Page 33 of It Started With a Scarf

"No."

"Pineapples?"

He grinned at her. "No, I'm not allergic to pineapples."

She offered the cup to him, and he took it from her.

"You still have half of it left."

"I know, it's huge. And it was thick. But it's amazing. I’m still working on it."

"I don't want to make you drink after me," he said, trying to hand it back to her.

"I want to," she said, smiling and pushing it his way.

Her hand touched his, and they stared. Dominic felt all sorts of masculine urges toward this woman. Her smile, he saw it, and it was like his chest was squeezed in a vice.

"I want you to have a sip, and I don't care if I drink after—" She didn't say anymore because Dominic lifted the straw to his lips and took a sip of it. He wanted her to be okay with letting him take a sip. That was basically saying she was fine with a kiss. It was really good, and he nodded. He handed it back to her afterward.

"You liked it?"

"I did."

"See? Tropical. It might be your new favorite. What if we never had this conversation?" She made a face at him before smiling again. "You're amazing at this, you know. I guess you do know, but I'm just telling you. It's so cool being here and seeing what you see. I also love how people get excited when they see you."

She made sweet eye contact the whole time she spoke, and he studied her face. "What happened to the thing you said where you look away?" He asked in a quiet challenging tone. Their eyes were so locked that he felt vulnerable—like they both were. Dominic's heart was pounding. He held the contact, and she blinked but didn't look away.

"I don't do that with you. I only look away when I don't want someone to get the wrong idea." She was still staring at him.

"So, you're okay with giving me the wrong idea?"

"W-well, no." She smiled. "I’m trying to give you the right idea, I'm just okay with you having the wrong… wait, I'm not even sure what I'm saying."

"You're staring at me a lot, Marley, and here pretty soon, I'm going to need to put a door between me and you and everyone else."

She grinned broadly at him and handed him her smoothie.

He was taking a sip of it when she casually said, "I guess my plan is working, then because that would really be fun for me."

He patiently regarded her. They held gazes, giving each other a look of challenge as he absentmindedly handed her the cup again. Her gaze was void of fear and full of intention, and he knew she wanted him. They were both feeling it.

He cleared his throat. "Do you want to see the offices?" he asked.

"Yes," she responded with no hesitation.

Marley picked up her coat and scarf and followed Dominic. He walked with purpose, but they had a lot of ground to cover and he had to pause and speak to two different people. He used a key card to get into a door, and then there was a hallway with offices. There were several doors, and he led her past a couple of them, but not to the end.

People were talking in the room at the end. Dominic could see who was in there, and he turned to her with a finger over his mouth, which made her eyes widen. He smiled at her and pulled her into his office, closing the door quietly behind them. He gently locked it. The shades were drawn, but it was light out, and there was enough light to see, so he didn't turn anything on. He leaned against the door and regarded Marley with a relieved smile. They were finally alone. She tossed her things on a nearby side table and took a few steps up to him. She stopped when she was only about a foot away and looked up at him. They weren't touching, and Dominic was desperate to change that.

"Shhh," he urged, reaching out for her and pulling her closer.

He made a serious face, listening to the people who were coming out of that nearby office. They were talking to each other as they walked by Dominic's door. They were only walking by for a few seconds, but he was holding onto her, and it was a glorious few seconds. It didn't seem to take long enough.

"I think they're gone," she whispered after hesitating.

"Guess what?" he asked, whispering.

"What?"

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