I don’t protest, knowing it would fall on deaf ears. Theo sidesteps so he’s closer to me. I can feel the warmth radiating off of him in the cool night and I want to press myself upagainst his side, even though I know I should be going the other way. He seems to give anyone who walks even remotely too close to me the stink eye, silently warning them to keep their distance.
I chew on the inside of my lip, feeling awkward. I wish this damn Uber would hurry up. Too many things happened tonight, and I need to be home—away from Theo—to fully process them.
I can't seem to think straight when he’s standing this close to me. Maybe it's the way his cologne makes my head spin or the apparent attraction between us. Either way, I feel like I completely lose my brain whenever I seem to need it most, which is when he’s right next to me.
After what feels like an eternity, my Uber pulls up next to the curb. I give Theo a wane smile, which he doesn’t return, and then quickly shuffle myself into the vehicle. The driver greets me, and I politely say hello back.
As he pulls away from the nightclub, I turn around to see Theo standing on the curb, looking after me.
I watch him closely until we round the corner, and he’s out of sight. Then I fall back in my seat and close my eyes, leaning my head back against the rest.
Theo may feel like he’s the one spinning out of control, but I sometimes feel even worse off. At least he can put meaning into the way he’s feeling. I’m just over here, silently falling harder and harder for the one person I can’t have—my boss.Maybe in a different reality, we’d find each other and we wouldn’t work together at a company that had a strict no dating policy.
I don’t know what I’m going to do about this. When I think about having to ignore everything I’m feeling for him, it makes my chest hurt. My heart is telling me to take the risk and make a move, but my mind is convincing me I can’t. I could quitNexus, but I love this company, and I’d hate to let Mr. Peterson down, despite the fact that he’s not here to witness it.
I wonder what he’d say if he could see this mess I’ve made. I’m sure he’d be disappointed in my lack of professionalism, yet at the same time, I wonder if he’d urge me forward, telling me to listen to my heart instead of my brain for once.
But for now, my brain is still in control. Before I even get home, I decide to go into self-preservation mode. There’s no time for any of this heart business right now. All that matters is that I do my job and help Theo succeed at his.
Surely, that’s the best course of action, right?
I suppose only time will tell.
Theo
The smellof coffee hits my nose, urging me into a more-awake state as I pour it into my mug. It’s one of my main habits in the morning—roll out of bed, straight to the coffee machine. My head is throbbing from our night out.
I didn’t drink that much, but I think the combination of the little alcohol I did have plus the tailspin dancing with Whitney threw me into was too much for one night.
My hands flex, and I can still feel how she fits into my grip perfectly.
Dancing with her was like something right out of a dream. With her in my arms, I never wanted the night to end. Something about holding her so close to me felt soright. As if the two of us were exactly where we were meant to be.
The disappointment still stings a bit from when the moment ended.
If I could have frozen time right there, I think I would’ve.
But as all good things tend to do, the special moment came to an end, and she left me standing on a wet curbside, watching her peek out at me from the rear windshield of the car.
Even after I came home last night, all I could think about was her and how her body moved against mine.
I was a man addicted, and she was my vice.
I wasn’t sure what I was going to do about this, but I figured at some point, something had to give.
“What are you brooding about?” My brother’s voice calls me out of my thoughts of my stunning assistant.
With a shake of my head, I say, “Nothing.”
“Sure didn’t look like nothing.”
I laugh under my breath. “Nope, I’m sure it didn’t.”
My brother leans his elbows on the breakfast bar, leaning forward like he’s stretching his lower back out. He and Leila had been locked in my guest bedroom last night when I got back, and they hadn’t emerged for the rest of the evening.
I take another sip of coffee. “You and Leila?”
Chase narrows his eyes at me. “Like you’re one to talk. I was pretty sure you were going to rip Whitney’s dress off of her right there in the middle of the dance floor before we interrupted you two.”
