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Her lips curved. “You think?”
I hid my own smile. “I’m apologizing. Don’t fuck it up, shorty.”
That earned me a small laugh, and it made me feel a little lighter. It also did something else to me. I had missed that sound, missed making it happen. My eyes stayed on her mouth until she caught me looking and pressed those lips together.
I cleared my throat. “I’m serious, Paz.”
“I know.”
“I should've noticed before you got to the point where you needed two days of sleep to feel right.”
Her expression softened. “You noticed. You told me to take the time,” she reminded me quietly.
She looked so sweet, trying to forgive my guilty ass. I wanted to pull her against me and kiss her slightly lying mouth. “After I helped run you into the ground.”
“You didn't do it by yourself.”
“Still did my part.”
The barista called my name, interrupting us. Topaz reached for both drinks, but I beat her to mine. Our hands came close again, and this time she pulled hers back first.
“Thank you,” she said.
We moved toward a small table near the window. She started to sit, then seemed to rethink it. I noticed the hesitation immediately. Part of me wanted her to sit down because sitting might mean another five minutes. I just needed long enough for me to figure out how to keep her there without pushing too hard.
“I actually need to go.”
That familiar frustration tried to rise in me, but I shoved it back down. “Why?”
Her brow lifted, letting me know I was going too far, about to trespass. I hated the fact that it wasn’t my right to ask. I usually had access to almost every part of her day and now had to remember that I really wasn’t entitled to a single minute of it.
But I could be patient.
“A’ight. Wrong question.”
“Mm-hmm.”
I nodded, looking down at the cup in my hand before meeting her eyes again. She was watching me now, expression guarded but curious, and something about that spurred me on.
“What if I wanted to spend some time with you?”
Topaz stilled. “Here?”
“Yeah. Away from the office.”
She stared at me. I decided to keep going.
“No schedules. No clients. No Masters Capital. No me asking where some file is that you already reminded me about three times.”
She rolled her eyes and made a soft sound. “Four.”
“See? That's exactly what I'm talking about.”
She smiled despite herself and my eyes followed the curve of it. I took a step closer, keeping enough space between us that she wouldn’t feel caged in. It wasn’t easy. Every instinct in me wanted to close the remaining distance, settle my hands around those soft hips, and remind both of us what happened in my office.
Instead, I stayed where I was.
“Spend some time with me, Topaz,” I requested again.
