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“Thanks, but I’ll probably crash at Drew’s. I tried calling him earlier to let him know… or rather to ask him, but he’s not picking up either, so can you tell him? And can you say I’ll text him when I know my flight details, or when I get back… or something?” She sounds just as disorganized as ever.
“Sure, but you’re welcome to stay with me, you know.”
“I know, but Drew’s place is easier. It might be smaller than yours, but he’s less likely to be there.”
“Have I done something to offend you?”
She chuckles. “No. But I’d hate to cramp your style.”
I’m not sure I have a style. My head’s in too much of a turmoil over Livia. But then it occurs to me Ella might be more worried about me cramping her style. Maybe she has a reason for wanting to be by herself… a male reason. I don’t want to think about that, though. She’s still my little sister.
As I end the call with Ella, I sit back in my seat, thinking about our conversation. I’m not worried about her coming home, or her mysterious job, or even the fact that she’s choosing to stay at Drew’s place instead of mine. They’re a lot closer in age, so even when Drew’s there – which he isn’t very often – the two of them have more in common than Ella does with me. What I’m most concerned about is that I’ve just realized that my ‘little sister’ is three years older than Livia.
Does that mean I should back off? Can I? Is it even possible to ignore my feelings for Livia?
“Hunter?” I sit up as she comes into the room.
“Yeah?” She’s carrying a sheet of paper and is studying it as she crosses the floor toward me.
“Can I check these figures with you?”
“Sure.”
She comes around my side of the desk, placing the page before me, and leans in, close enough that I can smell her scent. There’s something fresh and floral about it, and I struggle not to groan out loud.
It doesn’t matter how young she is, I’ve already gone too far down the path of falling in love to turn back. Given the way she reacted earlier, I just hope she’s on the same path with me.
Chapter Five
Livia
I’m so close, I can smell the slight spice of his body wash and see the prickly stubble on his chin. I want to reach out and touch, to feel the spiky hairs against my skin.
If only I were braver, I could tell him how I feel, or at least drop a hint of some kind about what he means to me. I’d never be able to tell him I love him, but I wish there was some way I could let him know he’s so much more to me than just my boss…
“You’re quite right. It doesn’t make sense.” He looks up at me with a soft smile, breaking my train of thought. “I probably shouldn’t be let loose on things like this when I’m so tired.”
I lean in slightly, using my pen to point at the figure I think is incorrect. “It’s this one, isn’t it?”
“Yes. It looks like I’ve used the wrong hourly rate. But how did you know?”
“Because it’s so different to the proposal I typed last week, when Doreen was still here. I can’t remember the client’s name, but the job seemed quite similar, and added up to a lot more than this.”
He nods his head, smiling more broadly. “I’m impressed.”
I can’t help smiling myself, and I wait while he corrects the figures, relieved that my earlier indiscretions don’t seem to have affected his good opinion of me as his assistant.
I can feel myself blush, even thinking about what happened, and I suppose I should be grateful that I got the chance to explain, even if that meant revealing I’d been checking him out. His response was beyond my wildest expectations, and the look on his face when he told me he wasn’t like that anymore… well, it was as though I’d died and gone to heaven. I was reading too much into it. I think I knew that even then, but I was saved from making an even greater fool of myself by that phone call. The woman’s voice was playful, and very young, and it brought me back to earth with a bump. I assumed he’d been lying to me… just saying what I wanted to hear. But he explained that Ella was his sister, not the girlfriend I’d suspected her of being. He came into his office to take her call, and although I knew I ought to be getting on with this proposal, and that his personal life has nothing to do with me, I couldn’t help watching him as he walked away. The odd thing was, he stopped on the threshold of his room and stared back at me. It was a moment that mirrored the one at Doreen’s party. I felt his gaze melt through me, heating me from the inside out, and I wondered if he knew what he was doing… if he had any idea of the effect he was having on me. He didn’t, of course, and eventually I came to my senses and reminded him of his call.
He came into his office then, the moment broken, and although I could hear the murmur of his voice, I focused on my work and not his private conversation… or I tried to.
“Hunter?” I startle, looking toward the door, and my body tenses when I see Miles Hampton standing there. He notices me and grins, stepping into the room, uninvited.
“Ever heard of knocking?” Hunter says, surprising me, considering he made such a big deal about me not having to knock before coming in here.
Miles ignores Hunter’s comment. In fact, he ignores Hunter completely and walks over, staring straight at me. “I forgot to tell you earlier… that color really suits you.”
“What color?” I ask. I’m wearing a gray suit and a white blouse with black stockings and shoes. The reality is, I’m a vision in monochrome.
