No more stalking her and watching her with longing and wonder.
And no more walking her to the guest house out of a last-ditch attempt to be near her for that much more time.
The next morning, I woke up determined to avoid any more complications with her. Sticking to business would be the surest way to pull that off. Focusing on professionalism would avoid feelings and lust.
So when she arrived, ready to stare at the computer for hours, I called her to my office instead.
That alone felt like a risk, but for what I intended to tell her, I wanted the security of privacy.
Adrik:Bring the laptop to my office. Now.
“Fuck,” I whispered after I’d texted her that order. I’d probably freaked her out with that command out of nowhere. But just as quickly, I cringed at the fact that I cared whether she was freaked out.
Three dots appeared and disappeared over and over.
I sighed.
Adrik:Just spit it out.
Adrik:What are you trying to figure out as a reply?
Three dots left and a line of text showed.
Elena:I couldn’t figure out if saying yes, sir would make you madder.
I shook my head and tossed my phone to the desk that still didn’t seem likemine. I had too many memories of my father here, his papers all over it, his scratchy scrawl of a signature never quite the same on any two papers.
Dammit, it’s going to be so hard when you’re really gone.
Now, I could check in and see him sleeping peacefully in his room. But once he was gone…
Elena appeared and cleared her throat. She was there at just the right time to pull me out of thinking about my father’s death. Like a freaking angel I didn’t plan time for.
“Sit.”
She hugged the laptop and timidly entered the office. Another crisp white blouse. Another casual skirt that was so simple that it emphasized her lean legs and slender waist.
And—
Oh, fuck me.
The glasses.
“Where are your contacts?”
She blushed as she sat at the chair across from me. “I didn’t sleep well last night. And since I woke up later than I wanted to, I didn’t have time to put them in this morning.”
Don’t ask.
Don’t fucking ask.
You aren’t supposed to care.
Or wonder.
Don’t. Ask.I steepled my fingers and pressed them in front of my lips. And still I failed.
“Why?”
