Chapter 3
EMBER
I collapsed into the worn chair behind my desk and kicked off my heels, letting them clatter on the floor.
My feet throbbed from the cobblestones at the festival, and I could still feel the phantom pressure of that ridiculous crown digging into my temples.
Compared to Dr. Bradley's lush corner office, mine felt like not much more than a broom closet, but I absorbed its privacy fully and relished being alone for the first time all day.
I dropped my bag under the desk and scrolled through the messages on my phone I'd been ignoring all afternoon.
Life never stopped moving for me just because I came to work.
I had to check in with the landlord who wanted an update about my three-month lease and whether I'd be extending it, and I had a dentist appointment to get a molar checked out.
And Amelia, my best friend from back home, had sent three messages about various things.
Hers was the first message I responded to.
Ember: 4:47 PM: Sorry. Long day. I'm alive.
The response came within seconds.
Amelia: 4:47 PM: FINALLY. I've been losing my mind. What happened? You said you had some award thing?
I stared at the screen with my thumbs hovering over the keyboard.
Where did I even start?
It wasn't like I'd ever hide anything from my best friend, but it was all so fresh, I didn't know what to think.
But if anyone could help me think this through, it was her.
Ember: 4:48 PM: I kissed my boss.
I hit send before I could second-guess myself, then immediately regretted it.
My office door was closed, but I could hear voices in the hallway—someone laughing, a phone ringing in the distance.
They reminded me what a stupid game I was playing even entertaining the idea of Dr. Bradley's lips on mine again.
My phone buzzed with her response.
Amelia: 4:48 PM: Shut up! I need details. What do you mean you kissed your boss???
I sank back into my chair and spun in a slow circle, staring up at the ceiling tiles.
How was I supposed to explain this?
I barely understood it myself.
Ember: 4:49 PM: Festival thing. Tradition. They made us kiss on stage in front of everyone.
I set the phone on my desk and pulled open the bottom drawer where I kept a bag of pretzels and a bottle of water.
My lunch break had been nonexistent, and my stomach growled in protest.
I ripped open the bag and ate three pretzels in quick succession while waiting for Amelia's response.
Amelia: 4:49 PM: Made you? Like forced you?
Ember: 4:50 PM: No, not like that. It was part of the ceremony. Lightkeeper and Hearthkeeper have to kiss under mistletoe. It's tradition.
I ate another pretzel and took a long drink of water.
My hands were still shaking slightly, and I couldn't believe she hadn't brought up the cameras.
She, of all people, knew how averse I was to media, especially press.
Amelia: 4:50 PM: So you kissed him because of tradition.
Ember: 4:51 PM: Yes.
Amelia: 4:51 PM: And?
I groaned and dropped my phone onto the desk.
Of course she would ask that. I stood, unable to sit still, and walked to the window.
There was a couple in the parking lot standing near an older model SUV.
They smiled and embraced and I thought about how marvelously plain their life was.
Other than my goals for my career, that's what I wanted.
To be boring and happy and have a good, private life.
When I finally got the nerve to respond to her, I had to be truthful.
Kissing Dr. Bradley was about as far from my hope of a private life as possible, but I liked it.
Ember: 4:52 PM: And it was really good.
I cringed as soon as I sent it.
There was no taking it back now.
I crossed my arms and leaned against the windowsill, but I already knew her reaction.
She would lecture me about how I was dumb or tell me he was way too old.
It was the way of things most times.
Amelia: 4:52 PM: EMBER
Ember: 4:53 PM: I know! I know it's bad. He's my boss. I've worked for him for THREE DAYS.
I walked back to my desk and sat on the edge of it.
The pretzel bag rustled as I grabbed another handful.
Stress eating—perfect.
This was exactly how I'd spent the weeks after San Diego—holed up in my apartment, eating junk food, and trying to convince myself not to get on the first plane away from there forever.
I gained several pounds in that ordeal.
Amelia: 4:53 PM: Is he hot?
For a second I stared at the screen unbelieving.
She wasn't lecturing me at all.
Her question made me snicker.
This was the other side of my best friend, the busy, boy-chasing side that always pushed me to find "Mr. Right."
Ember: 4:54 PM: Yes. Very.
Amelia: 4:54 PM: How hot are we talking? Scale of 1 to 10.
God, I had to think about that for a moment.
Dr. Bradley's broad shoulders in that dress shirt, the way his silver hair was coiffed perfectly.
For a man pushing fifty, he was sexy as hell. Didn't look a day past forty as far as his skin and complexion, and those icy blue eyes held a smolder that would put Sean Connery to shame in his later days.
