Page 32 of Her Every Fantasy

Fine. I’ll take a break. But only if you bring lunch.

Already sorted.

I rolled my eyes, then hastily rearranged my goofy smile when I caught glances from my crew.

On the spur of the moment, I glanced at my watch, then I walked over to them. ‘Once you’re done with setting up the platform, we can call it a day.’

A chorus of cheers greeted me.

Smiling, I headed back to the boxes and was inspecting a purple dressing gown with a lace trim when the lift doors opened and Bryce walked in. Behind me silence fell, and I knew without turning around that most eyes would be on him. That the female ones would widen, then linger far longer than was necessary. And because I didn’t want to confirm and fight another wily jealousy monster, I kept my eyes on him.

Watched him nod a greeting at the crew before fixing his eyes on me.

He was dressed casually in one of those deceptively simple polo shirts that cost hundreds of pounds and dark chinos. With his collar upturned and his hair windswept, he looked positively rakish. ‘Hey, you.’

This time my heart skipped twice as many beats. And when he reached me and I caught a whiff of his aftershave, different parts of my body came to rude, vital life. It took an effort or three to drag my gaze from the twinkle in his dark hazel eyes to the large takeout bag he held in one hand.

‘Hey, yourself. Give me a few minutes to sort through this lot and I’ll be with you, okay?’

His gaze dropped to the silk-and-satin lingerie as he set the takeout bag down on a nearby shelf. ‘Want some help with that?’

The thought of him holding my creations in his hands did something to me. Something indecipherable that made me hesitate. We weren’t on steady ground, Bryce and I, and after all this time I wasn’t sure I wanted him this close to my most precious possessions.

Slowly, one sleek eyebrow spiked. ‘You think I don’t know my way around a woman’s lingerie?’

The tingling abated and a tiny bubble burst inside me. ‘I’m sure you do.’ I shoved one box his way. ‘Have at it.’

He frowned but I didn’t want him probing my disgruntled emotions so I turned away and blindly grabbed a few empty boxes. ‘I’ll go and dispose of these. Back in a minute.’

I felt his intense gaze singe my back as I walked away. In the large storage room that held the rest of the deliveries, I tossed the boxes down, then lingered, attempted to get myself back under control.

What the hell was I doing dicing with the only man who’d been able to slip beneath my guard with ridiculous ease?

Because he’s also the only man who’s come closest to accepting you for who you are. The man you’ve secretly crushed on since you were a teenager.

Truth and truth.

And I’d dared myself to go farther, so cowering in the storage room was just pathetic.

With a deep breath, I marched back out. The box I’d left him with was halfway done, his sprawling handwriting jotted down next to my neat notes on the inventory sheet.

He flicked me a glance, minus the frown, when I arrived next to him. ‘You okay?’

‘I’m fine,’ I answered a little sharply.

Despite my terse response, he didn’t probe further.

Still unable to meet his gaze, I looked over his shoulder and saw the crew preparing to leave. A mixture of anticipation and apprehension assailed me. So far Bryce and I were two for two on getting down and dirty when we were alone. And if I was honest with myself, that had partly informed my decision to dismiss my crew.

Plus after my first addictive dare last night, I had a feeling things were headed for the hot and heavy way sooner rather than later.

The moment the lift doors closed behind the crew my breath strangled somewhere in my lungs.

But Bryce seemed to have other ideas.

With a lazy gait that drew far too much attention to his powerful shoulders and streamlined body, he inspected the half-finished showroom and stopped at the platform.

‘Why the metal frames instead of traditional mannequins?’

---