Chapter 32
thirty-two
fine and professional
R yan was a ball of nervous energy Thursday morning. He couldn’t get their kiss out of his head, and he’d spent the past two nights imagining her lips on other parts of his body. Desire simmered under his skin and sidetracked his brain at the most inopportune moments.
The day was quiet, leaving Ryan to his own devices a little more than was good at the moment.
Without the constant stream of phone calls, meetings, and other nonsense, his mind kept drifting to that kiss.
Her lips had been soft and hot, and she’d tasted of coffee and powdered sugar.
And the way her breasts had pressed into his chest?—
He adjusted himself surreptitiously under his desk.
He had to stop thinking about her. Ryan checked the clock on the desk.
Close enough to lunchtime, thank fuck. He called over to the marketing department, and they sent someone to watch the phones while he ate and tried to push Elissa out of his head until he finally got to see her in person again.
Unfortunately, Trin was in the break room. Since she’d discovered Elissa with him in the file room, he’d been avoiding her, but it was a challenge. Lunch out Tuesday, took his sandwich to the park yesterday, kept trying to find things to do whenever he spotted her out of the corner of his eye.
Her eyes glinted and a mischievous grin spread over her face. “Ryan kissed a girl and he liked it.”
Dammit, he thought he’d gotten away with it. But Trinity was smart, and it wasn’t like he and Elissa had been terribly subtle. He was grateful they were the only two in the break room. His cousin would’ve said the same whether or not they’d been alone.
“Shut up.” He grabbed his lunch out of the fridge and popped the leftovers Iz had brought from Nopalitos in the microwave.
Trin sidled up next to him and whispered, “Should I inform HR you’re sexually harassing an outside contractor?”
“Don’t fucking joke about it! Dad would have my head.”
“I was kidding the other day, but now I’m dead serious. You shouldn’t be kissing women in the file room, Ryan,” she said, all teasing gone. “You’re smarter than that.”
This, this was what he needed to hear to pry any thoughts of kissing Elissa again from his head. Ryan rubbed his hand down his face and collapsed into a chair.
“I know. I didn’t plan to. As much as you all have me pegged as irresponsible and immature, I know better than to kiss someone who doesn’t want me to. And I didn’t, but that’s no excuse.”
God, he’d nearly lost all reason as soon as their lips met. He would never admit it to Trinity, but if she hadn’t opened the door, he wasn’t sure how far they would have carried it. Elissa Wright lit a fire in him that was nearly impossible to extinguish.
“Don’t let it happen again, Ry. And don’t let any of the bosses find out. Mom would have your balls, and Uncle Sandro would have your head.”
If he was lucky, Aunt Annetta and his dad would make it quick. If he was unlucky, they’d draw out the torture.
He pasted a brash smile on. “When was the last time they found out about something I didn’t want them to?”
She shrugged and stole a bite off his plate. He resisted the temptation to stab her with the fork.
“When I was out too late at junior prom. I promise, no more filing with the hot accountant.” Ryan held up his right hand like he was swearing on a bible.
“You better not. Your father prides himself on the treatment of women here. It’s one of the reasons I enjoy working for him.”
She stole another bite and left him to his thoughts.
Slouched in the chair, Ryan closed his eyes.
What had he been thinking? He knew the answer.
He hadn’t been. As usual, he’d been reacting, letting the circumstances dictate his actions.
Even though Elissa had started it, he still shouldn’t have kissed her.
Not here. It was unprofessional, it could be misinterpreted, and he was better than that.
Except when it came to her, he wasn’t. He didn’t care if it was unprofessional or misinterpreted.
Nothing was better than kissing Elissa. A part of him insisted he call off their library date.
The other part gave that voice an ass-kicking, tied it up with duct tape, and shoved it into a deep, dark hole. He was fucked.
He’d spent most of his adult life avoiding long-term relationships.
The few he’d tried had ended poorly, usually because the woman had only wanted him for his money and connections.
Since his last significant other had spent a family vacation flirting with Alex, he’d sworn off serious girlfriends.
He dated sporadically and enjoyed short-term flings, mostly with women who had no idea who his family was.
He kept it that way, which had a tendency to end the relationship.
It wasn’t that he didn’t wish to introduce his flings to his family.
