And then, he whips out those slutty little glasses, something I don’t see nearly enough, and leans in close. Fuck.
That rich, clean, perfectly him scent assaults my nose, and I have to hold my breath for a moment to prevent myself from taking a deeper inhale.
He’s not even acting phased, instead looking through the little comments I’ve made.
I stare at his profile, categorizing every little line and crease. The stray hair offset from the rest of his eyebrow, being a rebellious little thing. The way his hair is so out of place, but he makes it look professional and meaningful.
And when he turns to look at me, my heart stops, those deep brown eyes catching mine and pulling me into a trance.
Way. Too. Fucking. Close.
I close my laptop and stand abruptly, our knees brushing as I do.
I knew it was too close.
“Ya know, we have a meeting here shortly. I need to go get the notes, and then, uh—” I’m fishing for any reason to get the fuck out of this space before we make another stupid decision. “We need to meet with Becca regarding the Christmas party. I will email you the notes and include you on a document so you can see everything else as I make them. I will, uh, talk to you later.”
Fucking smooth.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
KAI
This is gettingto be hard, literally and figuratively. My cock strains against my slacks every time he’s around, begging for a release that won’t come from anything other than my hand.
Even now, I’m sitting behind my desk, willing it to chill the fuck out so we can go to our meeting.
It’s been tense since that moment after Brazil. I confessed it all to him, and he chose the job over me. I’m sure he knows that, as the CEO, I could cover his salary if he did choose me, but I think he’s trying to prove some sort of point. I have to be smarter than this.
How do I get the man I want when he’s so dedicated to this position?
It’s December now, almost two months since he walked back into my life and turned it upside down in the best way possible.
The pen that should be used to sign contracts and approve spreads is instead spinning between my fingers as I ponder my options. It’s almost Christmas, for crying out loud, I should have my man curled up in my bed so we can keep each other warm at night. We should be giddy about the gifts we’ve gotten one another, not this keep-away-bullshit.
Jax has really blossomed in the last couple of months, though. He’s more confident in himself, in his work. If he wasn’t so fucking attractive, he would’ve made an amazing full time personal assistant, but now, we can barely say two words without trying to jump one another’s bones.
His gaze meets mine, and my head snaps down, trying to act cool despite totally not being it at all. I know he caught me staring, and I know we’re both chomping at the bit to let our bodies do the talking.
I just need to figure out the next fucking step.
CHAPTER THIRTY
KAI
It’sthe day before Christmas Eve—I should be excited, since tonight is the company party. It’s the one time everybody, from the CEO to janitorial staff, all gather in one place and mingle. Food and drinks are provided, and there’s normally some sort of live band with games and prizes galore. It’s a formal event, everyone dressing their best and getting a chance to show off.
There’s never been a year I was thrilled to be going, but it’s different this year. There’s a sense of dread overcoming me, filling my belly with a nauseous feeling. It’s like, instead of the normal happy butterflies, I’m full of angry wasps. And I’m fucking allergic to wasps.
Everyone else in the building has the day off, but I’ve asked Jax to come in with me under the illusion I’m on the wire to get a piece done, and we can both leave at lunch so we can get ready for the event tonight. I’m wearing this burgundy velvet suit with a black bow tie, and I’m excited for his reaction when he sees me for the first time. I’m also just as excited to see what he’s going to wear.
My glasses keep falling down the bridge of my nose, forcing me to push them up. It’s like the universe doesn’t want what’scoming either, forcing my mind to other places, as if time will run out and I won’t have to do the inevitable. But, I do. It’s the only option I can reasonably think of, given all the circumstances.
Giving up, I take them off, the arms closing with a little clink, and toss them onto the desk. Jax looks up at me from his computer before I lean back and rub at the bridge of my nose. This can go two ways, but, in reality, I know it’s only going to go one.
“Okay, I’ve put this off long enough. We need to talk.”
Jax doesn’t have a sucker currently stuck between those perfect fucking lips, so instead, he goes for chewing on his lip. Once again, I wish I wasn’t the cause of this anxious tick, but hopefully, he understands my reasoning. I can’t lose him, not again.
