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“Hello.” He nods with a mischievously grin that makes my panties feel damp.
“Yeah, hi,” Steph says with a laugh. She’s eyeballing us with suspicion.
I clear my throat, composing myself.
Come on, Ivy. He’s just a dude. Get it together.
Or Mom won’t hire him.
The thought is very real. I’m still plagued by my current scandal, and America isn’t loving the kitten act any more than I am. Things can only be professional between me and Harris…but that doesn’t mean I don’t want him to get the job.
“Please have a seat, Mr. Blankenship. I promised you the job, and it’s yours, but my team needs just a few more things.” My voice sounds weird. As if it belongs to someone else. To my utter shock, he notices. His brows knit together in displeasure, and I regret it instantly. If things were different, I’d hop onto his big lap and let our imaginations go buck wild. As it is, that’s the last thing my reputation can handle. Plus, Harris seems like the kind of guy who would rather settle down with someone closer to his age. Like Luna. The thought of my sister anywhere near Harris sends a jolt of protectiveness over me. I’m surprised by it.
Stephanie takes over the interview questions while I reel. I’m so torn. I can’t help my mounting feeling for this man, yet I can’t offer him anything. The thought of retiring filters through my mind again, but it’s gone as soon as it comes.
Mostly, because I’ve been captured in the most intense dark blue gaze.
Harris drinks me in as if he’s been thirsty for me for the last month.
“Yes, ma’am,” he answers a question I didn’t hear.
Then tension between us is building, and it’s stealing my breath. I can’t believe he’s here. I never thought or hoped to see him again, yet here he is. Staring at me as if to memorize every detail of my face.
“Okay, then, just fill these out, and Gary will get you an itinerary, your schedule, pay and benefits.”
Damn, if the realization you’re paying the guy isn’t a cold bucket of water…
On him, too. I see the lust fall from his eyes as he blinks out of our moment.
A stern expression blankets his face, replacing all the emotion from earlier. His blue eyes close off, and instead of the deep ocean I used to see, now it’s an ice-cold wall.
I realize two things as he nods goodbye and leaves without another word.
One, I can completely trust Harris Blankenship with my life.
Two, my heart already hurts from being unable to have him, but there’s no way it would survive a relationship with him.
All chances seem so far from possibility to think about. Instead, I return to my room and change my clothes. Luckily, Stephanie doesn’t follow.
The single tear that falls is embarrassing. I don’t even know him.
And I won’t. Even though, he’ll be close, we’ll never be any closer.
CHAPTERFIVE
One year later
Harris
“We love you, Ivy!” The crowd seems to all cheer in unison for the beauty singing her heart out.
Though I usually don’t wander far from Ivy, the constant object of my affection, I’m officially at the end of my rope.
I’m a man starved. For the last year, she’s been cold and strictly professional whenever we speak. I fucking hate it. You’d think she forgot all about the intense chemistry we had the night we met.
As per usual, I bury my frustration and just watch her.
The small venue in Salem, Massachusetts is intimate, and Ivy is taking full advantage. She’s pulled a fan onstage. The girl with brown hair and bell bottoms is singing with her now. It’s adorable, and the crowd goes wild for it.
