Page 12 of The Interview

“Or kisses that involve both of us being naked,” I suggested.

“That,” Kaylan said sharply, pointing one finger at me. “That right there is why I think you’re a very smart guy, and I want a second date with you.”

Chuckling, I tugged Kaylan off the bridge so we could continue through the rainforest display. There was still one more room to tackle, which would give me time to figure out how to sneak some more kisses or if I should hang all my hopes on a second date.

“So, Mr. Polyglot, how many languages do you speak?”

Kaylan flashed me a smirk as we climbed the curved marble stairs up to the main entrance of the conservatory. “Fluently? Eight.”

“You’re shitting me,” I scoffed.

He lifted one hand, counting them off on his fingers. “English, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Mandarin, Japanese, and Korean. It was part of the reason I got my job. Sebastian’s executive assistant speaks French, German, Dutch, Hungarian, Polish, and Russian. Sebastian wanted someone to fill in the gaps. When he hired me, I spoke three, but expressed an interest in learning more. Sebastian said that he’d pay to have me professionally trained, and my salary would increase with each language I mastered.”

“That’s amazing.” I reached out and caught his hand, threading our fingers together again. The man with the wicked tongue grinned at me as we turned to the right and headed into the last room—the Fern Room. It was a smaller room with a pond in the center, while trees and a wide variety of ferns filled almost all the space. There was a little narrow path through the greenery for us to walk, and even here and there, we had to move some leaves aside.

“What exactly do you do for your job?”

“Are we giving up on listing our most unappealing qualities?” Kaylan taunted.

“They weren’t working for me. If that’s your worst, you’re never getting rid of me. I figured we should just get the boring stuff out of the way.”

Kaylan waggled his eyebrows at him. “Got plans for the fun stuff later?”

“Maybe…”

A low snicker escaped Kaylan as he continued to walk. “This is the boring stuff. My job is to do a lot of odd jobs, most of it talking. I talk to all the different departments and department heads, gathering reports and various bits of information. It’s also a lot of meeting prep work. And then there’s research. Sebastian will get this crazy idea, and I have to track down random things for his idea.”

“Sounds…unpredictable.”

Kalyan nodded as he took a picture of some koi swimming around a gray stone mermaid sculpture. “Some days, it’s definitely unpredictable, but there are a lot of days where I know what I’m in for. It’s a nice balance of routine and chaos.” He tucked his phone away and smiled at me, a couple of locks of brown hair falling in front of his eyes. “What about you? I know plenty of graphic designers from work. Do you do your own artwork on the side?”

I couldn’t fight the urge any longer. Reaching up, I brushed his hair awayfrom where it was in danger of tangling with his long eyelashes. Since I was already taking liberties, I dragged the tips of my fingers along his cheek in a light caress that had Kaylan tipping his head up like a cat seeking affection.

“I create digital art and doodles every once in a while. Not nearly as much as I would like. Since it’s my day job, I don’t feel like drawing in my spare time like I used to.”

“That sucks,” Kaylan mumbled.

One shoulder lifted in a weak shrug. “I enjoy my job, so I don’t mind much. There are plenty of other things, such as hours of anime watching, to keep me occupied.”

I continued on the path to leave the room, but Kaylan caught my elbow, holding me back. The spot we were standing in was heavy with thick leaves crowding close on all sides. It was easy to believe that we were alone in a tropical forest with only a soft trickle of water and hidden animals watching us.

“I’m sorry about what happened with your ex at the bridge,” Kaylan apologized.

“What?” I whispered, completely confused. Was he apologizing because there was a chance Tim had cheated on me? I was over that bullshit. There was nothing between us any longer. Tim had Karl and right now, all my focus was on the frowning man at my side.

“I shouldn’t have kissed you without asking first. Something about Tim made me angry, and I just had to show him up. To prove that you were over him and so much better off without him in your life.” Kaylan’s adorable nose wrinkled. “One of my less-than-stellar traits—I can be impulsive.”

Pinching one of his coat lapels between my thumb and forefingers, I tugged Kaylan in close enough to bump his chest against mine. “You have absolutely nothing to apologize for. Maybe I was pissy at first, but you reminded me that I am over him and my life is better off without him.” I dropped my head so that my forehead pressed into his. “As a side note, I am so glad you kissed me. I’ve been wanting to kiss you since you confessed that your boss set you up on this date. I was afraid that you’d think I was too aggressive if I kissed you too soon.”

“That is very good to know.”

“Good.”

“This would also be a good time for you to kiss me to prove that you don’t mind me kissing you,” Kaylan teased.

I wanted to laugh, but I wasn’t stupid enough to pass up that oh-so-subtle hint. Tipping my mouth just right, I captured his plush lips in a deep kiss to leave him hungry for a hundred more kisses, just like this. Kaylan’s free hand landed on my chest and slid up, gripping my shoulder as if he wanted to get closer.

But that wasn’t possible. Not here.

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