that. He’s my boss, and he feels guilty for putting me in that dress. And as much as I want his hands on
me, I don’t want him doing it out of guilt.
With an understanding smile, I head back to the bathroom.
I don’t make it.
Suddenly a wall of bare, beautiful muscle is blocking my way. I freeze, holding my breath, and we
lock eyes. It escapes in a gasp as his hand comes up to cup my cheek. His eyes are searching as his
thumb traces over my cheekbone, then to the bridge of my nose and down. I can feel faint callouses on
the pads of his fingers, and the way they rasp over my skin makes the top of my head tingle. I stay
perfectly still as his thumb reaches the bow of my lip.
“Tell me to stop,” he whispers. The lines of his face are stark, pulled tight in near pain.
I wet my lower lip, not quite brave enough to lick his thumb, which I really want to do. “I don’t
want you to stop.”
His groan comes from deep in his chest and sends a shiver down my back. Then his thumb is
gently, lightly tracing my lower lip. My breaths are coming out in little pants. There is so much unsaid
in his eyes, and I want to know all of it.
“You…you were going to say something before, in the bathroom. You said you feel…”
His hand freezes, and he carefully brings his gaze to mine. He swallows heavily and drops his
hand, leaving my skin feeling cold where before he warmed it. “I…ah.” He wets his lips and breaks
eye contact, stepping back to put distance between us. “Right. Maybe it’s better you handle this on
your own. I should go down and wrap things up.”
I’m stunned by his sudden shift and by the way he pulls away. I stare dumbly at him, wondering
what just happened. I can’t get my bearings. He heads for the door. “Wait,” I call after him. He
freezes, and I slowly walk to the bathroom and gather his discarded clothing.
As I approach, he’s almost vibrating with tension. I stop beside him, too confused and hurt to look
at him. Instead, I stare at his chest as I carefully press his clothing to his stomach. “You’ll need these,”
I say, proud of how level my voice is. In it is none of the pain or embarrassment I’m feeling.
He clutches the bundle to his stomach, and I step away. I can feel his eyes on me, but I have
nothing left to give him. It’s taking everything in me to hide my embarrassment and disappointment.
He pulled me in, then pushed me away. I did the same thing to him last weekend, so maybe, whether
he knows it or not, it’s payback.
