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Exhaling in defeat, I said, “Okay, well, I can email you over some photos when I get home.”

“Just show me here.” He nodded at his monitor.

I tensed. Show him… on his computer? But that would mean going around to his side of the desk. Sitting near him.

When I didn’t say anything, he raised a brow. “Don’t you want to get this squared away so you can start actually planning the event?”

“Yes. Of course I do.”

“So just show me on here.” He gestured at his monitor again, then shot me a smirk. “Don’t worry, Anita. You’ll still get to see me all the time at the gym, if that’s what’s stopping you.”

That had me shooting up out of my seat. “Fine.”

When I turned to pick up my chair, var Rorik surprised me yet again by quickly standing up and saying, “I can get it.”

“I’m fine.”

The armchair was heavy, but I could handle it. I carried it around the desk and set it down a respectable distance from his chair, then perched on the edge.

He gestured at his keyboard. “Go ahead.”

I clenched my jaw as I was forced to scoot the chair forward a little to reach it. He was right there, alarmingly close. He still smelled annoyingly good despite the long day, and he was all relaxed and in his element now that he’d eaten and was kicking back in his big, fancy office.

Once the Feris Events website had loaded, I quickly navigated over to the photos of our past events. Some of our most impressive events had been held at the Basalt—its ballroom really was stunning—so there was a good selection. I clicked through them, explaining a little about each one, while var Rorik slouched back and drummed his claws on the armrest of his chair.

“Pretty nice, I guess,” he eventually said, voice gruff. “But I’m just not sure.”

God, he was such a contrary ass. How long was he going to drag this out for? This was clearly the right choice. And he’d said himself that he’d been to plenty of events there, so he knew how popular it was as a venue.

“Would it sway your opinion if I told you they allow open flames?” I said lightly, keeping my eyes on the screen. “Which means we’d be able to have the flaming shots you specifically requested.”

I couldn’t stop myself from glancing over at him. His nostrils flared, eyes narrowing at me as his mouth thinned into a flat line.

After a few seconds, he said, “You know, you’re really annoying.”

That just meant I’d successfully gotten to him, so I took it as a win. Shrugging demurely, I told him, “I’m just very dedicated to making sure my clients are satisfied.”

As soon as I said it, I wanted to cringe. What are you doing, Anita?

But var Rorik’s yellow eyes had widened, before they dipped to my mouth. My thighs clenched together, something hot suddenly throbbing in the pit of my stomach. Definitely not any lower than that. It was probably just… gas or something.

He didn’t answer for a few seconds, still staring at my mouth. His fingers tightened on the armrest, claws scraping. Then he rasped again, “You’re really annoying.”

“Am I?” I tried to keep my tone carefree, but the look in his eyes was making my heart beat too fast.

“Yes.” He leaned forward in his seat, making my pulse leap. “Really. Fucking. Annoying. And…”

I saw his prominent Adam’s apple bob as I waited for him to finish, my heart in my throat. “And…?”

“And…” He met my gaze, his oval pupils expanding in a rush. “You’re…”

My control snapped, seemingly at the exact same moment as his. Before either of us could take a second to realise what a bad idea this was, we were lunging for each other.

Chapter Ten

Anita

I found myself leaning over him, one knee perched on the seat of his chair between his thighs as our mouths crushed together