Those green eyes—eyes I’d frequently imagined staring into as she writhed underneath me—widened to a comical size.They held a mixture of surprise and something else.Heat, maybe even longing.
“Emmett, I...You’ve never… you can’t say things like that to me.”
“Why not?It’s what I wanted the night of the fundraiser.Although on that occasion, I’d probably have bent you over the fountain.”
Her cheeks turned pink, and she ducked her head.“You’re my boss, Emmett.This job is important to me.And Hugh is just…easy.Familiar.Right now, that’s all I need.Between school, the internship, and my second job, I hardly have time to breathe, let alone get mixed up in some complicated…thingthat derails my life.”
As much as I wanted to be angry, to demand that she choose me over Hugh, I couldn’t ignore the truth in her words.Her dedication to her ambitions was one of the things I admired most about her.It wasn’t fair to ask her to give that up.
I just kept nodding like an idiot, attempting to process her words.“Alright,” I said.“I understand.But where does that leave us?”
“Like I said.”She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.I watched her posture change, saw her steel herself.“You’re my boss.What happened on Valentine’s Day won’t happen again.I’m sorry.”
I slumped in my chair.“You have nothing to be sorry for, Callie.I’m the one that’s sorry.”
Here I was, jeopardizing this girl’s future because I had a crush.But it felt like more than a crush.
And the fact I was her boss didn’t really hold much weight.Half of our floor was either banging or in committed relationships with one another.As long as the right paperwork was completed and it didn’t affect the work, it wasn’t a big deal.
Hell, it wasnotbeing with her that had me so distracted.
But I understood Callie’s perspective.In the traditional corporate world, a relationship between us would be frowned upon.She didn’t want to carry that stigma through the rest of her career.Plus, it didn’t help that I was the CEO’s son.
I understood, but I didn’t have to like it.
“Strictly business from here on out,” I said, offering her a strained smile.Her returning smile was a combination of relief and disappointment, but I was at a loss.All I could do was respect her wishes.Put her first.
Even if I damned myself in the process.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CALLIE
I lay awake in bed,unable to quiet my restless mind.It had been like this every night for the past two weeks.
Tonight, my thoughts strayed to drinks the previous night with Hugh.The way he undressed me with his eyes, his eagerness to get me back to his place.For the past few weeks, we had found an easy rhythm.Meeting up for a few cocktails before heading back to his place—our old place—to hook up.
Last night was different.Instead of helping me escape the stress of school and work, Hugh cornered me in another attempt to salvage our relationship.What had started out as a fun and casual evening quickly took a turn.He put his hand on my leg and spoke the words I wished I had heard from him a year ago—hell, three months ago, even.
“Listen, Cal, I know we agreed to keep things casual.But things have been so good between us lately.I know I wasn’t giving you what you needed, and that’s on me.
“Hugh, I?—”
“Wait, just let me get this out, please.I guess I had just gotten so comfortable with the way things were between us that I lost sight of what actually made you happy.But I think we could be happy again if you’d give us a shot.”
After that, I couldn’t bring myself to sleep with him—not when Emmett had consumed my every waking thought since Valentine’s Day.
“Hugh, I’m sorry.But it’s over.I don’t think we should keep seeing each other.”
He had been pissed when I said I wanted to go home—alone.He dropped me at Marco’s apartment without another word and sped off as soon as I shut the passenger door.
I tossed and turned, still aching for the release I had denied myself last night.But while I always got off with Hugh, it was only because I made it happen for myself.He’d never prioritized my pleasure.I started to wonder why I’d been going to him for stress relief.Perhaps I needed more than just an orgasm.
Hugh’s face blurred in my mind, replaced by seductive blue eyes and a cocky smirk that always seemed to be focused solely on me.
I had been avoiding Emmett for weeks before he cornered me this morning and demanded lunch.I’d been kind of impressed at how effectively I managed to minimize our interactions.I made sure I was never alone.
I was also sick with it.Imissedhim.But that wasn’t something I could ever admit out loud.
