Page 16 of Come A Little Closer

My eyes widened. “Wow. That’s a long time.”

“Yeah, well, I was twenty-one and in college. I needed the money and they needed the help, so I signed up. They used to have ads all over campus, and I guess I just got sucked in from there.”

“So you’re a teacher now too?”

“Yep,” she said proudly, grinning as she accepted the wine I’d poured for her. “Monday through Friday, I’m all responsible and buttoned up, but then on the weekend, I get to come out here. I’m so jealous that you get to live here. It must be amazing.”

“It is, but I’m sure he’d have let you have it if you’d asked. I didn’t even know to ask, but when he found out I didn’t have a car, he offered it to me. He seems like a good guy that way.”

“He is, but I couldn’t live here. I’m jealous, but it’s just too far for me to commute to and from school every day. Plus, did he tell you that it’s haunted?”

“He practically guaranteed it,” I said, pumping my eyebrows at her. “Needless to say, my first couple nights were a little exciting, but I’m getting used to it now.”

She laughed. “Better you than me, girl. I love giving the tours and I adore all things Halloween, but I like my house to be a happy place. Even if it is just an apartment in the city. I’m not sure I’d ever sleep somewhere that’s rumored to be haunted.”

“I hear you,” I said. “I’m not easily freaked out, but I’ve had a moment or two in this place so far, and it’s only been a week.”

“If you’re not feeling safe, tell Niall,” she replied immediately, her brow furrowing. “I’m sure he’ll come up with something to make you feel more comfortable.”

“Would he?” I asked curiously, glad that she’d brought him up again. “I don’t know him that well yet, and it was already mighty kind of him to let me have this house. I’m not sure I could ask for more.”

“You could,” she said confidently, and an unexpected and completely irrational stab of jealousy shot through me. “One of the greatest things about working for the Morrison Group is Niall himself. I know he’s not super approachable, but he is a good boss. If you’re scared, tell him. He owns plenty of other properties. I’m sure he’d make a plan.”

“I’ll think about it,” I said. “I’m pretty happy here, though. It’s just been a moment here or there that I’ve doubted it was a good idea to move in after he told me it was for sure haunted.”

It had really only been that first night, when the man himself had shown up to guard me. It still did all kinds of things to my insides when I thought about having that man in my bed. The faint scent of his cologne had clung to my bedding until I’d regrettably had to wash it, and I definitely hadn’t minded having it there.

The guy was hot. He was my boss and, sure, he was a bit of an asshole, but he wasn’t bad enough to make him any less hot. In fact, the more I learned about him, the hotter he seemed to become. It was a problem.

Just not one I cared to do anything about. I was a girl, and one who found herself surrounded by not many people these days. Having that as eye candy a couple times a week wasn’t something I was about to complain about.

Plus, when he’d been in my bed, I might’ve cuddled up to him a bit. Enough to know that he had a very hard body under all those fancy suits. A body I wouldn’t have minded getting to explore just a little bit.

“Tallulah?” Sayra said, breaking me out of my increasingly sexy thoughts about our boss. “Are you okay?”

“Oh, I’m fine.” I took a sip of the cool white wine. “I guess I just got lost in thought for a minute there. What did I miss?”

She chuckled. “I asked how you were enjoying working for the Morrison Group so far? I heard you’re the new project manager.”

“For the festival, yes, but I’m hoping it goes well enough that it becomes permanent,” I said. “Any pointers on how to impress the boss?”

She tipped her head for a beat, her gaze slightly unfocused until she shrugged. “I know Niall to be honest, and fair, and kind. He’s a little prickly and a lot reclusive, but he’s always been polite to me. I think the best way to impress him is just to keep your head down and do the work. He respects that.”

“Right,” I said, mulling it over. “Is there anything else I should know about him? I’ve looked him up, obviously, but there doesn’t seem to be much online about who he is as a person.”

Moving her eyes back to mine, I saw the amusement as it sparked to life in them. She arched an eyebrow at me. “Who he is as a person? Why do you care? He’s just your boss, or do you have a little crush on everyone’s favorite billionaire?”

“I definitely don’t have a crush.” I did have the urge to lick him from head to toe, but that was it. Even so, heat spread on my cheeks and I started putting together our salads for dinner in the hopes that my hair would hide the flush.

Sayra chuckled. “I wouldn’t blame you if you’re crushing on him. I used to have a bit of a thing for him myself a few years ago, but then I met Andrew, my boyfriend, and I haven’t looked at another guy since.”

“Not even Niall?” I teased.

She laughed. “Not even him. Truth be told, I was already getting over it when I met Andrew.”

“Really? Why?” I asked, pretending to be interested only in her when really, I was dying to know more about him. “Did he do something to put you off?”

She gave me a knowing look, obviously smart enough to know I was dying for more information about him, but thankfully, she didn’t call me out on it. “It turns out that our beloved Mr. Morrison has a bit of a playboy streak. I’m not really into that. I never have been.”