Leena doesn't move to get up, showing me that I'm doing the right thing by going back inside.
“I'm going to see if I can get some work done.”
“Wasn't that what you were doing all night?”
I shake my head. “Nope, notallnight. I slept too.”
My assistant gives me a blank stare. “Oh, yeah? How long then?”
“I'll see you later,” I chuckle, before walking inside. I'm not about to make her as worried about me as everyone else.
I use the fuel from my heavy breakfast to lock myself in. I stay in my office, doing as much as possible and completely losing track of time. There's a knock on the door that startles me.
I rise from my chair and open it. Leena stands there, arms folded. “Hey,” I greet.
I'm starting to get used to her frowning. She still looks beautiful when she does it, and it makes it a little difficult to concentrate on why she's upset in the first place. This time around, she swiftly makes this known to me.
“You need to take a break,” she says pointedly.
I feel like I've just filled my bingo card. These are words I've heard from everyone before. “I don't think so,” I return. “I've barely done anything yet.”
The dismissal in my voice stuns the new wolf. “What? You've been here for hours. Look outside.”
I turn to the window, and my eyes widen slightly. It's clearly past afternoon, bordering on the early hours of evening. I've spent my whole day in here without even being aware.
“Okay, I didn't notice that,” I respond honestly.
“You need to eat something before passing out,” she states. “I made you some more food, it's downstairs.”
Her gray eyes stare at me with determination. She's not about to take no for an answer, and it's more than a little cute. I slowly get lost in the look she's giving me and watch her face soften.
Leena's folded arms drop to her side as I approach her. Her eyes watch me guardedly, sticking with every subtle movement I make. I can hear her breathing catch while her heart pumps blood just a little bit faster.
“Thank you,” I say, tapping her affectionately on the shoulder. The slight contact does more than I expect, immediately flaring up my need to have her close to me.
Leena's scent becomes almost intoxicating, and I find myself leaning even closer.
We're both drawn to each other at that moment. My hand stays on her shoulder, and my fingers slowly slide down her arm. I find myself still leaning, almost falling toward her.
Leena’s breathing grows heavy as I get closer. We share our breaths with only a few inches between our faces.
What is this feeling?
There's an intense urge not to end here. Our scents mix right in front of our eyes, and it smells good. It feels amazing. The softness of the skin on her arm makes me wonder just how soft the rest of her body is.
I want her pressed against me.
My hand gently tugs on her. There's no space left between us. The slightest movement is going to have her lips on mine.
Leena slowly closes her eyes as our lips hover closer to each other, barely separated by a breath. Her eyes suddenly shoot open, and she takes a quick step back.
This snaps me back to reality, but she moves away completely before I can say anything.
“Leena—” It's too late. She runs away, leaving me standing there at the door.
My body is still fighting itself, and I only now realize just how hard I am. If she hadn't stopped us, we might have torn our clothes off and gone at it right there on the floor.
I hear Leena’s door slam shut, and I lean against my own doorframe and sigh.
