Page 66 of Not Safe For Work

He really does get me.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

GAVIN

I have never been so temptedto blow off a work event in my life. I’m kicking myself for being good at my job, because if I wasn’t going to be accepting an award, I could stay in this room with Liv for the rest of the night and no one would care about my absence.

“You like it?” she asks, like there is some alternate reality where I don’t think she looks incredible.

I nod my head dumbly, like a cartoon character who just got shot with cupid’s arrow. “People might stare. You okay with that?”

“Will you be one of the people staring?”

“You could try and stop me.”

She beams. Part of me wants to talk before we leave for dinner, to figure out what’s happening with us, because this relationship is feeling more real by the minute, and I need to know if it’s the same for her.

But she starts shimmying her shoulders and her hips, showing off the feathers of her dress. I’ve never seen her giddy like this and the feeling is contagious. She’s never looked better.

“You ready to go?” I ask.

“Yep. Just—” She reaches for my hand. “Please don’t let me fall.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” As if I have the self-control to keep my hands to myself right now.

“Four years in a row,this guy has held the title. Sure, he had a little bit of a scare when the New York office brought on the NFL last year, but Gavin Scott wasn’t about to let someone else claim the top spot on the sales team.

“It’s no surprise why he’s won this award four times. Gavin is first in the office every morning and usually the last one to leave. When a deal falls through, he never makes excuses, just moves on to the next opportunity and tries to learn from his mistakes.

“I’ll keep this short since it is the fourth time I’ve done it. Gavin, get up here.” Vaughn ends the announcement just as we’re finishing dinner.

I jog up to the head of the three long tables we’re sitting at so I can collect my check. People seem to think I just enjoy being the best. Which I do, but not enough to work as hard as I have been. What really drives me is the extra ten grand I get each year when I win this. Another chunk of Gabby’s tuition will be paid off with this money, and it couldn’t come at a better time. Our rent just went up. Again.

“Thanks, Vaughn,” I say, knowing they’ll want me to speak to everyone. “It’s a team effort. I wouldn’t be able to sell anything without the hard work of everyone here.” I glance around the room and find Ian laughing. He’s not talking to anyone either, just trying to show me what he thinks of my award, what he thinks ofme.

I really hate that guy.

“Especially Liv,” I continue and clear my throat. “Olivia sourced seventeen deals for me last year that closed within nine months or less. And I’ll admit, I probably wouldn’t be in so early every day if it wasn’t to spend more time with her.” That elicits a few laughs, but Ian is just glaring at me now. Awesome. “Cheers, everyone.”

“You didn’t have to say that,” Liv says when I get back to my seat.

I throw an arm around her chair, squeeze her shoulder a bit because I just feel better when we’re connected. “It’s true.”

Once the dinner ends,our whole group migrates across the beach to the resort next door, where a nightclub is blasting a mix of rap and electronic music.

I’m honestly not sure if this is the kind of thing Liv likes or not. I’m about to ask what she wants to do, but Andie grabs her hand and drags her onto the dance floor.

She turns back to look at me, and I take a mental snapshot. The way she flips her head has her wavy hair catching the air around her just as her dress swishes with the movement. She’s a fucking goddess.

But the best part is the way she looks at me. Her gaze is filled with promise. It’s telling me, “I’ll be yours again soon.”

I suck my bottom lip into my mouth and nod.Mine. After all this time. What a fucking feeling.

Daanesh finds me a minute later and we grab drinks by the bar. It’s so loud in here, we can barely talk to each other, so we end up doing a few shots.

Then Liv appears at my side, grabbing my hand and tugging. “Come dance with me.”

It’s impossible not to indulge her so I abandon Daanesh immediately. Her skin is flushed but she can’t stop smiling. She throws her arms over her head and circles her hips against me. I spent half the day wondering how things would change between us after last night, if she’d write it off as a mistake, but this doesn’t feel like it.

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