebrow, and Joshua’s expression shifts into something calculating.
“Well, well,” Joshua drawls, leaning back in his chair with a knowing smirk.“Look what the cat dragged in.Together, no less.”
“We’re not together,” I snap, dropping my bag on my desk.“We just happened to park near each other.”
“And walk in at exactly the same time,” Steven observes mildly.
“Traffic,” I lie, busying myself with organizing my desk.“We both got caught in the same backup on Fifth Avenue.”
“Must have been some traffic jam,” Joshua’s grin widens.“You’re both never late.”
I glance at the clock.Shit.It’s almost ten.
