Total pages in book: 19
Estimated words: 17895 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 89(@200wpm)___ 72(@250wpm)___ 60(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 17895 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 89(@200wpm)___ 72(@250wpm)___ 60(@300wpm)
No.
No, no, no.
But the truth is right there on my screen in undeniable, embarrassing letters. I didn't text Emelia, Nova, and Ava for advice. I didn't admit to my best friends that I think I'm falling for my boss.
I fucking texted him. I admitted it to him.
"Did you mean it?" he growls.
"I…" Yet again, there's no lying my way out of this one. There's no earthquake coming to save me, either. There's just me, him, and the truth screaming between us like a fucking neon sign. "Yes."
Chapter Eight
Stone
She's falling for me.
Jesus.
Jesus.
I stomp across the office toward her, my damn heart in my throat. My hands twitch with the urge to yank her out of her seat and into my arms, but I promised to be on my best behavior. I promised to play by her rules.
And right now…those rules are more important than ever.
"My office," I snarl, trying like hell to hold it together long enough to get a door closed behind us. "Now, Seraphina."
She jolts from her seat so fast it skitters across the floor. Her hands shake, her heels clicking on the tile as she steps around me, so close her body brushes mine. It takes every ounce of self-control I have left not to haul her up against my body right then and there, but by some miracle, I manage to keep my hands to myself.
I manage to follow her into my office, too. I even manage to close the goddamn door like a gentleman.
And then all bets are off.
As soon as it clicks closed, I'm on her, gently shoving her up against the wall with my hands on her waist. My lips come down on hers in a scorching kiss, everything I feel for her—everything I've felt for six months—erupting in a kiss so fierce it's like I'm trying to taste her soul.
"Stone," she whimpers, clawing at my shoulders. Her tits press against my chest, her body trembling.
"You're falling for me," I rasp.
"Yes. I…I…I think I've always been falling for you."
Jesus.
Jesus.
I tip her head back, meeting her wild gaze. "I'm so fucking wild for you, I can't stand it, Seraphina," I murmur, the words gritty. "Every minute of the day, I fall harder."
Her lips part into a shocked little "O", and I can't help but kiss her again, just to taste the awe on her lips.
I want to wrap her legs around my waist and drive into her until she's screaming my name so loud the whole goddamn campus hears her. But…I can't. Not right now.
I break the kiss with a groan, resting my forehead against hers. "I promised to behave. I know I just broke that rule, but I couldn't help it. I had to kiss you."
"I'm not complaining."
"You might. I just got off the phone with Hector, angel."
Her gaze darts across my face, desire cooling to worry as she reads my expression. "Something's wrong, isn't it?"
I don't want to tell her. I want to live in this little bubble where she's falling for me and not a fucking other thing exists in the world. Except…it does.
"The Chancellor refused to reclassify your position if you're still going to work for me," I murmur softly.
"What…" She trails off, licking her lips. "What does that mean?"
"It means that so long as you're my executive assistant, I'm your direct supervisor, baby," I mutter regretfully. It's the worst goddamn thing I've ever had to say, because I'm very well aware that it could mean this ends here and now. She could decide, right this second, to walk away forever.
"Oh," she whispers, her face paling. "W-what does that mean, Stone?" Tears well in her eyes. "I don't want to let you go. I don't want to lose my job."
"You aren't going to lose your job," I growl. There isn't a world where that happens. "I'll turn in my retirement paperwork, let them know that this is my last season. They'll find someone to replace me."
"What?" She gapes at me like I'm speaking a foreign language.
"I'm not going to ask you to choose between me and your job, angel," I murmur softly. "Women have been forced to make that decision far too often. If one of us has to choose, it'll be me."
"Stone," she whispers, her expression softening. "You can't quit for me. They need you."
"Not as much as I need you."
"What if…what if I'm not your executive assistant any longer?"
"You aren't quitting for me," I growl. "That isn't an option, Seraphina. I won't be the asshole who makes you choose between the job you love and our relationship." Especially not after she told me how much this job means to her. She's spent too long on her own. I won't take the family she's found here. "If one of us has to leave, it will be me."
"Maybe neither of us has to leave," she whispers.