Up until now, I’ve existed on a naïve little cloud, denying how I feel about Crawford and pretending he means nothing to me. Itold myself all the emotions that flood my mind when I see him were just temporary and fleeting.
But the news that he might be with someone else makes me feel like I’ve been kicked in the chest by a horse. Then a jolt of panic shudders through me.
Shit, is he sleeping with her?
The idea that we are fucking without condoms, while all the time he’s screwing his ex, makes my jaw clench so tightly I feel as if I might crack a tooth.
I head to my desk, holding my head high, the warm, pleasant sensation of the plug now a constant reminder of the lies Crawford has told me. I plan to head to the bathroom and take it out as soon as possible.
As I reach my desk, I’m already calculating how many more weeks I need to spend here before I can afford Annabelle’s first round of treatment. The sooner the better, then I can get out of here and leave this lying son of a?—
“Amelia.”
I jump back, my bag slipping from my shoulder as I look up to find Crawford leaning against the door of his office. His eyes run over me appreciatively, and I curse inwardly at the ripple of pleasure I feel just being in his presence.
“Did you complete that task I asked you to do?” he asks, and I can see his hard cock outlined in his pants. I glance behind me, worried that someone else might notice, but all the staff are on the other side of the office.
“Y—yes,” I say, but my voice is harder than it should be. He frowns, pushing himself off the door jam.
“Come in here, please,” he says, and I have no choice but to obey, the wetness between my legs intensifying as I look him over.Why does he have to be so incredibly hot?
Keep it together, Amelia. You’re mad at him, remember?
I walk into his office to find him standing behind the door. He shuts it gently, his eyes narrowing.
“What’s the matter?”
I shift my weight, hands smoothing over my dress. “N—nothing.”
“Is it the number of people outside? I know there are a lot of people here today because of the gala. Do you want to take it out?”
Does he really care, or is he good at pretending he gives a shit?
“No,” I say, crossing my arms over my chest. His look of concern morphs into amusement, and I raise my eyebrows as a slow grin passes over his face.
“Are you mad at me?” he asks. “I do love it when you’re riled up. This reminds me of when I had a fever and you kept demanding I drink water every five minutes.”
“That’s because you drank half a glass in the space of eight hours and were sweating through your bed sheets,” I huff irritably.
He gives a soft chuckle. “This wasn’t quite how I imagined this morning going. What’s wrong? Are you mad about the plug? We don’t have to?—”
“Who are you going to the gala with?”
I snap my mouth shut, my stomach dropping to the floor.Jesus Christ, play it cool, Amelia. He can go with whomever he wants.
Crawford’s eyebrows rise to his hairline. “Uh, a woman named Amber Collins. Why?”
Something releases in my chest, and I step back from him, tugging at my sleeve and dropping my arms to my side. My throat clenches.
“Oh, okay.”
He moves closer, his hands going around my waist, an infuriating smirk spreading over his handsome face.
“What’s gotten into you this morning? You look pissed off. I don’t know why, but it’s really pushing my buttons.”
He begins to walk me backward toward his desk, and I gasp as his cock bumps against me. As I hit the table, he stops, leaning back, and his smirk disappears as he frowns at me.
“What’s wrong?”
