Despite everything, the breakup left me shattered.Guarded and unwilling to risk that kind of pain again.But Morgan…she was different.Smart, driven, with a quiet strength that matched mine.But if I dove in too fast, I feared I’d repeat the same mistakes—burying myself in work, leaving her with leftovers, and watching it all fall apart.
I didn’t want to hurt her like that.Hell, I didn’t want to get hurt again, either.So, if I was going to pursue her, I needed to make sure I was doing it for all the right reasons.That I was able to make her a priority without risking the business investment Simon and I had made with GalvaTech.
As she wrapped up her presentation, I forced myself to tune back in.
“I like the phasing approach,” I said, complimenting her on how well she’d balanced the timeline, because I’d heard that much of her presentation.“Keeps the momentum going without overcommitting to a singular campaign before we test the messaging.”
She smiled at me, a small, professional one, but there was a flicker of something warmer and more intimate underneath.“Agreed.I’m glad you approve.We can refine the details over the next few months.”
“Great job, as always,” Samuel chimed in.“You two seem to have everything pretty well handled and dialed in.”
Parker murmured his agreement.He hadn’t said much since the meeting started, his expression a bit pained as he’d shifted uncomfortably in his chair throughout the presentation.I chalked up his lack of input to his back injury flaring up.
The meeting wrapped, and as everyone filed out, I lingered, gathering my things slower than needed.Morgan did too, her gaze occasionally meeting mine.Part of me wanted to drag her off to my office, lock the door, and pick up where we’d left off Saturday.But no.If this was going to happen—and fuck, I really wanted to try with Morgan—I needed to do it right.Slowly.Meaningfully.Give us time to build something solid and real.She deserved that.We both did.
“So, I think we should work out a plan for building anticipation about the charger leading up to the launch,” Morgan said, her mind clearly still in business mode as she straightened her notes, then looked up at me with that focused energy I found ridiculously attractive.“Maybe brainstorm some ideas for that.”
I nodded, though I was one step ahead of her in that regard.“I had the same thought so I called in a few favors and was able to get GalvaTech signed up for CES.”
Morgan’s eyes widened in surprise.“Seriously?The Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas?”
I grinned at her, enjoying her bright, infectious smile.“Do you know of any other CES?”
She playfully pressed a hand to her chest, feigning a dramatic swoon.“Be still my heart,” she teased, as if I’d given her a romantic present, and maybe for her, this was something that meant more than flowers or candy or jewelry—this was tailored to who she was, the marketing director with big ideas and even bigger ambitions.“That’s quite a feat, considering how late it is in the year and the first week of January is right around the corner.The show books up years in advance.”
“I know.”I crossed my arms with a satisfied nod.
“I’ve never been, but I’ve always wanted to go,” she said, closing her laptop once she shut down the presentation slides.“Having GalvaTech there is a big deal.”
It definitely was.“It’ll be great exposure,” I agreed.
Excitement sparked in her eyes.“I’m impressed.I can’t believe you got us into the largest annual trade show in the U.S.”
I tipped my head.“Impressed enough to forgive me for being completely useless in our meeting?”
She blinked at me.“You were not useless.”
“Oh, I absolutely was,” I countered, lowering my voice just a notch.“You could have presented the annual budget in interpretive dance and I would’ve nodded along like it made perfect sense.”
Her lips twitched as she tried, and failed, to keep a straight face.“Is this your way of admitting you were distracted?”
“Painfully,” I confessed with a sigh.
Amusement flickered across her features, softening the professional edge she’d been maintaining all morning.“Well,” she said lightly, “maybe you’ll pay better attention at CES.”
I arched a brow.“Are you planning to hold me accountable?”I asked, enjoying our flirtatious banter.Now that we’d eliminated the tension between us, this back-and-forth felt easy and natural.Light, fun, and full of promise.
“Someone has to,” she teased.“Can’t have you wandering off because a shiny new prototype catches your eye.”
I held her gaze from across the table.“You’re assuming prototypes are my weakness,” I said, the words carrying just enough implication to make her bite her bottom lip.
“Oh?”she asked, her voice a bit breathless.“And whatisyour weakness?”
Dangerous question, considering the real answer was standing right in front of me.“Guess you’ll have to come to Vegas to find out.”
“Is that an invitation?”she asked huskily.
The corner of my mouth twitched with a smile.“As if you’d miss out on going.”
