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Whatever. He felt like they were all conspiring against him, with Aubrey leading the helm.
“Um.” She dropped her head, staring at her feet like they were fascinating.
Far more fascinating than he was.
Unable to take it anymore, he pushed away from the wall and went to her, one hand settling at her waist, the other slipping beneath her chin and forcing her head up so her gaze met his. “Why aren’t you talking to me, Aub? What happened to us?”
Aubrey frowned, her delicate brows scrunching together. “I’ve been…keeping something from you,” she said haltingly. “And I didn’t want to hurt you by telling you the truth.”
His heart panged. Ridiculous, since he tried to tell himself his heart had nothing to do with what was happening between them, but maybe he was wrong. What was she talking about?
He’d been falling for her from the moment he’d first seen that pretty smile when Harvey had introduced them. He’d crushed on her like a teenage boy for months. Admiring her from afar, enjoying the meetings and the interviews and the time spent with her. He’d sneak the occasional glance, always surprised when he’d caught her looking back at him, and damn, once he really thought about it, he realized they’d wasted an awful lot of time.
“Tell me. What are you keeping from me?” He wanted to hear the truth. He wanted her to admit she felt something for him, because he knew she did. She was just as into this as he was.
But maybe that had been wishful thinking on his part.
“Maybe…maybe we shouldn’t be together, you know? You don’t need me. There’s so much speculation about the Super Bowl possibility for the Hawks, the reporters don’t even ask about your relationship with me any longer. I bet they won’t notice when I don’t show up to this weekend’s game.” She withdrew from his touch, and he willingly let her go, his hands feeling empty once she was gone.
Was she trying to break up with him? “Are you mad that they’re not talking about us anymore?” he asked incredulously. She sure acted like she was.
“No, I’m not mad. I’m just…confused.” Her back was to him, and he stood behind her, watching as her shoulders slumped and she bent her head. “I think we just got caught up in the excitement of it all,” she admitted, her voice so small he almost couldn’t hear her.
“You really believe that?” Damn it, he was pissed. “I wasn’t caught up, Aub. I can promise you that.”
She turned to look at him, her gaze suspiciously damp, but then she blinked and the hint of tears he thought he’d seen were gone. Lifting her chin, she sniffed, flipped her hair behind her shoulder. Hair he wanted to sink his hands into and pull her head back so he could deliver a punishing kiss to her lips.
He was so pleased with the idea that he reached out and grabbed her, his hand going to the ends of her wavy, thick strands, his other arm sneaking around her waist and pulling her into him. A gasp escaped her just as he tugged her hair back, and she glared at him, her mouth open and ready to chew him out, he was sure.
But he didn’t care. He pressed his mouth to hers, silencing whatever protest she might’ve uttered. Her lips were firm beneath his, unyielding, but he refused to stop. He wanted to prove that there was something between them. That he hadn’t been caught up, as she’d so nicely put it. Needed to prove to her that she didn’t
want to end this any more than he did.
A whimper escaped her when he broke the kiss, and he opened his eyes, his mouth still so close his lips moved against hers when he spoke. “Tell me you feel nothing when you kiss me, Aubrey.”
She remained silent, her eyes tightly closed, a little sigh escaping her. Her lips remained parted, soft and damp and so damn inviting he settled his mouth on hers lightly. Not pushing. Not pulling away, either.
Slowly, her lips moved beneath his in the sweetest of kisses, and everything within him roared to life. He cradled the back of her head with his hand and held her firm, increasing the pressure of the kiss, his tongue sneaking into her mouth to slide against hers.
A little moan escaped her, and she slung her arms around his neck, clinging to him as they devoured each other in the darkened hallway. Where anyone could come along and find them, if anyone still remained in the building, and he assumed someone still did.
But it didn’t matter. He didn’t care. All he cared about, all he wanted, was the woman in his arms.
He pulled her even closer to him, needing her to feel just how she affected him. Their mouths never parted, the kiss only became hungrier, hotter, until he was growling in her mouth, his hand slipping down to her ass and gripping her tight against his erection.
She broke the kiss first, and he opened his eyes to find her staring up at him, her eyes wild, her expression full of regret. He slipped his hand out of her hair to touch her cheek, her jaw, her lips…
But she shook her head, pulling out of his embrace, and he let her go, hating how empty he felt without her in his arms. “Why did you do that?” Her voice was shaky, and she visibly trembled.
He should feel triumphant. Look at the way she’d reacted to his kiss. Instead, he felt defeated. Like he’d just lost his girl for good.
“You really have to ask?” Didn’t she get it?
No. Maybe she didn’t. Now she looked mad. “This is killing me, Flynn, keeping this from you. When it started, when we first slept together and Harvey talked to us… Harvey made me pretend I wanted to be with you.”
“What?” He scratched the back of his head, confusion swamping him. “What are you talking about?”
She blew out a harsh breath. “Harvey told me I could possibly lose my job if I didn’t participate in a fake relationship with you.”
