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"What do you do in your free time, Megan?"
The way he asked the question had me on edge. On the surface, it seemed innocent, but the tone of his voice made it sound like he was demanding to know all my deepest secrets. Demanding, not asking.
"I meet with friends. I do yoga. I try out a lot of recipes because I love to cook. I do other activities that I wouldn't want my employer to know."
His eyes instantly darkened, and I took in a short breath. Why in the name of God did I say that? I bit my lip, looking down at the table.
“Meg....”
Holy shit!His voice had just dropped an octave. It transported me right back to our night together.
"How about a time-out right now at lunch? For forty minutes, I'm not your boss. I'm just Luke. Luke from the bar."
A shudder went down my spine. I took in a deep breath, mulling the idea over in my mind. It was so tempting to say yes. God, so tempting. I wanted him to be Luke from the bar, but I couldn't let it happen.
With a shaky breath, I glanced up. "I don't think it's a good idea," I murmured.
"Neither do I, but Megan—"
We were interrupted by two waiters who brought our meals. It had taken them less than ten minutes. I was grateful for the distraction. It cut down the tension a bit, but the second they left, I felt it return. It was like a cloud floating between us. I sliced a piece of the duck, eating it carefully.
I could feel him looking at me, waiting for an answer or perhaps an explanation. Finally, I rolled my shoulders and glanced right at him.
"Luke, you seem to have no problem switching between ‘bar Luke’ and ‘office Luke.’ It's not as easy for me. I can't switch back and forth, so no time-out for me."
He didn't say anything, simply looked at me. After a few seconds, he nodded.
I thought my body would relax for sure, but instead, it seemed to heat up even more. My heart rate was accelerating, and I couldn't ignore the deep longing inside me. I wanted him to cross that line, knowing if he did, I would simply follow suit. I couldn't believe I was reacting like that just because we were talking about a time-out.
I was his intern. He was my boss and my mentor in the competition. I couldn’t cross this line. I just couldn’t.
To my astonishment, Luke switched to another topic right away. We spoke about our food as well as Rick and the proposal we’d just made. I felt a bit sad that we couldn’t seem to keep things light—talking about hobbies or just making chitchat the way he’d done with everyone else during the luncheon. It seemed we could either talk shop or move right into flirting territory. It was all or nothing when it came to Luke.
We left the restaurant half an hour later. It took us no time at all to reach the garage of the office building.
We headed to the underground elevator, and Luke pushed the button.
"Megan," he said from beside me. Something in the tone of his voice alerted me to pay attention. "It's not easy for me either. Every day I fight myself. Every. Single. Day."
I sucked in a breath just as the elevator dinged and the doors opened. There were three other men inside. As we stepped in, I didn't say anything, and neither did Luke. Every inch of my body felt on fire.
––––––––
Ileft work earlierthan usual that evening and headed straight home. I debated calling Nina but decided not to. I needed a cozy night in, nothing more.
While climbing the steps to my floor, I decided what to order and which bath bomb to use. I had quite a collection from Lush. I’d been a fan for years.
I stopped abruptly in front of my door, bursting out laughing.
On my doorstep was a bottle of Lillet.Oh, Luke.I never thought he’d actually do it, but he was a man of his word.
Unlocking my door, I went inside with the bottle. I wasn’t going to open it tonight, as I didn’t like drinking alone. Delighted to discover some leftover pizza in my fridge, I microwaved it and practically inhaled it, then went right to my collection of bath bombs in the bathroom, choosing one that smelled like caramel and lavender. Oh yeah, this was going to thoroughly relax me. I also lit three odorless candles, placing two on the sink and one on the edge of the tub.
As I was taking off my clothes, my phone vibrated with a message.
Luke: Got home safe?
I’d forgotten to thank him.
