“Hmmm?”
“Only a few more days until you’re not my assistant anymore,” I said, ignoring the pang in my chest at the thought of coming into work and not seeing her there. Without realizing it, I’d gotten used to her mango-scented perfume lingering in my office long after she left, the way she seemed to already know what I needed and was ready to deliver before I could ask.
“I can’t believe it.” She mused. “So much has happened in a month.”
I huffed a quiet laugh, tightening my grip around her waist. “That’s an understatement.”
Elise tilted her head up to look at me, her heavy-lidded gaze filled with something soft. “Are you as surprised by this as I am?”
She was talking about us. I let out a slow breath, my fingers tracing idle patterns along the curve of her spine. “Surprised?” I murmured, considering the weight of the word. “No.”
Her brows lifted slightly, surprise flickering in her dark eyes. “No?”
I smirked, tilting her chin up with my knuckles. “I wanted you from the moment you walked into my office.”
Elise rolled her eyes, but the warmth creeping across her cheeks told me she liked hearing it. “Nathan, I spilled coffee on you within five minutes of meeting you.”
I chuckled, remembering it clearly; the way she’d gone wide-eyed and apologetic, scrambling to clean up the mess while I sat there, half-amused, half-distracted by how damn gorgeous she was. “And yet, I still kept you around.”
Elise let out a soft laugh, her fingers brushing over my jaw, her touch feather-light. “I may have come up with a nickname for you during that time.”
I raised a brow. “And what nickname was that?”
Elise hesitated for a second, her lips twitching like she was debating whether or not to tell me. Then, with a teasing smirk, she whispered, “Mr. Asshole.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Mr. Asshole?”
She nodded, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Yeah. You were always…well, an asshole.”
I chuckled, not at all offended. “And yet, you stayed.”
Elise shrugged nonchalantly, a soft blush creeping up her neck. “What can I say? I’m a sucker for blue eyes.”
I nipped at her wrist in response, making her giggle before she curled back into me just as a yawn escaped her lips.
“Sleep.” I ordered.
“I’m not that tired,” she murmured, her voice thick with exhaustion.
I chuckled, pulling her closer until her head rested right over my heart. “Really? Because I’m pretty sure you’re about to pass out on me.”
Elise huffed, but didn’t argue. Her body melted into mine, and just like that, I felt her drifting off.
I brushed a soft kiss against her forehead, my fingers combing through her hair, slow and soothing. “Sleep, Cupcake,” I whispered. “Because tomorrow? Tomorrow, I’m making sure you don’t leave this bed at all.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
ELISE
HAPPINESS WAS LITTLEluxuries like chocolate muffins, a hot bubble bath and the kind of soreness that made you proud to limp a little.
I sighed blissfully as the warm water from the shower-head washed over me. One of the hardest things I had to do in my life was climb out of bed when Nathan’s warm, muscular body laid against mine. But we were headed back home today and I had no idea what to expect now that we officially crossed the line.
My brain told me to act normal, even though everything was anything but. So, instead of overthinking everything, I told myself that I would do what I normally would, which included getting ready to catch our flight.
Memories of last night drifted into the bathroom and into the shower with me.
Nathan pinning both my hands over my head.