It was that they’d dump him for greener pastures as soon as he did.
But now, he faced a woman who not only knew who his family was but exactly how much they were worth and didn’t seem to give a rat’s ass. He couldn’t get her out of his head. More than that, he almost didn’t care if she tried to use him for his money.
Ryan ate the rest of his lunch without tasting anything. A pity, the food at Nopalitos was usually exceptional, but he might as well have been eating sawdust. He guzzled down a soda for an afternoon caffeine burst and returned to his desk to plug away at paperwork.
Between his cousin’s words and his memory of Elissa’s kiss, his attention was shot. He’d barely managed not to fuck up a simple greeting on the phone every damn time it had rung. As 4:30 approached, he became antsier, bouncing his leg, tapping his fingers, and swiveling his chair.
The minute Trinity approached to take over the late shift, he was out of there with barely a wave. He grabbed his helmet and rushed through traffic. He shouldn’t be so nervous.
It wasn’t even a real date. They were going to work on his business plan. In the library. There was no place he’d be able to kiss her since even the private rooms had glass walls. Everything would be just fine. Fine and professional. He could do this.
The branch they’d chosen was a bit of a ride for him, but he made it by five after five. Cars were leaving like rats from a ship. Ryan parked and walked to the doors.
Shit.
He’d misread which days they were open late.
Wednesday, not Thursday. Exhausted, he dropped on the bench and pulled out his phone to text Elissa.
Maybe she hadn’t left work yet and he could save her the trip.
This was for the best, at least until they had a conversation about what was and wasn’t professional.
Ryan shot off the text and waited for her reply. He didn’t wait long. A couple of minutes later, her car pulled into the parking lot. He walked toward it as she parked. She rolled down her window and killed the engine.
“Hi, Elissa.”
“Hey, you texted. What’s up?”
“I got the days wrong. They closed at five today. It seems I keep owing you apologies.”
She waved it away, a forgiving smile on her face. Would she forgive him if he kissed her again, right here, right now?
Professional, asshole .
“Um, we could go to a different library. Or a restaurant.” She tapped her fingers on the steering wheel.
Or my place . He quashed the idea before the words could escape into the real world.
His place would be a horrible idea. Iz had a late shift tonight at the steakhouse, covering for the manager who had a family emergency.
Ryan didn’t need the temptation. She wanted to keep their relationship professional, and he would oblige.
“There’s a couple of restaurants in the strip mall down the street,” Ryan suggested.
Elissa’s face hid whatever she was thinking, a blank canvas behind which he could only guess what was going on, but he could’ve sworn her cheeks were a bit pinker than they had been a moment ago.
She took a deep breath and strung her words together so quickly it took his brain a moment to decipher what she said.
“I don’t live far. We could go to my apartment.”
He stood there like a dumbass for a moment longer than he should have.
“I’m sorry, forget it.” Elissa ducked her head and bit her lip. “That’s a terrible idea, isn’t it?”
“No! No, it’s a great idea.” Maybe she was offering because she had a roommate. God, he hoped she did. Wait, no, he hoped she didn’t. Elissa had him as spun out as a load of laundry. “Give me your address, and I’ll grab some takeout on the way over.”
Ryan didn’t know how strong his grip on his phone was until she tried to take it from his hands. He made himself let go. After she put in her address, she handed it back. Her cheeks were red now. Perhaps she didn’t want to keep it professional after all.
“I’ll see you soon.” She started her car, and Ryan realized he’d forgotten an important question.
“I forgot to ask,” he said before she could roll up the window. “What do you want?”
She smiled, a beautiful smile that showed her dimple and made her eyes sparkle in the evening light. “I’m not picky. Whatever is fine.”
Ryan watched her drive off, then headed over to his motorcycle.
Was this a test? A woman he’d dated a couple of years ago had loved to test him.
She’d expected him to be some sort of fucking mind reader.
Or was Elissa a woman who sacrificed her wants in favor of whatever person she was dating, like his mother?
Everything he’d learned about women over the last decade made him distrust this seemingly simple request, but everything he’d learned about Elissa told him to take what she’d said at face value.
Only one way to find out. He put on his helmet and headed to the Thai place he knew on this side of the city.