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It was low, but I couldn’t help teasing her. She smacked me with the papers in her hand, and I laughed.
When I only had a few buttons left, Rosabel lowered the papers from her face to glare at me. The flush still brightened her cheeks.
I didn’t often see her blush. I’d have to embarrass her more often.
Her eyes were steel. Her chin had never lifted so high. And her breathing? Her chest inflated too quickly to be composed.
“Lock your door, next time,” she said with annoyance.
“You could always knock,” I muttered, turning my back to her to tuck my shirt into my slacks.
“Why didn’t I think of that? Here. You left this in the breakroom.”
She practically slammed the mug onto my desk, spilling more of its liquid. She placed the papers she’d been carrying alongside it and reached for a napkin to mop up the mess.
“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to leave as quickly as possible before…”
My amusement flared. “Before what?”
Without answering, she pivoted, yanked the door open, and stalked out, practically slamming it behind her.
The rumors about Rosabel and me hadn’t escaped me. In fact, I blamed those rumors for making me look at her differently than I had before. I wanted to follow her out, but doing so half-dressed was probably not the best idea.
Reaching for my tie, I roped it around my neck and began the process of tucking and rolling until it was knotted perfectly at my throat.
I knew exactly what I would find the minute I stepped into the rest of the office.
My other employees salivated for something juicy. For either Rosabel or me to confess what they all thought was going on, or better yet, to catch the two of us at it.
I couldn’t deny that the thought of kissing her crossed my mind more times than I could count. Just being in the same space with her heated my blood.
But Rosabel wasn’t just my assistant. She was agoodassistant. The best one I’d ever had. She was talented. Clever, witty, smart, quick, and efficient, and she smelled nice while she was at it.
I couldn’t mix business with pleasure. Even though Maddox, Hawk, and Adrian had given me all kinds of flak for my feelings for her since she’d started working for me, I couldn’t let her know. Not ever.
Ihadto keep my distance from her.
It was the whole reason I snapped at her on a regular basis. No one could believe anything was going on between us if she hated me.
It was another reason I hadn’t bought the house in Arkansas yet. Short of kidnapping her, I didn’t have a legitimate reason to take her that far away with only me.
Now, though…
I’d pushed her away because she’d been dating someone else. The guys had been dropping hints for months now, telling me I should go for it now that she was single again. I hadn’t wanted to because of The Pact, but what if getting her to date me was the way to get her to come with me?
If it meant keeping her safe, it was worth a shot.
I gave myself one more perusal in the mirror to ensure everything was tucked in and that my tie was straight, and the more I thought about it, the more my certainty grew.
I’d never considered myself a coward, but the truth was, I didn’t want to go home alone. There was something comforting about Rosabel. Something familiar and therefore grounding.
She made me feel capable. It wasn’t just that I wanted to date her. I wanted her there when I faced my family again.
I opened my office door and barked her name. “Rosabel.”
The cubicle gophers peeked their heads out as though I’d called one of them instead.
Soon enough, the door to her office beside mine opened, and there she was. She entered my office and closed the door.
