Page 25 of Bleeding Hearts Duet

I spent the rest of the afternoon at my desk, even working through my lunch break. It wasn’t until Ryland set a yogurt and a banana in front of me that I broke my trance.

“You need to eat, Miss Valentine.”

The warmth in his voice surprised me, but when I looked up into his eyes, I saw a hint of unease there. He was making it very difficult not to think about him when he continued to pay me little visits like these. Could he see through my act so clearly? It was odd considering he didn’t even remember me. He wasn’t the type of man who would forget names or faces. The more I watched him, the more I knew that was true.

Even now, he was adjusting the stack of papers on my desk, lining them up with the edges. I doubted he even realized he was doing it. I stared at his fingers for far too long before I caught myself.

“Thank you, Mr. Bennett.” I smiled up at him.

“Please call me Ryland.” He leaned against my desk, scrutinizing me.

“Ryland,” I corrected. If only he knew that’s what I’d been calling him all along… inside of my head.

“Stacey told me you hadn’t eaten lunch,” he explained. “I hope she’s not working you too hard.”

Just the mention of Stacey had my muscles tensing. Thank God she’d eased up on me over the last week. I wouldn’t have been able to handle her on top of everything else.

“Of course not,” I replied. “I just wasn’t that hungry today.”

“Well, you should eat,” he encouraged. “And take a break. I don’t want people to start thinking I’m a slave driver.”

There was a hint of a smile on his face now, and my heart did a little flip inside of my chest. Our eyes locked, and for a moment, I was transported back to five years ago. I was on my back porch, completely under his spell. And if he kept looking at me like that, then maybe he would kiss me too…

I bolted up out of my chair and nearly knocked over my paperclips again. Ryland frowned.

“I’ll take my break now,” I blurted. “Thanks again for the food.”

Ryland nodded, but he didn’t leave. I wished he would. I couldn’t stand there with him looking at me that way. Making me feel things that were no good for me. And yet my eyes wandered over his body, imagining what it would be like to have his hands on me again. To feel their warmth and their strength, and to know I had invited them. That it wasn’t something I’d been coerced into doing. It was a fantasy I could entertain, if only briefly.

For once Suffering Stacey appeared at a good time, popping up with a mug of coffee for Ryland.

“Mr. Bennett, I have those files you requested.”

He didn’t take his eyes off me as he jerked his chin towards his office.

“Enjoy your lunch, Miss Valentine.”

***

I woke to his breath skating over my skin, his scent surrounding me as the heat of his body pressed against mine.

It wasn’t any particular cologne that I could narrow down. It was a simple, clean scent. A faint hint of soap and laundry detergent. I wondered if that was intentional so I couldn’t identify him later.

The blindfold was on, but judging by my sleepiness, he was late. Very late. I must have been asleep for at least a couple of hours. He didn’t speak as I came to, he simply continued to worship my body with his lips.

Admittedly, it felt good. I’d been between the clutches of a dream and reality when I finally woke. Only, it was Ryland’s face in my dream, hovering over me as he kissed every inch of my skin. Traces of cinnamon and amber bathing my body everywhere he touched. I wanted it to be him. Oh God, how I wanted it to be him.

“Brighton,” he groaned.

It was such a simple word. Just my name on his lips. But the way he said it was different from every other word I’d heard him say so far. His voice was always tight, in control. But when he said my name, he lost that control.

His hands trailed up the delicate skin of my rib cage, and I shivered beneath them. How had he managed to take my clothes off without me feeling it?

“Where’s my dress?” I asked.

He didn’t like my question. His hand tangled in my hair as he brought his lips to my ear.

“Clever girl. You think I don’t know what you’re doing? That dress, as you call it, was cut off the moment I stepped in here.”

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