When Eric’s phone rang, Jonathan said, “We’ll leave you to it.”
Eric picked up the phone and said, “Nice to meet you, Sumner,” before answering the call.
Jonathan ushered me out of the office and back down the hall. He introduced me to several other employees—Eric’s administrative assistant, a woman in her sixties named Isla, who reminded me of one of my favorite professors. An associate named Jack, who was a recent college graduate. Everyone seemed so nice, so welcoming, and I found myself growing more excited about the opportunity.
After the tour, we entered the elevator, and Jonathan’s arm brushed against me as he reached across to press the button for the parking garage. I shivered as the doors closed, remaining frozen to the spot. He smelled crisp, clean, and I wanted to inhale him. No, I wanted to taste him. Would he taste masculine and salty or… When he cleared his throat, I snapped my attention to him.
Get it together!“What was that?”
“I asked if you need to be home at a certain time. The listing is across town, and with traffic…” He lifted a shoulder. “It could get late.”
I shook my head. “I’m yours for the night.”
I cringed when I realized the implication in my words. Not that I didn’t want to be his for the night—far from it. I could only imagine how amazing a night with a man like Jonathan would be. His beard scratching the delicate skin of my thighs. His hands exploring my body.
It wasn’t the first time the thought had crossed my mind, but it had never seemed like a possibility before. When I was an awkward teen, Jonathan had always seemed so out of reach. He still did.
The arch of his eyebrow and upward tilt of his lips told me my slip hadn’t gone unnoticed. Guess I hadn’t totally lost that awkwardness, at least not around him.
“What I meant—” I rushed to clarify, hoping it hadn’t come off as a desperate plea “—is that I’m free. You can do what you want with me.”
I covered my face with my hands and shook my head as if that would somehow make me disappear. My cheeks were on fire, flames of embarrassment licking at my skin. I needed to stop talking; I was only making this worse.
His deep chuckle threaded its way through my belly, making me weak at the knees. His touch was gentle when he placed his hands over mine. “Sumner.” He tugged, but I refused to uncover my face. “Come on. It wasn’t that bad.” Even so, I could hear the laughter in his voice.
And when I finally lowered my hands, there was no escaping the teasing glint in his eyes. It wasn’t even an hour into my new job, and I’d just implied that my boss could sleep with me.Awesome.
I’d nearly screwed up my future by getting involved with a guy who was wrong for me. As much as I was attracted to Jonathan, I wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. I took a deep, calming breath, avoiding his gaze.
The elevator chimed and the doors slid open, saving me from further embarrassment.Thank god.
Jonathan reached out, holding back the door. “After you.”
“Thank you.” I smiled and walked past, feeling his eyes on me the entire time. What did he see when he looked at me? A little girl? The teenager he’d known? Or the me I was now—the woman I’d become?
The lights on a silver pickup truck blinked, and I tried to hide my surprise. I’d expected Jonathan to drive a sports car, something sleek and fast. And the closer we got, the more intimidating his truck seemed. I wondered how on earth I was going to climb up into the cab without exposing, well, everything.
Again, Jonathan placed his hand on my lower back. He pressed a button on the key fob, and a running board slid out, providing the perfect step.
I peered up at him. “Fancy.”
“Yeah.” He chuckled, running a hand through his hair. “Your dad calls it my ‘old man step.’”
“You’re not old,” I said, preferring not to dwell on the fact that he was practically the same age as my father.
Age didn’t matter—at least not to me. I wasn’t sure Jonathan would agree, and I knew my dad sure as hell wouldn’t. He’d never liked Nico, and I knew a lot of it had to do with our age difference.
But it wasn’t like anything would ever happen. Jonathan was my boss, my father’s best friend. He… Well, to Jonathan, I was like a niece. It didn’t matter how many times I’d fantasized about him; it would never happen.
He opened the passenger door for me, and I climbed into the cab. He grinned, shutting the door before rounding the hood to the driver’s side. Though the cab was large, it seemed to shrink the moment he entered. The scent of his body wash was everywhere, and if I’d closed my eyes, I could’ve imagined I was walking through a forest. Crisp. Earthy. Primal.Oh god.If I’d thought being in the office alone with him was difficult, this was going to be impossible.
“What are we looking at today?” I asked as he handed me a tablet, where several properties were displayed on the screen.
“Medical offices, law firms, the like,” he said, and I swiped through the images, evaluating.
“And what are we looking for as far as square footage and specs?”
He glanced over at me quickly, surprise and something like admiration shining through. “For someone who’s not interested in commercial real estate, you sure speak the lingo like a pro.”
