“Probably both,” he replies.
I nod slowly. “A relationship between a CEO and his secretary. The gossip. The HR nightmare.”
He purses his lips. “All true.”
“If anyone found out, my reputation would be destroyed,” I tell him. “Again.”
He furrows his brow. “Again?”
Shit.
I didn’t mean to say that. TheKendrick thing. The academic career that got torpedoed because I trusted the wrong man.
“Long story.” I slide off the desk on shaky legs. Start buttoning my blouse. “The point is, this is complicated.”
“Everything about us is complicated.” He hands me my underwear. Found it near his overturned pen holder. “I can’t concentrate when you’re around. All I think about is you. And apparently you feel the same, otherwise you wouldn’t have stayed late tonight.”
He’s right.
Damn him.
He’s fixing his tie now.
“So we keep it professional at work,” I say slowly. “And outside of work...”
“We stop fightingthis.” He steps closer. Tips my chin up to look at him. “We try. See where it goes. No promises. No pressure. Just... us.”
Us.
The word sits between us like something fragile and new.
I should say no. Should protect myself. Should remember every lesson I learned about trusting powerful men.
But Nico isn’t Kendrick. Nico looks at me like I’m brilliant, not like I’m useful. Nico asks if I’m okay. Nico stalked me halfway across Manhattan because he couldn’t stand watching another man touch me.
That’s not healthy, by the way. That’s actually very concerning.
And yet.
“Okay,” I hear myself say. “We try.”
His smile is small. Almost tentative. Like he didn’t expect me to agree.
“Okay,” he echoes.
We spend the next ten minutes cleaning up his office. Righting papers. Rescuing his laptop. Disposing of the pizza casualties. By the time we’re done, it almost looks normal.
“I should go,” I say. “It’s late.”
“Since we just agreed we can do anything outside of work,” he says, watching me carefully, “we might as well start now.”
I wait. There’s more coming. I can see it in the tension around his mouth.
“Can I sleep at your apartment tonight?” he finishes.
Oh.
Oh.
