8. Paige
PAIGE
T he problem with kissing your boss is how hard it is to shove the attraction you feel for them back into the deepest corner of your mind after spending two years trying to ignore it.
Ever since Garrett kissed me last night, it’s been nearly impossible to think about anything else.
“If that’s true, then why does this feel so fucking right?”
His words ring through my head for the hundredth time and I shiver in response. I couldn’t even respond. I stammered my way through an awkward exit and bailed back to the party. Even as I threw back the shot Eva handed me, all I could focus on was the lingering feel of his lips on mine. All night and morning long, memories of his fingers tangling into my hair and holding me still while he had his way with me keep popping up. It’s like some annoying ad that interrupts your screen, and no matter how many times you close the tabs, it just continues to pop back up.
Which is why I texted Lilly to meet me at the bar, thinking it would be the perfect distraction and would keep my mind off my boss. A plan that fails epically considering the second I walk through the propped open door, Lilly appears with an excited grin.
“Look who I ran into!” Lilly says, pointing with her thumb over her shoulder. “Garrett was gonna get food to-go and watch the game by himself, but I told him he should watch with us!”
Shit. There goes my plan of filling her in on the kiss that won’t leave my brain and having someone to analyze every possible thing about it with.
Plastering on my best smile, I loop my arms through Lilly’s. “Perfect. That means Gare-Bear here can buy us both those drinks he owes us.”
Garrett glares at the nickname, but I stick my tongue out at him.
“I wasn’t aware he owed us any, but hey, who am I to turn away free drinks?” Lilly laughs, pulling me along beside her toward the free table she must have grabbed earlier that has a perfect view of the TVs mounted around the bar. She moves her purse to the side and motions to where she wants me to sit.
Garrett laughs, leaning on the seat beside mine as he flashes Lilly a charming grin.
“From what I hear, you’re to thank for being her sounding board on why Paige will make the perfect partner. I think that owes you a lifetime of drinks.”
Lilly playfully smacks my arm. “I told you so. Even he says you’re perfect,” she says before beaming up at Garrett. “But really, all I did was provide the colorful pens.”
“Even so, you were her sounding board.” His stare burns into the side of my face, but all I can do is stare at the menu in front of me like it’s the most interesting thing in the entire world. “So what can I get you both to drink?”
“A peach margarita, please,” Lilly answers without hesitating and I nod, still avoiding his burning gaze.
“Same!” I squeak.
After a long pause, Garrett pushes away from the chair, turning on his heel to go to the bar and the sigh I’ve been holding escapes.
“Okay, what’s going on?” Lilly asks the second he’s out of earshot.
I shake my head, not wanting to risk him coming back. “Nothing. Everything’s fine.”
Lilly gives me a look that screams “seriously?” making me roll my eyes.
“If it was truly nothing, then why are your cheeks currently turning the color of a tomato?” she asks smugly and I curse my damn face for basically broadcasting how I’m feeling.
Glancing over my shoulder, I double-check that Garrett is still at the bar before turning back to Lilly and lowering my voice.
“We kissed last night.”
“What!?” she shouts, her hands slapping the table as she gapes at me.
“Shh! Keep it down, will you!”
“Sorry!” she squeals, her eyes bouncing between me and the bar.
“Don’t look at him! You’ll make it obvious what we’re talking about!”
“I have so many questions!” Lilly narrows her eyes at me. “This is where a heads-up text would have been helpful! If I had known this was supposed to be a juicy update kind of night, I wouldn’t have invited him to stay.”
“Well, forgive me for being a little frazzled. Believe it or not, I was trying not to think about him.”
Lilly wiggles her eyebrows and giggles. “Frazzled, huh? The kiss was so good that it short-circuited your brain?”
I open my mouth to sass her, but Garrett interrupts me.
“Two margaritas,” he says before quickly disappearing again, and I watch over my shoulder as he heads back to the bar for his drink.
“Isn’t there a song about what happens after two margaritas?” Lilly teases.
