When I meet his eyes, my throat constricts. He’s so beautiful I could cry. He’s impossible to resist when he looks at me this way: eyes nurturing and kind, even in the face of my bizarre behavioral whiplash.
“I’m freaking out, okay? You were an idea before. A figment of myhorny, hyperactive imagination. Now, you’re... look at you! You’re rippling everywhere!” I motion to his abs like they’re holding me hostage. Which they kind of are. “This is a problem, okay? We work together. Actually, no, it’s worse. We workagainsteach other. We’re professional enemies. We barely even get along most of the time. How on earth are we supposed to navigate this?”
He blinks. “So you’re telling me while we were just doing all that, you were thinking aboutwork?”
“Ben!” I’m nearly hysterical.
“All right, calm down, just trying to lighten the mood. I like teasing you almost as much as I like kissing you.” He grimaces, shifting again on the couch. “Almost.”
“I’m sorry. I feel really bad about...” I gesture uselessly.
“Stop apologizing. I told you I had no expectations and I meant it. I just... need to not be looking at you for a minute.” He grabs my camisole from the floor and passes it over. “Put this on.”
I obey, then nudge him. “What do you think of when you’re trying to calm down? Hammond naked?”
“Jesus Christ, Kate.No.” He laughs softly and grinds the heels of his hands into his eye sockets.
I reach out and brush his arm, and a powerful wave of desire threatens to pull me under. “I don’t want you to think I don’t want to. I do want to. Like, a lot. I’m just...”
“You’re not ready. I get it.”
He puts his arm around me, pulling me close, and kisses my temple. It’s such a casual, affectionate gesture, and simultaneously devoid of any expectation, that I mentally exhale.He doesn’t hate you.I wrap my arms around his middle and press my cheek to his chest. Maybe if we stay right here, nothing will touch us.
“There’s no rush. This is a lot for one night. I pressed my luck evenbringing you back here. I can’t seem to help myself when it comes to you.”
I smile and look up at him with lusty eyes. He hugs me tighter and when I snuggle into the crook of his armpit, I have to talk myself out of sniffing him. I’m a heathen.
“All right, let’s deal with this. You’re concerned about... work implications.” I detect a note of skepticism in his tone, like he doesn’t believe me.
“You’re not the only one who’s been thinking about this for a long time, okay? But I can’t just ignore how complicated it’s going to be. I refuse to wear Ben blinders. Reality is right outside that door. It’s the exact reason I fought this for so long.”
“I think you’re overreacting.”
“Ben, weworktogether. It’s an issue.”
“We really don’t. We’re not in the same office. I’m not your superior. We’re not even on the same side.”
“Aha! And therein lies the bigger problem.”
His eyes narrow. “I don’t care who you work for.”
I press my lips together and don’t say a word.
“But you do.” He exhales, shaking his head. He’s pissed. “Really, Kate?Stillwith this?”
“It matters. Stop pretending it doesn’t.”
“Why does it matter?”
“You think this won’t come between us? Our jobs are literally to obstruct each other’s progress. We’ll spend all day bad-mouthing each other, shooting poison darts, then what? Come home and eat dinner?”
“You’re being dramatic.”
“I’m beingrealistic. What happens when I have to publicly denounce the tax plan? No hard feelings?”
He scowls. “Are you done listing all the ways this isn’t gonna work?”
“Don’t do that. Don’t make me the bad guy. I’m trying to tell you I’m worried. Sticking your head in the sand isn’t going to help us figure this out.”
