“Earlier, at the hotel. You said you’d never…spent the night with someone.”
My pulse jumped. “I did say that.”
“Did you mean—” He hesitated. “I got the impression you meant more than just sharing a hotel room.”
I could’ve deflected. Laughed it off. But his patient expression made me tell the truth.
“I haven’t,” I said quietly. “Done any of it. The spending-the-night part or the before-the-spending-the-night part.”
His brows lifted. “Any of it?”
“I’ve been busy.” My voice came out defensive. “Worked through high school and college. Ran my channel. Paid rent. Dating didn’t exactly fit between double shifts and finals.”
“Sutton—”
“I know it’s weird.” I sighed. “Most people my age have already…you know. But I never met anyone who felt worth it. And then I started at North Star, and I’ve been too focused on proving myself to even think about?—”
“It’s not weird,” he said firmly, cutting me off. “There’s no right timeline.”
“Easy for you to say. You probably have women falling at your feet.”
His mouth curved. “You think so?”
“I know so. You’re Jameson McKnight. Tall and handsome. You probably have a waiting list.”
He stepped closer. Close enough that I could smell his cologne—clean, dark, and unfairly distracting.
“For the record,” he said, voice low, “I don’t have a waiting list. I’ve been holding out for the right woman.”
My breath caught. “Really?”
“Yes.” His gaze dropped briefly to my mouth, then back to my eyes. “Lately, I’m interested in smart, passionate women who light up when they talk about the things they love. Women who remind me why I started building things in the first place.”
My pulse thundered. “Jameson?—”
“We should finish setting up,” he said abruptly, stepping back like he’d caught himself on the edge of something dangerous. “Doors open in an hour.”
Right. Work. The expo. Not whatever this was burning between us.
I nodded, turning back to the booth, but my hands were shaking as I arranged the tablets. I couldfeelhis gaze on me. When I looked up, our eyes met—and the heat there nearly melted me.
“Maybe,” I said lightly, trying to sound normal, “you could show me what I’ve been missing. Since you’re so…experienced with everything.”
The words slipped out before I could stop them. His entire body went still.
“Sutton.” My name came out rough. “Be careful saying things like that to me.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m trying very hard to remember that you work for me. That there are about seventeen reasons this would be a terrible idea.” His voice dropped even lower. “But if you keep looking at me like that, I’m going to stop caring about any of them.”
“Maybe I want you to stop caring,” I whispered, shocking even myself.
His jaw tightened. “You don’t know what you’re asking for.”
“Then show me.”
The air crackled. For one dizzying second, I thought he might actually kiss me—right there, surrounded by vendors and bright lights and chaos. But then footsteps approached, voices carrying.
