Page 72 of Tell Me What you Think

"Why would I be?" she answers, turning around.

Olga shrugs.

"I don't know, you're so quiet. Maybe I said something that—"

Marina lets out a puff of air that lifts her bangs.

"Come here," she says, reaching her hand out.

Olga takes it without hesitating, and their fingers lace together as if that's the only way their hands know how to be joined. Marina leads her to the living room and they both sit on the couch, turned toward each other.

"Okay." Marina runs her tongue across her teeth for a moment, missing having a hard candy to crush. "You're allowed to say what you think — here and anywhere — and you don't have to be embarrassed about it. At least not with me."

"I know, it's just—"

"Does being your boss intimidate you?"

"You're not my boss here," she says, not fully understanding what they're even talking about.

"Not here, but at work you are, and I don't know if what's happening between us is a problem for you when we're there. Think before you answer — I don't want you to tell me what you think will make this work."

Her expression goes serious and her shoulders tense.

"You don't intimidate me. You never have."

"No?" Marina raises an eyebrow and tries to hold back a laugh. "Should I work on that?"

"You're an idiot." Olga gives her a gentle shove, chuckling.

"Yeah, sorry, that wasn't funny," she says, eyes crinkled with amusement. "But seriously, I don't want you to—"

"I said no," she interrupts firmly, and Marina's eyebrow lifts in surprise. "I mean it. You've never made me feel inferior, and I like working with you."

"More than with Ricard?"

"Ricard was an old fossil," she blurts out.

"God, when you let loose you say the most interesting things," Marina teases, and Olga stares at her, mouth open.

"Stop teasing me — you told me to say what I think, didn't you? More or less…"

"I did. Tell me what you think, always. Please," Marina insists, completely serious.

"Fine. I'm good with you there."

"Hmm." Marina moves her lips as she thinks, and Olga decides that those kinds of sounds should be banned when her boss makes them, because they're too damn sexy.

"Okay, and here?"

"What? Oh, you mean am I okay with you here? In your apartment?" The laugh slips out.

"Or yours, doesn't matter — but yeah, outside of work."

"Of course I'm okay — I'm better than okay. I've been in love with you for way too long, dreaming about spending time with you, and now — well, now I do a lot more than that." The color rushes to her face all at once, and Marina leans in and plants a loud kiss on her cheek.

"I love that you blush. I don't know if I've ever told you that."

"I think it's terrifying. Do you know how awful it was when you didn't know anything? I felt like a walking billboard announcing I was crazy about you without ever having to open my mouth — good thing you can be a little slow on the uptake sometimes."