AllFreeNovel
Share Us
We go into the dining room, still chatting and laughing, and sit down to an absolutely delicious meal. It’s seriously amazing. Brock’s Mom is a talented cook and she beams with pride when I tell her so.
The conversation and the wine flows, and I feel . . . at home. Like I belong here.
I can’t remember the last time I felt so at ease, what with work, Pete making my life hell, everything. Here, I can just sit back and be myself, without a care in the world.
Well, mostly myself. I’m still pretending to be engaged to my boss, after all.
Brock and I are sitting outside on the dock by the lake, water lapping and crickets chirping in the background, stars overhead shining bright on the background of dark, velvet sky.
“It’s paradise,” I sigh, my feet dangling in the cool water. “Can we stay here forever?”
Brock’s laying back, staring at the stars. “I’ll bring you back here whenever you like. It’s a special place.”
We sit in companionable silence for a little while, just enjoying the sounds of the night, when Brock’s mom pokes her head out the door and calls to us.
“We’re turning in for the night,” she says. “There are fresh sheets and blankets on your bed. Good night, sleep tight!”
And then she’s gone, closing the door behind her.
I come to a sudden realization . . . she said bed—as in, singular. So . . . Brock and I are sharing a bedroom.
I mean, of course—they think we’re engaged. Judging by how Brock’s been acting, though, I’m sure he’ll be the perfect gentleman and offer to sleep on a couch or something.
Still, the thought sends a little quiver of excitement through me.
Brock
Nina tenses up beside me as my Mom mentions the sleeping arrangements. I sit for a while, wondering what to do. Should I offer to sleep on the couch, to make things less awkward?
The last thing I want to do now is scare her away after I’ve made this much progress getting her to relax and feel comfortable around me again.
“You want me to sleep on the couch?” I ask, breaking the silence. “I can simply tell my mom and dad that we had a little fight or something. They won’t suspect anything.”
Nina doesn’t answer for a little while, and I’m just about to ask again when she turns to me and scoots closer along the dock.
“No, it’s okay, you don’t need to do that,” she says softly.
My heart beats a little faster in my chest at her words. “Are you sure? Because it’s no big deal, really. All you need to do is tell me, and I’ll understand.”
Another pause but much shorter this time. “I’m sure.”
“Okay . . . I’m not going to say no to that.”
She blushes, and I can just about make it out in the moonlight. My breath catches in my throat as I realize that she wants the same thing I do.
I lean into her and pull her into a kiss, pressing my lips against hers. She responds to me, kissing me back and wrapping her arms around my neck, running her fingers through my hair.
I pull away and stare into her eyes, my hands on her silky hair. “I’ve been wanting to do that all week. God, you don’t know how bad.”
“Me too,” she whispers. “I’ve been trying to tell myself that I didn’t . . . but it’s a lie.”
“I can’t stop thinking about what happened between us in the hotel.”
“I have been too,” she says. “I’m sorry I kicked you out like that.”
“You didn’t really have a headache?” I ask in a teasing tone, cocking an eyebrow.
Nina smiles. “No. I just . . . I don’t know. I got scared.”
“Don’t apologize,” I say. “We were both drunk. I wouldn’t want you to do anything you regret.”
“So, that night . . . I . . .” she trails off, biting her bottom lip. Obviously, she’s conflicted. And all I want to do is kiss her again. Take those lips and nibble on them myself.
“You don’t have to explain,” I say.
“No, I do.” She takes a deep breath. “I . . . It was a business trip, right?”
“Yeah.”
“And we were supposed to be there on business. As colleagues.”
“Yeah.”
“It just felt like . . . You were my boss you know? And I was your assistant. And it just felt wrong. Sleazy. Cheap.”
I stroke her hair, desperate to make her feel better. “You know that’s not how I think about you, right? You’re not just my assistant. I don’t want you to feel like I’m taking advantage of you because you work for me.”
Nina nods and gives me a small smile.
“If you feel like I’m taking advantage of my position, let me know, and I’ll back off. I promise you it won’t affect your job or anything. This is not . . . about that.”
