Page 68 of Business Casual

Just to be sure, I opened my laptop and located the outline I’d prepared. I emailed it to Tre again and then packed my stuff and headed down the hall.

“Knock knock,” I said as my fist rapped against the slightly cracked door.

“Come in,” Tre called out. “And you can close the door behind you.”

I pushed the door all the way open and then closed it behind me. He wasn’t at his desk like I expected. Instead, he was standing at the window. His sleeves were rolled up and his table was covered in papers.

“Working hard, I see,” I greeted him with a small wave.

“I haven’t even had a chance to eat lunch.” He gestured to everything spread out on the table. “This is why I haven’t been leaving here before eight o’clock.”

“Well now that your dad is back, maybe that’ll help lighten the load.”

He sighed. “Yeah. Let’s hope.”

“Speaking of hope…” I crossed the room, placing my stuff in a chair on my way to the window. “I hope the meeting on campus today went well.”

He stared out the window, overlooking the courtyard garden below as the grin spread across his face. Turning to face me, he stepped closer, stopping with a foot of space between us.

His smile was infectious. Even before he opened his mouth, I couldn’t help but smile back.

“What?” I probed excitedly. “Tell me!”

“It went really well. I was going to text you, but since you hyped me up yesterday, I thought it would be better if I could tell you in person. I’ll be working with the Finance program director at Hamilton University starting next month to work out the details for next semester.”

“Oh my God!” I exclaimed, clapping my hands and bouncing on my toes. “Oh my God!” Without thinking, I threw my arms around his neck and grabbed him for a hug. “That’s amazing! Congratulations, Tre!”

He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me in tight. “Thank you. I appreciate it,” he murmured against my ear. “And thanks for the suggestion last night, they really took to it.”

His embrace felt right—a little too right.

“You can thank me properly by getting HU to forgive my student loans now that you’re basically faculty,” I joked.

He burst out laughing. “I got you.”

Our laughter allowed for a natural unraveling of our hug, but our bodies remained close. There wasn’t even an inch of space between us as we cackled together.

“You look…” I searched his face. “I don’t know. You’re glowing. Or maybe it’s because the sun is hitting you just right. But you look good, Tre. You lookhappyand I am so happy for you. You worked your ass off and I’m—”

Without warning, his mouth crashed into mine. The rest of my sentence got lost in the moan of finally feeling his soft lips moving over me. Before I had a chance to fully process what had happened, he broke the kiss and backed away.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized before scrubbing his face with his hands. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

“Don’t be sorry.”

He exhaled and walked to the table. “I shouldn’t have done that.” He leaned on the edge of it and stuck his hands in his pockets. “I know better. I just…”

My eyes didn’t leave him as I waited for him to finish the sentence. I ignored the print that was visible in his pants at that angle. I ignored how my lips tingled. I ignored how desire coursed through my entire body. I was frozen in place as I waited for him to speak.

“You just what?” I wondered.

“I can’t resist you.” He studied me from head to toe. “Today has been a good day and I have so much fucking work to do, but my thoughts keep going back to you.”

I tentatively took a step in his direction. “So, you’ve wanted to kiss me all day?”

He held my gaze for a few seconds. “I’ve wanted to kiss you every day.” He shook his head. “Stop.”

I stopped in my tracks.

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