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What the…?
I looked at her finger in disgust and took a big step away from her. “No. What for? Don’t you know how to do your job?”
Was this why Laura was mad? She couldn’t possibly think that I was flirting with Sheila, could she?
Steven, you jackass! Of course, she could.
I never told Laura how much I adored her. Never told her that she was the only one for me and that no other woman even came close to her beauty.
Compared to Laura and her brilliant mind, every other chick in here was a neanderthal.
I had to do something. Get Sheila out of here. Get everyone out so I could somehow, without words, let her know I wasn’t interested in anyone but her.
There was only one way to clear a room. Everyone already thought I was an ass anyway. Couldn’t disappoint them now.
I banged my fist on the counter. “Enough of this foolishness. Everyone, BACK TO WORK. Just because it’s the holidays doesn’t mean I won’t fire anyone for slacking off. GET OUT!”
Chairs scraped the floors as a dozen people scrambled out of the break room. Sheila stormed out with them, while Andrew ignored me, as always. He climbed onto a table and began hanging mistletoe.
That guy had balls. He never flinched at my outbursts. I didn’t want to scare Laura, though. Never. I forced myself to relax and gave her a reassuring smile. And then I was gazing into her eyes.
I didn’t have to force anything anymore. Instant joy, as if her beauty was a shot of Demerol injected straight into my heart. My whole body relaxed.
She threw her head back and laughed. So full of glee. Total abandonment. Not an ounce of fear. No more anger. Jealousy gone.
Mon étoile.She sparkled with beauty.
Her happiness became my happiness. As if her bright light filled up every part of my being. Even the parts that had been so darkly miserable for years. I shivered as the cold shadows of my soul lit up like a Christmas tree.
Andrew’s phone rang. He jumped off the table, pushed it back against the wall, and answered his phone while waving goodbye to Laura. He walked out of the break room, leaving me and my intern alone with a mistletoe hanging over us.
Laura looked at the mistletoe, then at me. Her cheeks flushed pink.
“Have you eaten, Lau—Ms. Bloom?”
She shook her head, her curls bouncing off her flushed cheeks, making my fingers twitch with the desire to tousle them.
“I have a sandwich in the fridge.” She crossed the room and took a bag from the fridge. “I’ll eat at my desk since I used up my break time to help Andrew with the decorations.”
I wanted to tell her to take as much time as she wanted to eat, but I knew she wouldn’t want special treatment.
“Same. I have a lot of work to do.”
We both took a step toward the door. The cramped area didn’t have much space with all the tables, so I gestured for Laura to pass ahead of me. She took a step forward and before I could stop myself, my hand found its way to the small of her back to guide her through.
She froze and gasped.
I yanked my hand away. “I apologi—”
She spun around toward me and dropped the bag containing her sandwich, her eyes full of desperate hunger. The same hunger I felt in my core. She brought one hand up and rested her palm on my chest over my heart.
I nearly dropped my meal too, but I held on before my fingers slackened. I chucked the lunch onto the nearest table and grabbed her around the waist with one hand. My other hand ran through her curls, the softness caressing my fingers like a welcoming lover, finally turning my dreams into reality.
I leaned in. I didn’t care anymore. I needed to know what she tasted like.
The sound of heels clacking down the hallway broke me from the spell, and I jumped back until my butt hit the counter. Laura snatched her sandwich and ran out.
We spent the rest of the afternoon avoiding each other, and I tormented myself over my foolish behavior. I didn’t get to walk her home because she skipped out at 6 pm while I was in the bathroom for the third time that afternoon, taking care of business. I phoned down to security to make sure she had an escort to her car.
