Page 16 of Just a Little Tempted

The words came out stilted, and I was painfully aware of how awkward I sounded. Clearly, I needed to be better about expressing appreciation. But Raina didn’t seem to mind. If anything, she looked even happier that I’d made the effort.

Against my will, my gaze dropped to her lips.

The urge to reach out and drag her onto my lap, to finally taste her and discover if she was as sweet as I imagined, hit me like a primitive need. My hands curled into fists beneath my desk, knuckles tightening with the effort of restraining myself.

If Raina noticed my internal battle, she gave no sign of it. She simply turned and walked out of my office, leaving me alone with the lingering scent of her perfume and the weight of my own frustrated desire.

I allowed myself one moment—just one—to entertain the fantasy. Pulling her back through the door. Pressing her against the nearest wall, her body soft against mine. Claiming her mouth in a kiss that would almost certainly qualify as an HR disaster. My cock ached at the thought, and for a reckless second, I almost thought it would be worth it.

But logic prevailed. It always did.

With a heavy sigh, I forced the images from my mind, burying them under the demands of more important things: investment evaluations, expense reports, pending contracts. Work was my priority. I wasn’t going to let an unexpected attraction to my entirely off-limits assistant derail that.

I threw myself into the tasks in front of me, focusing on my computer screen with fierce concentration. The only thing that broke through was the lingering scent of blueberries, so I helped myself to one of Raina’s muffins while I worked.

Unsurprisingly, it was incredible. Just like the cookies and brownies.

I reached for another just as my brother’s voice drifted in from the outer office.

“Good morning, Raina.”

“Good morning, Liam,” she replied easily.

A few days after Raina started, we’d both insisted she address us by our first names. I’d told her it was too confusing if she called us both “Mr. Powers,” but the secret truth was that I liked hearing her saySimon. It felt personal. Intimate, even.

Shit.I’d been crossing lines with her since her first week.

“There are muffins on Simon’s desk if you’d like one,” I heard her offer.

I reached out and pulled the basket closer, positioning it protectively near my keyboard just as Liam appeared in my doorway.

“Don’t even think about it,” I said before he could speak. “These muffins are mine.”

Liam rolled his eyes, and from her desk outside I heard Raina’s laughter—bright and genuine and entirely too appealing.

“Good morning to you too,” Liam said dryly, dropping into the chair across from me with a smirk.

“Yeah, yeah.” I took a sip of my coffee. “I didn’t realize you were coming in today.”

He was usually at GalvaTech on Mondays, deeply embedded in launch preparations.

“Just a brief visit. I wanted to stop by and talk about Alexander Spencer.”

I opened the drawer on the right side of my desk and pulled out a brown folder. “I’ve got a file started on him. Initial research suggests going into business with him would be a solid investment.”

Alexander Spencer owned Neptune’s Kingdom, a wildly popular indoor water park and resort upstate. He wanted to expand into a chain throughout the northeastern United States, and we wanted to be part of that growth.

“There’s excellent potential,” I continued, rattling off the cash flow statistics and market traction data without opening the folder. I had it all memorized. “The business model is sound, and his track record is impressive.”

Liam nodded along. “It sounds like this could be perfect for us. Different sector than we’re used to, but too good an opportunity to pass up.”

“I agree.” I flipped open the folder and turned it so Liam could see the first page—background information on Alexander’s business associations that Raina had helped me compile. “Alexander himself is particular about who he works with. He’s an oddity in the business world. Doesn’t make decisions based purely on contract terms or profit margins. Helikes to know the people he’s partnering with on a more personal level.”

Liam’s eyebrow lifted. “You look vaguely offended by that concept.”

I chuckled. “Not offended. Mildly annoyed. His history shows he favors working with people who share his family values, but that sort of thing shouldn’t factor into business decisions.”

“Maybe not.” Liam shrugged. “But you have to admit it’s better to get along with the people you’re partnered with.”