“Grilled cheese.” He lifted his left hand and then his right. “Chicken salad.”
If we weren’t standing in the middle of the office, I’d walk into his wide chest and take a big inhale of his delicious clean and citrusy scent. “I can’t pick. Don’t make me pick.”
“I’m not. They’re both yours. I had a feeling you rushed out of your apartment this morning without breakfast, and I know how it goes when it comes to lunch.” He grinned and took a few steps closer.
My stomach grumbled. He knew me better than I knew myself. “Aren’t you hungry?”
“I’ve already eaten,” he said, and the smile he offered me let me know that, if we weren’t around the exact people we were hiding from, he’d lean down and give me a kiss.
He led me to the stairs leading to the roof, where all the other interns were gathering.
“You resigned, and Mr. Anders knows about us. How long was I in there?” I asked, already stuffing a big bite of the stretchy grilled cheese sandwich into my mouth.
“Someone told Anders about us and so he confronted me. I don’t like lying.”
“And then you resigned? Lincoln!”
He pushed open the door to the roof and held it aside so I could step ahead of him. “I have so much to tell you, but I want to do it when we’re alone. I promise I’ll tell you everything later, okay?”
I stood on my toes and whispered, “So you can kiss me while doing it?”
A slight redness crept to the tips of his ears. He looked around. “It’s no wonder we got caught out.”
“Any idea who tattled?” I narrowed my eyes and zoomed them straight in on Cedric.
“No, and I don’t care. As far as I’m concerned, they did us a favor. Fewer secrets. Less guilt.”
No more secrets. Lincoln had no intention of hiding me. My heart expanded while I finished off the rest of the grilled cheese sandwich.
My beautiful boyfriend unwrapped the chicken salad sandwich and handed it to me. “Can I get you a drink?”
I took the sandwich, and my heart hiccupped as I remembered something Lincoln’s mother had said. He fed the people he loved.
Lincoln Carden loved me.
“I love you,” I whispered, quickly realizing how impossible it would be to work alongside him knowing how he felt. Every surface in that office would need extra support and disinfectant.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked. “Your cheeks are bloodred.”
Before I could tell him, I was swept away by one of the senior engineers, who was gathering the interns and wishing us farewell. Without the need to impress anyone anymore, the time passed in easy conversation.
Mr. Anders eventually walked out onto the roof, followed by a few of the other managers. “Okay, the results are up. Boardroom Two has each drawing stuck underneath a number. Feel free to look through the designs and claim your position.”
My mouth went completely dry. If I had been chewing, I’d have choked. I scurried downstairs with Lincoln following.
Cedric practically leaped to the lower floor and sprinted toward the boardroom. His cheer cut something in me. “Number one!”
As soon as I reached the doorway, I froze, but Lincoln’s strong body nudged me across the threshold. I surveyed the room for my familiar design and found it underneath a large printed 3.
My stomach dropped, and I squeezed my eyes shut for a second.
Lincoln released a long, low grumble beside me. “I’m so sorry.”
I leaned in and scrutinized my own design, reading the comments scribbled across it. Not all were critical. There were so many positive notes too. I grinned and spun around to look at Lincoln. “Number three ain’t so bad.”
He smiled. His eyes sliced toward numbers 1 and 2, and I knew he wanted to check them out. We walked over to Cedric’s design, and honestly, I had no idea how he managed to do this much in the time we were given.
“Good job,” I said.
