AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“But I desperately need the compliments.” He grimaced and then looked to her right where the men’s room was. “Oh, hey, before we grab fries, let me run in here really quick first, okay?”
“No problem.”
Not wanting to linger just outside the door, she ducked into a corner nearby, out of the way of other people. She pulled out her phone to surf Instagram.
“Victoria?”
Her lashes lifted and her stomach sank.
Crap. He’d followed her.
Ryan was all smiles as he approached. When he should’ve stopped, he pushed forward, completely bypassing her personal space until they were inches apart.
“I’m going to be real with you,” he said softly, reaching out to touch her cheek. “I’d love to take you out to dinner sometime.”
He was touching her. No.
She frowned, trying to figure out what his game was. A minute ago, she could’ve sworn he’d known about her past. Was ready to threaten her with it. Now he was... flirting and asking her out?
“No pressure, of course,” he rushed on. “I’m just tired of pretending I’m not interested in you.”
Is that what he’d been doing? If so, she wasn’t sure she’d want to see what Ryan showing his interest looked like.
God, this was awkward. She really didn’t see him in anything but the friend zone. And even then, he only had a toe dipped in.
“Doesn’t the firm have rules about dating coworkers?”
He gave a dismissive wave of his hand. “They don’t love it, but they know it happens. You just need to disclose it to HR.”
Which was her department.
“I see.” She was a pro at turning guys down, but this was the man who’d helped interview her. She had to tread carefully. “You know, I keep my personal life pretty private. And I haven’t really said anything, but I’m kind of rebounding from a relationship.”
“Rebound, huh?” He gave a wide smile and swept his gaze over her. “You know I could help with that.”
Douche bag confirmation.
She gave him a placating smile and shook her head. “I’ll bet you could. But I’m not quite ready yet.”
It wasn’t flirting. It was stroking his ego and buying some time while she figured out how to handle him.
He leaned down and brushed a kiss against her cheek. “You have a lot to offer this company, Victoria. I think you could go far. And I’m a good person to know around here.”
What the hell? Was that...? Was he...?
“All I’m saying is, think about it.”
It took all her willpower to keep that smile pasted on and not scrub her cheek.
“Thanks, I will.”
Ryan stepped back, revealing the throng of people moving about the corridor. While also revealinghim.
James, just a few feet away.
How much had he heard?
“Oh, hey, cuz,” Ryan’s grin widened as he slapped his cousin on the shoulder with a casual, “Didn’t see you there. I was just trying to convince Victoria here to let me take her to dinner this weekend.”