Ember: 4:55 PM: Fine. Nine. Maybe nine and a half.
I finished the last of the pretzels and crumpled the bag, tossing it into the small trash can beside my desk.
It missed, bouncing off the rim and onto the floor.
I grumbled and left it there.
Amelia: 4:55 PM: GIRL. Go for it.
I read the message twice, certain I'd misunderstood. Then I typed back frantically.
Ember: 4:56 PM: What? No. Absolutely not. He's my BOSS.
I stood and paced the length of my office, all six feet of it.
She was insane.
No way I could ever do that and live with myself.
Amelia: 4:56 PM: So quit.
Ember: 4:57 PM: I can't quit! I just started. And I need this job.
Amelia: 4:57 PM: Then keep the job and sleep with him anyway.
Ember: 4:58 PM: AMELIA.
I wanted to argue with her because I knew in my gut it was the right thing, but the stupid grin on my face wouldn’t go away.
She was encouraging very bad things.
I was just starting over.
I couldn’t take that huge risk in a city so far from home.
Amelia: 4:58 PM: I'm serious! When was the last time you let yourself have fun? When was the last time you even looked at a guy?
I walked to the window and closed my eyes, letting my forehead rest against the glass.
She knew the answer.
We both did.
It'd been two years since I'd let anyone close enough to hurt me the way Brad had.
Amelia: 4:59 PM: Exactly. You've been hiding for two years. Maybe it's time to stop.
I stared at her message until my vision blurred.
Maybe she was right and I'd been playing it safe for so long that I'd forgotten what it felt like to take a risk.
And Dr. Bradley wouldn't risk anything that stupid, anyway. He had built an entire career.
Sleeping with his assistant would be a stain on that perfect reputation that had earned him the honor of Lightkeeper.
I walked to the small mirror I'd hung beside the filing cabinet.
My reflection stared back at me while my phone continued to buzz on my desk.
The truth was, this job probably wasn't going to last, anyway.
Dr. Bradley's schedule was so demanding, and I'd been barely keeping my head above water for three days.
What difference would it make if I crossed a line now?
It would mean rejection and a new job, but I did have two other interviews at different places. I never canceled them just in case this didn't pan out…
My mind was whirring with thoughts I should never think when the door to my office opened, and I spun around so fast, I nearly knocked the mirror off the wall.
Dr. Bradley stood in the doorway with one hand on the doorknob.
He'd loosened his tie since I'd last seen him, and his sleeves were still rolled to his elbows.
"Sorry to interrupt," he said. "Do you have a moment?"
I nodded, not trusting my voice because the instant I saw him, my pulse jumped again.
He stepped inside and closed the door behind him, and suddenly, my tiny office felt impossibly small.
It wasn’t homey anymore.
It was a closet again, one where we barely had room to stretch out our legs without touching each other.
He leaned against the edge of my desk with his arms crossed loosely and studied my face.
"I wanted to let you know that the festival committee needs me back tomorrow for a few vendor meet-and-greets and a photo opportunity with the local youth choir. As Hearthkeeper, you'll need to attend as well."
My stomach dropped. "Tomorrow?"
"I'm working on getting you out of the long-term obligations," he added quickly. "But the immediate events are harder to cancel without raising questions. I hope you understand."
"I understand," I mumbled, realizing how unprofessional it sounded. I walked back to my desk and sat down, needing the barrier between us.
He watched me moving and then lowered his hips to the side of my desk, bracing a hand on either side of himself. "Is there something wrong?"
"No. Nothing." I reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, then immediately regretted the nervous gesture.
His mouth curved into a faint smirk. "You're fidgeting."
"I'm not fidgeting."
"You are." The corner of his mouth lifted in amusement. "You touched your hair. Now you're touching your face. You do that when you're nervous."
I dropped my hand to my lap and glowered at him. "I'm fine, really."
"You're thinking about that kiss, aren't you?"
My breath caught. "I'm not."
"You are" he said, shifting.
The way he was sitting, right next to me on the edge of the desk, I got a whiff of his cologne and breathed him in.
The same intoxicating scent that made me swoon when he kissed me earlier. "I can't stop thinking about it either."
"Dr. Bradley, we shouldn't—"
"You're right," he interrupted. "We absolutely shouldn't. You're my assistant. I'm your employer. There are a dozen reasons this is inappropriate."
"Exactly." I sighed in relief, but his stare was so intense, it was very short-lived. "So we agree. We forget about the kiss and move on."
The way his eyes bounced around my face unnerved me.
First my whole face, then my eyes, then his gaze locked on my lips.