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Or maybe it’s his dark, brooding good looks, the way his eyes are boring into mine, heating me like a furnace.
I have no idea what makes him seem so commanding. I just know I’m drawn to him… like a magnet.
I also know the silence between us is stretching, and one of us needs to say something. I open my mouth, but he beats me to it. “Please come in. Take a seat.”
His voice suits him perfectly; it’s so masculine, so controlled, and I somehow put one foot in front of the other, making it across the room to the chair in front of his desk. He waits until I’ve sat down and then resumes his seat, gazing across his desk at me.
It’s my turn to talk now – or it feels that way – but what to say? Would ‘I think I love you’ be okay?
Don’t be ridiculous…
“Everyone dresses very casually in your office.”
Does that sound like a criticism? I hope not. It wasn’t meant as one. It was meant as an observation, and a distraction from the way he makes me feel… which is seriously overdressed in this suit.
What’s happening to me?
His eyes wander lazily up and down my body, but unlike when Miles did this earlier, I don’t feel uncomfortable. I don’t feel self-conscious, either. I welcome Theodore Bennett’s gaze as it slowly meanders back up to my face, a slight smile settling on his lips.
“There’s no proper dress code here,” he says, his voice sounding just a little deeper, and he coughs before he continues, “I insist on people being decent, but basically comfort is more important than anything else. People work better if they’re comfortable.”
“So, you’d be okay if I wore a suit to work… assuming I got the job, of course?” I blush. I wouldn’t normally be so presumptuous, but I’m very distracted.
“Are you comfortable wearing a suit?” he asks.
I think about his question for a moment. “I’m most comfortable in leggings, or jeans… or better still, pajamas. But they’re for relaxing in… for lying in bed, reading a book. And we’re talking about work, aren’t we? In a work environment, I’d have to say, yes, I’m most comfortable in a suit.”
He pauses, takes a deep breath, and shifts slightly in his seat. “Why?”
“Because dressing like this puts me in the right frame of mind for doing my job.”
He nods his head. “I can see that.”
“But it doesn’t apply to you?”
He smiles and although I feel I should apologize for being more forward than I’ve ever been in my life, he doesn’t give me the chance. “I’ve been known to wear a suit, and even a tie, when I have to. I have a whole drawer of them at home. And if you feel better wearing a suit, please don’t let me stop you.”
His smile widens, and he sits forward, averting his gaze from me for a moment, while he taps on his keyboard a few times and then looks back at me.
God, he’s gorgeous. I’ve never seen anyone who looks like he does. Not even in a magazine. His eyes are a dark, chocolate brown, and his jawline bears a hint of stubble, like it’s meant to be there, not like he couldn’t be bothered to shave. I suck in a breath, wondering what it would be like to be kissed by him… how it would feel to have those bristles abrade my skin.
But then I’m reminded of the fact that I used to think Cole was perfection on legs… and look where that got me.
Focus, Livia. Focus.
***
Hunter
I feel like I need to keep telling myself to breathe, as though without the constant reminder, my heart is going to stop, and I’ll die… right here, right now.
I’ll die happy, though, because I’ll be looking at the most beautiful woman in the world. And who could ask for anything more?
Breathe… breathe…
Yeah. Breathing would be good. It would be a lot better than dying, anyway. Especially as I’d like to get to know her… to find out how she can do this to me so easily. I was only going to dip my toe in, not my heart. I hadn’t been looking for love. And yet, here I am, falling for the woman who’s right in front of me, captivating me… capturing me.
There’s something ethereal about her. I know that’s partly because she’s sitting in the sun’s rays, and they’re giving a magical glow to her long, blonde hair. But the sun doesn’t account for the sparkle in her sky-blue eyes, or the perfection of her porcelain pure skin. It doesn’t make sense of the fact that, although she doesn’t seem to be wearing very much makeup, there’s a pink hue to her cheeks, and a glossy sheen on her lips… or that I want to kiss her.
