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They hadn’t had much time together this week and she missed it. Missed him, in spite of working with him every single day. When he was with her, he was warm. Open. In the previous weeks, she’d caught a glimpse of who he could be if he weren’t shackled to ThomKnox, but that version of him had gone the way of the brontosaurus.
“You’re working late.”
He looked exhausted—from the shadows beneath his eyes to the rumpled look of his usually starched shirt. “I can’t find anything in here.” He picked up a box of staples. “I was looking for those clamp things.”
“Sounds kinky.”
He gave her a tired smile.
She reached behind him for a box of black binder clips. “These?”
“Yes.” He took the box. “Thank you. Assistant interviews are killing me. Half the candidates list video games as their past experience and the other half are wildly overqualified. Finding the right person from those two piles is a challenge. No wonder Bran sings Addison’s praises all the time.”
“You’ll find the right one.” She fingered the red bow tie at his collar. “In the meantime, how lucky that I stumbled across you in a closet.”
“Role reversal of the Valentine’s gala.” Heat replaced the fatigue in his eyes. He wanted her. Just like that. Nice to know their physical attraction hadn’t dampened.
She kissed his frown and his lips softened against hers, the box of binder clips rattling as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. She raked her fingers into his hair, moaning when his tongue touched hers. She’d never tire of that move.
“How wrong is it to have sex in this closet?” she whispered.
His grin was slow, wicked. “Well, I am in charge now.”
“Mmm, don’t I know it.” She let her hands roam while he made out with her long and slow, his movements languid. She guessed he needed to shake off the long-and-turning-longer week, and so did she. No sense in wasting an opportunity to blow off some steam—and each other’s minds.
Suddenly, a light flipped on in the copy room, illuminating the shadowed pocket of the supply closet.
“Oh! Sorry, I...” Addison stood, papers in hand, obviously en route to the copy machine. “Oh. My God.”
But her Oh. My. God. sounded pleasantly surprised rather than accusatory. Taylor unwound her arms from Royce’s neck. His hands moved to her hips and he positioned himself behind her. The thick ridge of his erection nestled against her bottom. She would’ve smiled if she wasn’t concerned about Addison’s reaction.
If Addi didn’t know about Taylor and Royce, she did now. And if Brannon had any leftover doubts about them, one conversation with his assistant would erase them.
“I’ll take care of this later.” Addison sent them another glance before turning to leave the copy room.
“Addi, wait.” Taylor followed Addi to the doorway. There was a distance between them that Taylor didn’t like. It niggled at her that Bran’s assistant thought of Taylor as “the bad guy.” Taylor didn’t like being unliked by anyone.
“Yes?” Addison faced her.
“You’ve been upset with me lately. I might be speaking out of turn, but I feel like it has something to do with Brannon.”
Addison’s cheeks turned bold pink, but she didn’t confirm nor deny.
“I don’t know what you heard, but Bran never actually proposed to me. He and I decided we were better off friends. Mutually. That hug you saw—”
“Was none of my business. Honestly, Taylor, this is unnecessary.”
“You look at Brannon like...” The way I used to look at Royce. “Like you’re interested in more. Does he know how you feel about him?”
“I—I don’t understand what this is about. If it’s discretion you’re after, you can trust me not to say anything about you and Royce.”
“No, that’s not it. You and Bran—”
“Have a professional relationship, not a personal one.” Addison’s smile was plastic. “Who you kiss at work is none of my business. I’m just trying to do my job.”
Yowch.
Addison made it halfway down the corridor before Taylor decided to make one last ditch effort at peace between them.
“I think you and Bran would be good together!” she called out. “For what it’s worth.”
Addi stopped walking and turned her head slowly to the side. She looked half mortified, half nauseous, and then Taylor saw why.
Brannon entered the corridor slowly, his pained expression and Addison’s a matching set.
Taylor winced. The road to recovery for her and Addison was about to become even longer thanks to Taylor’s big mouth...and the fact that Brannon heard every word that came out of it.
