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He was fully frowning at me, breaking the first rule. But he’d put me in such a good mood I decided not to call him on it.
“All the time. We call them hug breaks. We take five minutes out of our day and hug it out. I’m surprised you haven’t noticed us on the security cameras.”
Grunting, he pulled his hand back and swiped his mouth with his napkin. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Sure.”
His eyes narrowed. “Don’t hug my brother.”
“I’ll try not to.”
He grunted again. “You know how to piss me off, Elise.”
I giggled at how easily riled he still was. God, I’d missed this man. “It’s like old times.”
And just like old times, when Weston gave me the full force of his attention, something inside me blossomed, awakening a craving for more attention, more long looks, more Weston. Fortunately, I was older and wiser.
Developing a crush on this man was a loser’s game.
We weren’t the kids we’d been when he’d held me as we watched elephant documentaries during my father’s Shiva. We could never go back to that easy innocence or casual closeness, not because of Weston but because of me. My heart was attuned to adoring this man. If I let myself, I could easily slip back into pining over him.
So, we’d have this: occasional lunches, silly emails, nothing more.
The walk back to the office was quiet, and that was my fault too. I was busy firming up my boundaries in my mind as Weston snuck questioning glances at me.
In the lobby, I stopped near the company store. Weston turned to me, his forehead crinkled.
“I’m going to check out the shop before I go up. I need some Andes gear for my hike this weekend.” I jerked my thumb over my shoulder.
“All right. I’ll come with you.”
“That’s okay. I’ll be quicker on my own.”
He was openly scowling at me, but I supposed we were finished with lunch, so there was no longer any need for him to follow my rules.
“Okay…who are you going on this hike with? Not the lumberjack.”
“No, not the lumberjack.” I lifted a shoulder. “Probably Saoirse.”
“Not alone either, Elise.”
Sharp. He meant it.
I shook my head. “Not alone.”
Probably.
Maybe.
There would for sure be other people on the trails.
He studied me for a drawn-out moment. My cheeks heated. His gaze traced over my face, lingering on the hottest parts.
“All right. Thank you for joining me for lunch.” He stepped forward but didn’t reach out to touch me. Instead, he leaned in, putting his mouth near my ear. “I’m really fucking glad you’re back.”
I turned my head, and our cheeks brushed. We both went still. I sucked in a breath. He exhaled warm air onto my skin.
“Me too, Westie.”
