He kissed her.
Because every second he didn’t seemed pointless.
He felt her smile against his lips, her arms around his neck, and that was confirmation enough for him to deepen the kiss and push her back against the desk.
It didn’t matter that it was barely ten. It didn’t matter that she wrinkled his suit as she moved her hands to his chest, her fingers gripping his shirt. It didn’t matter as long as she lay soft and warm in his arms, her tongue gently stroking his lower lip, demanding entry.
It was like coming home. And he realized he’d missed her, the Hazel who liked him and didn’t hold anything back. The one who made him feel like himself, not like he was being judged from all sides, just being Gare. She made him forget his own last name, until all the burden ofClarksimply disappeared and he could breathe more freely…
He paused. There they were again, those annoying feelings squeezing through the knot of his too-tight tie, seeping under his skin…
Fuck.
“Are you suddenly having doubts?” Hazel asked quietly. Obviously, she misinterpreted his hesitation. “Because this is a gray area?”
“Not at all.” He slid his hands to her waist, pulling her closer, smothering every thought he had with her scent. “My lunch break just happens to be right now too. This is all legal.”
She laughed against his lips and slid down his neck, sending goosebumps all over his body. “You just got here, Gare.”
“Thank God I’m the boss and I can take an early break.”
“You were always good at finding loopholes,” she said appreciatively, standing on her tiptoes and pulling his head toward her again. She kissed him slowly and leisurely, pressing her hip against his as if strategically trying to drive him crazy. It was working. If she kept it up, he would…
Someone knocked loudly on the door. “Hazel, Gareth, can I come in? Or do I not want to end up as collateral damage in your gunfight?”
Oh, shit.
Gareth pushed away from the desk so quickly that the wood slid back a few inches.
Hazel grimaced, smoothed her blouse, and nodded sharply at the chair. “You’d better sit.”
“What? I…”
“Gareth, your sister really doesn’t need to see everything,” she said with a snort, nodding at his trousers.
Oh, fuck. Right.
Swearing under his breath, he circled the desk and sank into the chair not a second too soon, because the door opened andPenny poked her head in. “It’s been so quiet in here, I was worried there might have been a death.”
Hazel laughed. “No. It’s all good, we were…” Her gaze fell on the sex contract lying open — which Gareth hurriedly picked up. “Just finalizing paperwork.”
Gareth cleared his throat, pulled a pen from his jacket pocket, and signed the last page. “Right. We’re almost done.”
Penny blinked in confusion and stepped closer. “Which player is this for?”
“Fox,” Hazel and Gareth said at the same time, earning him an impressed look from Hazel, which made him smile.
“We had to sign an additional contract,” Gareth explained hastily.
“What kind? Um…are you smiling?”
“Gareth has agreed to put back Snickers in the common room snack machines,” Hazel said bluntly. “And I banged my shin on the table earlier. The memory is keeping Gareth warm.”
His smile widened. Oh, she was good.
“Well, everything’s back to normal then,” Penny said with a sigh. “Although I really must compliment you on how civilized you’ve been with each other these last few weeks!”
Oh, nothing about last night had been civilized. But he just nodded. “We’ve come to an agreement,” he replied casually, sliding the contract toward Hazel and holding out the pen.
