Page 40 of The Boss

I knew what he meant.Even when I’m not on my knees for you.My grip tightened.

Chris drew in a breath, then let it out slow and measured. “Do you mind if I take a shower? I feel kind of sticky.”

I didn’t let go immediately. Not until I sank so deep in the ocean of his eyes that I forgot where we were and what we were talking about. Then I released him, watching how those trunks clung to his ass as he disappeared down the hall.

The moment I heard the bathroom door close, I grabbed my phone and scrolled to Chantelle’s name. My thumb hovered over the screen before I hitcall.

She answered on the second ring, her voice clear and alert. “Hey, handsome.”

I scratched my beard. “Hey.”

“You on your way?”

I glanced toward the hallway, listening to the faint sound of water running. “Sorry, babe, but I can’t make it. Something came up.”

A pause. “Again?” Her voice sounded annoyed. “Do you even want us to buy a damn house, Isaac?”

I turned toward the windows, staring out at the gray morning sky. “I do, but—” I hesitated. “Chris, my new PA, was mugged last night. I need to take care of it.”

Silence stretched for a few seconds. “The attractive blond guy I met at the office? What’s that got to do with you?”

“He’s pretty shaken, Chantelle. I can’t leave him alone.”

There was a pause, just a fraction too long. “I didn’t realize you were so involved in the private lives of your employees.”

Now she was being sarcastic and I had to bite my tongue to keep my temper in check. “We’d grown close since he began working for me. He’s not just any employee. He’s a… friend.” I didn’t offer anything else, and she didn’t ask.

After another charged pause, she simply sighed. “Fine.”

I blew out a sharp breath. “I’ll call you later, okay?”

The line clicked dead before I could say anything else.

I tossed the phone onto the couch and followed, dropping across the soft cushions. What the hell was I doing? Ditching my fiancée so I could babysit my PA? It wasn’t rational, but it was what every cell in my body wanted—needed—me to do. The thought of letting him go right now felt like severing one of my limbs.

I was still lying there, sprawled over the couch and musing, when I heard him coming from the bathroom.

Chris strode toward me, a towel slung loose around his shoulders, damp hair curling at the ends. He was still only in his trunks, his skin flushed and glistening. “I should probably get going,” he said. “You mind calling me a cab while I go get dressed?”

I didn’t even think before I answered. “You’re staying here.”

Chris paused mid-rub, then dropped the towel onto the headrest, his eyes going over my reclining body. “I am?”

“Yeah.” I looked at him from below, scratching my chest. “Figure we’ll just hang out. Be lazy. Besides, I promised to cook for you. And I’m a man of my word.”

He grinned, shaking his head like he couldn’t quite believe his own ears. He lifted my feet from the couch, settling into the seat before resting them in his lap. His touch sent a jolt through me, sharp and electric, but it was the way his hand lingered that undid me. Such a small gesture—ordinary, absentminded—and yet it felt impossibly intimate. “A hard-ass CEO wants to spendhis Sunday spoiling me in his fancy-ass penthouse?” he said, gently massaging my feet. “Fuck, sign me up.”

For the first time that morning, I smiled too, thinking how I’d do more than just cook for him if it meant seeing him like this, off-guard and happy, lounging around my place in nothing but his underwear, like he belonged here. Like he belonged tome. And maybethatwas the problem. Because the longer I had him here, the more I wanted to keep him.

17. Chris

Zac stretched on the couch like a big cat, his long legs sprawled in easy dominance. His feet still rested in my lap, too tempting to ignore, and I couldn’t resist brushing my fingers over his soles. He jolted like I’d zapped him, his large body twisting as he yanked his legs away.

“Don’t do that!” he chuckled. “I could’ve kicked you in the face.”

I laughed. “Who knew the stoic Isaac Steele was ticklish?”

“It’s my greatest secret,” he said with a smug grin, arms behind his head, his hairy armpits exposed before me like a challenge.

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