Page 33 of Midnight Wishes

‘On aFriday night?’ Her friend’s shock was tangible. ‘You hate going into Central at the best of times. Hope he’s worth it.’

‘I’m here tosee Alex Larsson,’ Sarah said, after greeting the security officer at the front desk of Alex’s building.

‘Is he expecting you?’ He sounded bored and slightly irritable.

‘Yes.’ Sarah rocked back on her heels, trying to look casual and not like she was there to be screwed atop a desk.

The officer sighed and dialled a number. ‘Larsson. Your girlfriend’s here. I think she brought you dinner.’

Sarah smiled, pleased that her idea to bring food as a cover had worked. Whatever was currently turning in her stomach was the pride of a job well done. Definitely not a reaction to being mistaken for his girlfriend.

Though the words were unclear, she could hear Alex’s muffled voice through the speaker. The officer looked her over again and said, ‘Uh-huh. Sure.’

‘Tenth floor. Office number five,’ he said to Sarah, when he put the phone down and returned to the game of Minesweeper she had spotted as she approached his desk. Extra-large board. Impressive. As she walked away, he muttered something that sounded an awful lot like, ‘Boy’s got itbad.’

Chapter 18

ALEX

Don’t Say Nothing | Del Water Gap

‘Long dark hairand eyes you want to lose yourself in?’ Alex asked his favourite security guard. Kevin was exceptionally good at blocking people he didn’t want to see. But for once, he was an obstacle in the way of something Alex actually wanted.

‘Uh-huh. Sure.’

‘Send her up. Thanks, Kev.’

Five minutes later, footsteps paused outside Alex’s office door.

He let Sarah linger for thirty seconds before he made her decision for her. Her face was slightly agonised when he opened the door, quickly shifting to surprise, before settling on the usual level of light disdain she seemed to reserve for him.

‘Evening, Princess.’ He leaned on the doorframe, watching as her eyes bounced across his chest, landing on the biceps pushed out by his crossed arms. ‘Are you going around telling people you’re my girlfriend now? I don’t mind. I’m just—’ He grunted—more in surprise than pain—as Sarah sauntered pasthim, elbowing him in the stomach as she went. ‘Why so violent tonight?’

‘He made an assumption. I didn’t correct him because I thought you might not want your entire company to know you invited your fuck buddy around between meetings. Unless that’s a thing you do often. In which case, sorry for damaging your street cred or whatever.’ She was rambling. She couldn’t benervous. Sarah rubbed at her elbow. ‘Also, why are your abs like a brick wall?’

‘I’ve never done this,’ Alex said quickly, suddenly desperate to smooth the furrow that had appeared between her eyebrows. ‘It’s…not as uncommon as it should be for some of the others, but despite what you might believe, I take my job quite seriously. And you’ve never had any complaints about my abs before.’

He grinned as he recalled a particularly fun night earlier in the week, when she’d called him a vain imbecile for working out so much, before shimmying down his chest and stomach, licking each ridge of muscle as she went.

‘And yet…’ She gestured to herself.

‘There are exceptions to every rule.’ And she was becoming the exception to so many of his. She was also too damn far from him, looking out the window at the view over the city. It was his favourite thing about his office—his favourite thing about the job, possibly—and seeing the summer sunset burn across the sky was the only thing that made his late nights worth it anymore.

Sarah was stunning as ever, sultry makeup and loose curls contrasting against the cosy flannel shirt and jeans combination that highlighted the curve of her waist and skimmed over hips he wanted to dig his thumbs into. It wasn’t an outfit for a quickiein his office. It was for Saturdays on the couch, lazily exploring each other’s bodies when they arrived home from a walk or buying groceries.

Maybe it was the endless weeks of a front row seat to Abby and Erik’s easy devotion. Maybe it was the impending wedding and the feeling of relationship mortality it brought him. Maybe it was just that he was a year away from turning thirty, and something in his hardwiring was telling him to start settling down. But with each passing day, he found himself craving those quiet moments more.

For now, he’d take what he could get.

‘Are you feeling better?’ Alex asked, stepping closer.

‘I’m fine. I spent two days on the couch. Took an everything shower. Ate a salad. Feel human again.’ She shrugged.

He fought the temptation to pull her into his chest, to tell her not to ignore the warning signs her body was giving her, to beg her to slow down. To beg her to call him next time she needed comfort.

He suspected it wouldn’t be appreciated, but he paused all the same. ‘Burnout isn’t something to play with, Princess.’ He would know. At present, it felt like he was always a single setback or one missed workout away from spiralling. Celine and their nightly walks helped.Sarahhelped. But every moment was shrouded by the threat of his spinning plates crashing down on him.

‘I’m not burnt out, I’m just—’ Sarah huffed. ‘I love that I get to make a living painting. But the people commissioning me are the worst. And I needed some time to wallow in the death of art and creativity.’ That wasn’t quite what she’d said on the phone,her defences brought down by sickness or the relative emotional anonymity of hiding her face. At his expression, she continued, ‘You know what would help?’

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