Ethan scrunched his face like he was genuinely considering it. “No pulling, no grabbing. Definitely no stroking.”
“And brushing it back?”Heel, boy.
“That’s not so bad,” he conceded.
I stood and stepped closer. From this angle, I towered over him—his chin tipped up, neck exposed, that teasing smile curling at his mouth.Sinful.
My hand lifted, brushing a lock of hair behind his ear, lingering longer than I should’ve. “Not so bad…” I washypnotized instantly—by the closeness, his scent, his entire presence tilting the ground beneath my feet.
Before I knew it, my finger hooked gently under his chin, lifting his face up to mine. “What about compliments? Endearments?”
He went still. Perfectly still. Obedient in a way that made the air combust.
“You wouldn’t be you without them,” he murmured. “But I think that counts as flirting.”
I hummed, considering, then let my hand fall. “We’ll stick to ‘darling,’ then. And I’m sorry—your hair looks fucking fantastic like this. It’s hard to restrain myself.”
His gaze dipped from mine, dragging slowly down my chest before lifting again.
“You’re still hot as fuck,” he rasped. “So I get it.”
Ohgod…
RIP, shy Ethan. Make way for the phoenix taking his throne.
He had me—completely. And it was effortless for him. He didn’t even realize the damage he was doing.
I stepped closer. “That came out laced with intent.”
A low chuckle slipped from him. One shoulder rolled in a lazy shrug. “Oops.”
He was a fucking menace.
I exhaled sharply, a dry laugh slipping out as I forced myself to take a step back—trying to break whatever spell he’d cast over the room. “Boy, are we going to be great friends or what?”
Ethan just grinned, bright and wicked, and it was fucking everything.
My computer chimed, breaking the moment. I forced my attention back to the screen.
“What are you working on?” he asked, lifting his glass again.
“The freeze,” I said, sliding my chair forward. “Compliance flagged an authorization inconsistency in one of our state submissions. Until it’s cleared, everything tied to it is stalled.”
His brows lifted. “Everything?”
“Projects. Payments. Bids. Cash flow.” I exhaled. “It’s a nightmare. A quarter of our business is tied to state work.” I glanced at him. “You’ve probably noticed the mood around the office.”
His mouth tilted slightly. “Hard to miss.” He set his glass down slowly. “Can I look? I’ve been buried in documentation all week. Might help me understand what you’re dealing with.”
I angled the screen toward him. “Be my guest.”
He stepped closer, leaning over my shoulder. His arm rested along the back of my chair, his heat bleeding through my shirt. I tried my best to ignore it.
“This is the authorization package?” he asked.
“Yes. The one that triggered the review.”
He scanned the page in silence.