“Hush you,” I choke, reaching for my drink and fighting the urge to hum the damn song. “Drink your one marg and do not mention the kiss while he is here.”
She groans. “Fine. But don’t you dare think you’re off the hook from spilling all the details.”
“Didn’t think so,” I grumble just as Garrett returns.
“Are you crashing at my place, Paige?” Lilly asks a few hours later. The game ended a while ago, the Bobcats winning seven to three. Based on the way my friend keeps grinning down at her phone, Dominik is probably on his way home now. Since he not only lives in the condo building next door just like Lilly, but also lives right across the hall from her, I have no doubt that he has plans to “celebrate” with her.
“No, you are free to congratulate your boyfriend without scaring my precious ears.”
“Oh, thank God. Neither of us is good at keeping quiet.”
Garrett chokes on his water, a blush staining his cheeks as he tries to catch his breath.
“Sorry.” Lilly laughs, looking down at her phone when it lights up. Her knee bounces wildly and I shake my head.
“Get out of here. Tell Dom we said nice game.”
She doesn’t wait to be told twice, jumping from her seat and scurrying around the table to give me a hug.
“Thanks for the drink, Gare!” Lilly calls out before rushing for the door.
“I’m glad they have each other,” Garrett comments as we watch her leave.
“Yeah, she deserves someone like him.”
Silence falls and for the first time since I got here. The tension between us builds until it’s practically stifling.
“How are you feeling about going to New York next week?” Garrett asks and I huff, running a hand through my hair.
“Excited but also nervous and honestly a little scared,” I admit.
“Understandable. This will be my fifth business venture and I still feel nervously excited.” A small smile tugs at his lips, making the dimple on his cheek poke out. “Leo is looking forward to finally meeting you.”
“The feeling is mutual. He sounds like he’s a good guy.”
Over the past few weeks of waiting for the sale to be finalized and getting things ready on our end for the new company, I’ve had quite a few conversations with Garrett’s friend Leo Henderson. While I haven’t met him in person, over the phone he gives the impression that he’s one of those guys who will get along with anyone. He’s a natural people person, even over video chat.
“Yeah, Leo’s one of the best guys I know,” Garrett says wistfully, a far-off look glazing over his eyes as he leans back in his seat and crosses his arms over his chest. My eyes drop to his bulging biceps and no matter how hard I resist, I can’t help but admire with envy the way his black shirt clings to the muscles. The traitorous organ in my chest skips a beat, knowing all too well now what it feels like to be held in those arms.
And now I’m thinking about kissing him again.
“I should get going,” I state abruptly.
“Do you need a ride home?” Garrett asks, his brows pulling together in concern.
I shake my head. “It’s only a ten-minute walk back to my place.”
He shifts in his seat and clears his throat. “It’s after ten o’clock. I don’t mind giving you a ride.”
My eyes widen and I mumble a curse while tapping my phone screen. “I didn’t even realize how late it was.”
Garrett stands, pulling his keys from his pocket as he tilts his head toward the door.
“Come on. I pass your place anyway on my way home.”
Considering how much time I’ve spent today trying not to think about him, logically, I know that getting into a car with Garrett is the opposite of helpful. Yet, ever the masochist, I nod and follow after him.
Neither of us speaks while we head out and walk side by side to his car parked across the street.
“What are you doing?” I ask when he follows me to the passenger side.
“This,” he states while reaching for the door handle and opening it for me. I stand frozen for a second, trying to think of the last time anyone did something so simple for me. None of the guys I have dated would have even thought about doing such a simple thing, not that I’m dating Garrett. He’s just being polite.
Although the way he kissed me was anything but casual politeness.
No, if anything, the simple act should just serve as a reminder for how low my bar is when it comes to men. I look up at him, finding him already watching me, and realize he’s waiting for me to get in the car.
“Sorry,” I murmur and quickly get in.
