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Ifired off a few emails and texts before pushing away from my desk. It was going to be another long night. A slight rustling outside my office door indicated that Hazel was likely about to knock. It was perfect timing since I hadn’t had a chance to tell her we wouldn’t be able to leave for at least another hour, maybe two.
She opened my door, only to rear back when she realized I was standing only a few feet from her. A startled laugh left her mouth as she clutched a hand to her chest. She laid her other hand on my forearm. “Geez, warn a girl before you give her a heart attack.”
We’d always had an easy rapport, but since she’d moved in a week and a half ago, our relationship had become something else. Something more. Those light, easy touches were more common than they used to be. I craved them, along with her easygoing smile.
Hazel was under the impression her extended stay was due to a problem with acquiring the necessary permits to fix her house. And while part of that was true it was also because I’d asked David and his crew to upgrade various parts of her home. As altruistic as it looked from the outside, it wasn’t. I could afford to do that for her and not miss the money. The reality was that I knew I was on borrowed time with Hazel and wanted to extend it for as long as possible.
“I was about to come talk to you.” I forced my eyes to linger on her face instead of moving down to where I wanted them to be. Not acknowledging my attraction to her was becoming harder and harder each day.
“Is everything okay?” she asked.
“We need to stay late tonight. I have a deal I’m working to close. It’s the same one from this morning. They’re not sure if they want to sell. The audacity.” I walked back to my desk, knowing she’d follow. “Why don’t you order something for us to eat?”
“Oh, I already ate.” Her voice had a strange hesitancy in it. I narrowed my gaze, and my muscles tensed.
Something wasn’t right.
I stopped abruptly and spun to face her. “When?”
She frowned at my question. “I don’t know, maybe a half hour ago. I brought enough of the leftovers from last night for lunch and dinner.”
At her mention of last night, heat shot through my body. Our time together had become the best and worst of my life. Each moment with her reminded me of what we could never have. Yet it didn’t matter. I wanted to hoard them all for later. “Order something just for me then.”
“I would Jareth, but I need to run.” It was then that I noticed her turquoise winter coat and purse draped over her arm.
“I really need you here tonight, Hazel.” She never said no to me. Whenever I stayed late she did too.
“I’m sorry but I have plans I can’t break.” She shrugged on her coat. It was then that I noticed she’d changed into a form fitting dress that cascaded over her sexy hips and thighs. I had to clench my hands into a fist when I noticed the high heels.
Fuck.
“You have a date.” The words burst out of my mouth before I could stop them or the harsh tone I said them with.
“A date?” she asked, her face growing pale. “Why would you ask that?”
My hands fisted tighter and I forced them to release. She could date anyone she wanted. I had no claim over her. Yet that fucking burn searing my chest tried to prove me wrong. I wanted to demand to know who she had plans with.
She let out a nervous giggle. “No, not a date.”
I didn’t believe her. She seemed too nervous and Hazel could never lie well. “Reschedule. You need to be here,” I demanded.
“I’m sorry that you need me here tonight, Jareth, but I’m leaving.” Her fingers tightened around the purse she clenched within her grasp. Interesting that she wasn’t backing down. Wherever she was going or whoever she was meeting must be important.
“Then tell me where you’re going, and if I need to reach you, I can find you there.” The insane words fell from my mouth, and I couldn’t get myself to shut up. I’d never been this pushy about needing to know her whereabouts.
Yet I’d never seen Hazel dressed for a date either.
My collar felt too tight and I had to stop myself from unbuttoning the sleeves of my dress shirt and rolling them up my forearms. Someone must have turned up the heat. Any moment I expected sweat to bead my brow.
She shook her head. “If you need me, email, and I’ll take care of it when I get home tonight.”
Her use of the word home made my chest squeeze tight. “I need to know so I can tell Elias where to drive you.” I was pleased with myself. Even if she didn’t want to give me the information she had no choice now.
A faint smile graced her lips. “It’s okay. I already called an Uber.”
What the actual fuck was happening right now? “An Uber?” I repeated like an idiot. Why would she do that when she had my car at her disposal.
She shifted nervously from one foot to the other. “I didn’t want to bother either of you, so I called for one a few minutes ago.” She checked her phone. “It’s almost here. I really need to run, Jareth.”
