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He flashed me a grin that I was sure had many women dropping their panties for him. “That’s fine, beautiful.” My cheeks burned even redder, my blush creeping up my cheeks. “I don’t mind catching you.”
My heart skipped a beat in my chest.
Was he always so fucking smooth?
I turned away from him–making sure to be more careful this time so I wouldn’t slip and bust my face–and turned to sit on one of the couches in the room.
Christian took a seat beside me and reclined back, looking completely at ease–and fucking sexy as hell in a charcoal gray suit that fit him perfectly, as if he’d had it tailored specifically to his body.
I looked down at my phone so I could stop ogling him. “I’m graduating at the end of this semester,” he informed me, breaking our silence. I looked back up at his handsome face. There was a light, five-o’clock shadow on his jawline, making him look a tiny bit more rugged. He looked over at me. “Your brother is offering me a position in the office. This will probably be my office.” He waved his hand around. “I always preferred this room.”
I smiled at him. Gaining a position in my brother’s office, that was huge. People were always trying to gain a position here, but my brother always turned them down. Whenever I used to ask him why, his answer was always ‘they just don’t feel right to me.’
Axel saw something in Christian that he didn’t see in other applicants.
Maybe Christian really was a good guy after all.
But it didn’t make me any less afraid of the feelings he evoked in me.
“That’s great,” I told him. “And I really mean that.” He smiled at me, but it wasn’t a cocky smile. It was warm, and it made me all tingly inside. “My brother–he’s never hired anyone else in this office. It’s always been him. People have applied, but he always said they didn’t feel right to him. So, you really made an impression on him. That’s hard to do.”
“I’d like to make an impression on his sister, too,” he smoothly slipped in, his eyes completely serious, all teasing gone. My breath hitched in my throat, and I tightened my grip on my phone. “There’s something about you, Ally–something about you that fucking calls to me.” His eyes met mine. “And I want to see these eyes shine–constantly.”
“Be the moon,” I whispered before I could stop myself, my cheeks burning red right after.
Way to show him you’ve been thinking about him, Ally.
But he didn’t smirk. There was still no teasing in his eyes as he stared at me.
“I know you try to hide it, Ally.” I swallowed thickly, my hands trembling. Things had suddenly gotten serious–a little too serious for my liking. “And you hide it well from many people, but I see how much you’re hurting.” Tears burned at the back of my eyes. How did he see it so easily? “I see all of the pain that you’re trying to hide from the rest of the world because you feel like it makes you stronger to ignore it.”
My bottom lip trembled. If he didn’t stop, I was going to burst into tears and make a complete fool of myself.
“You deserve to glow, just like the moon,” he said softly, reaching out to cup my cheek. “I want to help you glow, beautiful. Your brother sees that I would be good for you. Why are you fighting it? I see you fighting it every time you look at me.”
A tear slid down my cheek. “I can’t,” I choked out. If I did, then I would be giving him the power to hurt me. And I had to protect myself at all costs.
He leaned forward, his thumb brushing over my cheekbone. I closed my eyes, trying to guard myself against the tenderness in his eyes. It didn’t take much to undo me. I was so desperate to have the kind of deep love that I saw Meghan receive every day, and yet, I was still so terrified to have it.
“Open those eyes, beautiful.”
I shook my head, wishing my brother would walk in and break this moment. I was powerless against Christian and his sweet words already.
“Open them,” he coaxed. “Come on, beautiful.”
I slowly opened my eyes, locking them on his impossibly darker ones. They drew me in, holding me captive. “Don’t give power to whoever hurt you, Ally.” I fought the sob that wanted to rip from my throat. “You’re denying yourself of all the beautiful things in life all because you’re afraid to be hurt again.”
I shook my head at him, but he gently gripped my chin, stopping me. “Don’t fight me on this,” he begged me. “God, I want you, Ally. I’ve never been drawn to anyone the way I am to you. We can take this as slow as you want, but I want to see you glow. That one time you smiled at me–fuck, you ripped the breath from my lungs and took it as your own.”