He shuts the door behind me and rounds the hood. The intoxicating, spicy scent of his cologne wraps around me, nearly drawing a moan from my throat. Reaching for the seat belt, I distract myself with getting buckled while Garrett settles in behind the wheel.
My mouth goes dry when he puts a hand on the back of my seat and twists toward me while he looks over his shoulder to help him back the car out. He has absolutely no right to look as hot as he does when simply driving his car. I bite my bottom lip and turn toward the window, not wanting him to see just how affected I am.
“So,” he says, startling me after driving for a couple minutes. “Are we going to talk about last night or continue to act like it never happened?”
“Um, we can,” I say dumbly. My face heats and all I can do is stare out the windshield.
Garrett clears his throat. From my peripheral, I watch as he shifts in his seat. “If I made you feel uncomfortable or made you feel forced to?—”
“You didn’t force me to do anything I didn’t want to,” I interrupt, twisting to face him fully now. “It was…” The best kiss I’ve ever had.
Garrett glances at me quickly with a frown before focusing back on the road.
“With the way you left, I thought I might have overstepped.”
I reach out to place a reassuring hand on his arm. “It wasn’t that. The kiss was perfect. I only left because I know if I stayed, I would have—” I slam my mouth shut, not letting the words out of just how far I would have gone. Embarrassment courses through my veins as I snatch my hand back.
He pulls up in front of my building, swiftly parks the car, unbuckles his seat belt, and turns to face me.
“You would have what?”
I shake my head, glancing out the window. “Nothing. That’s not the point. You didn’t force me to kiss you or make me uncomfortable.”
Well, that’s kind of a lie. He did make me uncomfortable but only in the sense that because of one kiss, I was up all night imagining what it would be like to feel his lips on other parts of my body. Even a date with my trusty vibrator didn’t fully ease the ache caused by the way I crave him.
Movement from the corner of my eye makes me turn back, and I look just as he’s extending a hand across the center console to place on top of mine. A comfortable warmth spreads across my skin at his touch. He leans in, and like a moth to the flame, so do I. The air between us crackles as we both pause inches apart.
Garrett reaches up, gently sweeping a stray hair from my face. My skin tingles at his touch as he traces down my jaw.
“Do you want to do it again?”
“We can’t,” I say softly, choosing not to answer his question with a yes or no, even though every single piece of me is screaming ‘yes.’ “You’re my boss.”
He shrugs with a smirk, moving even closer. “Technically, I’m your peer.”
“Technically, none of the paperwork has been signed yet.”
“Semantics.” His lips ghost over mine as he whispers, sending a shiver down my spine, but I don’t back away. “Tell me you feel this. That what’s happening between us isn’t just one-sided.”
“It’s not,” I admit. Going against every wish and desire, I back away. “But that doesn’t change the fact that this can’t happen.” I unbuckle my seat belt and reach for the handle but pause.
There’s no denying that he’s clearly attracted to me and that the feeling is mutual. But between the promotion and the kiss, the part of me that thinks I’m not good enough creeps in.
“Is this why you picked me for the job?” I ask, my heart thundering in my chest while I watch him over my shoulder.
“No,” he states, and the seriousness in his expression tells me he’s being honest. “My feelings for you are completely separate from my decision to pick you as a partner. That’s why Leo is so heavily involved—to keep me unbiased in my business decisions.”
My lips part and my eyes widen as I watch Garrett’s pleading expression.
“Your…feelings for me?” I murmur, unsure if I actually want to hear the confirmation.
He nods, a lopsided grin stretching across his face. “Yes.”
“I…I didn’t…I mean, I’ve always…” The words stammer out of my mouth, but none of them stick. Garrett’s hand that’s still on top of mine squeezes gently as he smiles reassuringly.
“I know what I feel for you, and it’s okay that you’re not there yet. You can take all the time you need. I’m not going anywhere. You’ll find that I’m a patient man, I know we’re inevitable. So until you tell me no, I’ll be here, showing you that you can let me in. As a business partner, as a friend, and with every fiber of my being, I hope as so much more. I just want you, Paige.”