Page 30 of The Executive Assistant

But I knew I shouldn’t get comfortable here. In hisbedroom. In his arms.

Cameron rubbed my upper arm like he could tell that my mood had shifted. “What is it?”

I turned my head to look at him. “This was a bad idea.” My voice was weak.

Cameron frowned. “Do you regret it?”

“No,” I said quickly. “Rationally, I should, but…” I trailed off. Emotionally, I’d wanted this. I’d needed it. “It’s just a lot,” I finished.

The corner of his mouth curled up as he gazed into my eyes, looking at me like I was the only person in the world who mattered. “Talk to me. I can’t read your mind.”

I raised an eyebrow at him. “Are you sure? I’m pretty sure it’s in your job description.”

He smiled. “If we were in the office, that’d be one thing, but this is different.”

He was right. This was way different.

“I never expected you to want me like this,” I admitted.

“I told you. I’ve wanted you from the day we met.”

I blushed. “I remember that day too. I thought you were very handsome.”

Cameron chuckled and gave me a playful squeeze, pulling my bare body even closer to his. “I know. You weren’t good at hiding that.”

My mouth parted. “What?”

Cameron’s laugh deepened, the sound making my stomach flutter. His laugh was lovely — deep and rich,and I was weirdly proud to make him laugh. “You tried to hide it by being all curt with me, but I always caught you staring at me for a little bit too long.”

My face burned. “If I stared, it’s because I found you irritating. Not because...”

His laugh deepened. “Alright, Alison.”

He clearly wasn’t buying it. Oh my god. Had I really been that obvious? I covered my face with my hands. “Oh, God.”

“It was cute!” Cameron locked his arms around me, nudging my hands away from my face so that he could cover it with kisses.

His lips tickled, making me giggle as I tried to wiggle away. My stomach ached. I couldn’t remember the last time that I laughed this hard.

When Cameron finally took mercy on me and released me, I caught my breath and slumped back against his strong chest, enjoying how warm and firm he felt. I could’ve laid there with him forever.

Cameron kissed my temple as we settled, a moment of silence passing before he spoke again. “You’re not just beautiful and incredibly sexy, though. You’re hardworking and determined and clever.”

My heart skipped a beat. I hadn’t expected his compliments to mean so much. When Russell had complimented me, it was like rain rolling off glass — no impact, no lingering. But when Cameron did it, his wordsseeped deep where I could truly feel them.

“I admire a lot about you,” he continued. “Even if I wasn’t crazy about you, I would be grateful for my job just because I got to work next to someone like you.”

His words stole my breath, leaving me speechless for a few seconds. I pulled away from him so that I could turn and face him better. “I don’t know what to do,” I murmured.

Cameron frowned and took my hand, his thumb grazing over my knuckles. “What do you mean?”

“What is this?” I gestured between us. “A casual thing? A one-night — ”

“No,” he interrupted, then gave me a small, shy smile. “I mean, it’s up to you. But I don’t want this to be some random hookup.”

“Then what?” I asked, breathless.

“I want…” for a second, he look uncertain. Even scared. “I want to give this a real try. Us. Dating.”

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