Mustering all the strength I have in me, I rip myself away from Jake. He’s not done with me though, so he hungrily lowers to my throat, kissing and nibbling the skin there.
“Jake, let’s get out of here,” I croak, resting a soothing hand in the middle of his broad chest. He nods, hungrily giving my collarbone more pecks, and eventually lets me go.
I adjust my hair, aware that I can’t do anything about the rosiness of my cheeks, and take a deep breath as I reach for the handle. Right before I open it, Jake takes my free hand and gives it a gentle squeeze.
“I’m sorry, red,” he whispers when I gaze up at him.
“For what?”
“I couldn’t think past the excitement of seeing you again, so I didn’t realize that coming here might be too much, too fast. It wasn’t fair of me to force you into this, and you had every right to want to take your time. Especially since your ex works in the same building.”
His apology is very welcomed, but I understand where he’s coming from. I, too, might have done something foolish like this if the roles had been reversed. But his field of work would be chill and unbothered by my intrusion, whereas mine is full of stuck-up vultures.
“I hate that the people out there never bother to think past the tattoos and attitude,” I say, emotions tightening my throat.
“They can think whatever the fuck they want. It doesn’t matter. Not as long as the proper little Miss Kensington knows who I really am.”
“She does. And she loves you to no end for it.”
“Then fuck those snobs out there. I have everything I need.”
We share one last kiss, intense and poignant, and as we pull away, we both utter at the same time, “I love you.”
I’m grinning like a fool in love when we come out into the hallway, back to civilization. My hand is still in his, and I don’t attempt to remove it. In fact, my hold tightens when I notice a familiar silhouette. Oh, crap. We’re onhisfloor.
Eddie’s on his way out for lunch, in the middle of a conversation with some colleagues, when he notices us. He freezes where he stands, his words dying in his throat. The moment is awkward, especially when he looks down at our joined hands. But I still don’t rip it away. This is how I make up for my reaction earlier. This is how I accept Jake, proudly displaying that he’s mine and I’m his.
Jake noticed him as well, and the two are in the midst of a staring contest. What am I supposed to do? How do I diffuse this?
Unsurprisingly, Edward is the first one to break, looking away to give his colleagues a vague gesture. “Go ahead, I forgot my wallet in my office,” he tells them, visibly shaken up. The two men nod, but Eddie doesn’t wait for that to turn around and walk away.
“Fucking wuss,” Jake mutters under his breath before pulling me back on our way to the elevators.
The ride up is as silent as our way down, but it’s charged with something else entirely. Our hands remain entwined the whole time, as if we both need this link. We’re forced to let go when we walk out onto my floor though, but I can still feel his warmth all over my palm.
When we reach my office, Daisy springs out of her chair with an armful of printed sheets and a pen. “Good, you’re back!”
“Yes?” I ask.
“You wanted to sign the new revised contracts before lunch so I could send them right away. We can do it this afternoon if you’d prefer.”
“No, it’s fine,” I say with a smile.
She hands me everything as I walk up to my desk. I set the papers there and find the few pages where my signature is needed. Once I’m done, I return to her and hand back the contracts.
Jake’s standing there a little awkwardly, and I decide it’s another great way to show that I’m genuinely committed to this relationship.
“Daisy, this is Jake, my boyfriend,” I explain as I intertwine our fingers again. “Jake, this is Daisy, my assistant.”
“Ah, Gen told me she had a killer assistant,” he greets with a nod, extending his free hand to shake hers.
“I’m doing whatever I can to make her work easy.”
“You’re succeeding,” I kindly concede. “That’s why I keep giving you raises. Can’t afford to lose you.”
She smiles, delighted by the compliment, and glances back at Jake, visibly affected by his allure. Then she shakes herself out of it and says, “I suppose I’ll see you around, sir.”
“Just Jake, dear. Only this one gets to call me sir in the right setting,” he explains with a mischievous wink and a tilt of his head toward me.
