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“Yes, my father built it. It took me a while to feel I should legitimately be sitting at this desk.”
“Do you now?”
“Mostly. Though there are still days when I doubt myself.” Why was he telling her this? He didn’t discuss his insecurities with anyone. Next, he’d be blabbing about his anxiety issues.
Quickly he changed the subject. “Can I order you a tea? Your morning drink, right?”
A soft smile curved her full lips. “You remembered.”
Of course he remembered. He’d kept reliving everything about their first meeting. He felt a frisson of pleasure as her face lit up and deep dimples appeared in both cheeks. Sure, those heavy rimmed glasses made her look studious, but behind them her eyes were soft and large, her lips full and… the only word that came to mind was inviting. He found himself imagining kissing them, and his tail jerked.
Holy dragon’s balls! Do not think of her that way.
Ethan strode behind the desk, ostensibly to rearrange some papers, but to be honest it was to give his libido time to take a hike.
He couldn’t afford to stuff this up with misplaced lust.
Especially since everything about Min did not in any way encourage such feelings. She was modestly dressed, appeared to be wearing no make-up and her vibe was totally professional. Except… hadn’t he caught a spark of a fun sense of humor that first time they’d talked.
The unicorn PJs, remember?
No, don’t.
He found the notes his team had drawn up.
“Please, sit.” He indicated one of the chairs with a wave, staying firmly behind his desk. He needed more time to drag his body into line.
Min sank down and placed her purse neatly beside her. Finally, it felt safe to stride around the desk. Seating himself opposite her on one of the leather couches, he casually crossed his legs. “Firstly, I want to say I am honored that you’ve accepted my proposal,” Understatement. He’d had this weird desire to fly in circles and whoop. “And I wanted to meet this morning to work out the terms of the arrangement in more detail, just the two of us.” He passed her a copy of the paperwork.
“Of course. Yes.”
“I trust you haven’t spoken about this to anyone.”
“Absolutely not. I understand the importance of this appearing… real between us.”
“Great. Fantastic.” He heard himself laugh, a little too heartily. Where was all this effusive nonsense coming from? He was, for the most part, almost taciturn. Ask his team. But with Min he felt like he wanted to smile, laugh, banter even. He cleared his throat.
“I also wanted to clarify the payment terms: a down payment now, a payment halfway through, and the final payment at the end of your contract.”
She frowned as she glanced at the paperwork. “It looks like you’ve added more to the original sum cited?”
“A bonus, yes, if this leads to a successful outcome for Blade Wing Air. Which it will, of course.”
“That’s very generous, particularly on top of what you’ve already offered.”
He met her gaze steadily. “This needs to work, Min, for both parties.”
“I agree.”
“And since you will be uprooting your life to live with me for the duration?—”
“Sorry, what?” She blinked at him from behind her glasses.
Dismay pleated his browbone. “Didn’t you receive an email about that from Ebony?”
“Ebony? Who’s Ebony? No—I—don’t think so.”
“Ebony is my publicist.”
