Page 25 of You & I, Rewritten

“Honestly, Klair? There’s not a single part of me that’s embarrassed.That’show good it was!” And it’s the truth—from the very moment Graham’s lips touched mine, it was like something detonated deep inside of me, a level of physical intimacy and attraction that up until now, had never seen the light of day. I’ve had plenty of sex—good sex, even. But nothing, and I truly mean nothing, hasevercompared to what went down with Graham last night.

There was something so reserved and passionate about his touch. He truly savored every single second of our night together, slowly exploring every inch of my body with his hands, his mouth—God, that man’s mouth—in the most torturous of ways.

“I know I have a tendency for theatrics, but—”

“Psh, you think?” Klair interrupts, rolling her eyes at my understatement of the year.

“But…” I continue, ignoring her completely. “I’m slightly overwhelmed by everything I’m feeling about the entire situation.”

She puts her arm around my shoulders. “And what exactly is it that you’re feeling?”

I don’t want to admit it. Because how pathetic would it make me to admit that last night was the first time that I’ve ever really felt somethingmore.That it was the first time I’vewantedsomething more from someone else. The things I’ve craved more than anything in this world—love, stability, passion—all those things seemed well within my reach the second Graham laid his hands on me and if I lost that? I don’t know if I would survive that.Again.

“I don’t know, Klair...everything with Graham just feels intensified,” I say quietly as I lean into her. “I just feel like whatever this is with him is important. Like one of those too-good-to-be-true moments that always end in total heartbreak.”

“Graham isn’t like—oh, speak of the devil!” Klair says, pivoting our conversation perfectly as the subject of our office gossip comes strolling into our section with his hands in the pockets of his sharp charcoal suit pants.

“Good morning, Graham…so good to see you again. And clothed this time!”

I fight the urge to pull her sleek ponytail ever-so-gently.

As much as I loved seeing him shrug back into his clothes from the night before, his hair disheveled and looking every bit like a man smiling through a walk of shame, seeing him back in his perfectly pressed workplace armor makes my heart skip a beat.

“Eh—morning, Klair.” Oh, all-business Graham is back. His tone is rushed, clearly wanting to get to the point of his morning visit. “Can you reach out to your contact at Howell Literary Agency? There seems to be some contract issues with several of our authors and I need to get to the bottom of it quickly.”

“On it!” Klair hops off my desk and heads back to hers, clearly hearing the concern in Graham’s voice.

“Thanks…Good morning, Will,” he says through the slightest of smiles before briskly turning away and heading back toward his desk.

“Um, yeah…good morning, eh,sir!” I shout after him and instantly hate myself.Sir? Really?

I can’t be sure because his back is turned but I think Graham is laughing at me as he steps into his office. Nope—he’s one hundred percent laughing at me.

Turning to Klair absolutely mortified, I can feel my face turn the deepest shade of red.

“Oh, lovebug,” she says in the most maternal and condescending manner possible. “You’re definitely going to have to figure out how to pull it together in the office now that you’ve seen himtotallynaked.”

There’s absolutely no chance I’ll be able topull it together.I think I can confidently assume Graham enjoyed himself last night—more than once. But does that even matter? For lack of a better word, he’s essentially my boss so I don’t know if that’s something either one of us want to get mixed up in. Besides, Klair has already told me the man is totally married to his work.Clearly.If I’m being honest with myself, I can’t see him wanting anything more than a one-night fling from me.

“You said it yourself, Klair,” I say, doing my best to turn my attention back to the work in front of me. “He’s all business.”

But there’s a very small part of me that is hoping—praying—I’m wrong. Because if there is even the slightest chance ofmorewith Graham, that’s a leap of faith I’m more than willing to take.

Thankfully, the remaining hours of my workday blur seamlessly together, and I couldn’t tell you asinglething that happens in the office. Every thought has been consumed with doubt as to whether some imaginary line has been crossed between Graham and I or if last night was just some tragic one-night-stand. Beyond our horrificsirencounter this morning, Graham and I’s paths have rarely crossed today—which does wonders for my self-sabotaging anxiety, by the way—and when they did, all I wanted to do was either knot my hands in his hair and kiss him for hours and hours or force him to answer if he likes me…orlikes me,likes me.

You know, like a child.

Lana has sent over some revisions to a chapter we’ve been going back and forth on, so I spend the rest of my day reading them for flow and consistency before calling it a night. It’s funny—despite the initial hiccups we faced in our working relationship, Lana and I have quickly developed a flow of our own. One that is unlike any other relationship I’ve had with another yet also so familiar at the same time. Maybe it’s because I relate to the chapters she’s been sending over on such a deeply personal level or it could just be that she just has one of those calming personalities. Either way, I walk away from every conversation with Lana feeling like I’ve known her for far longer than I actually have. Perhaps she just has an old soul.

“You wouldnotbelieve the day I’ve had.” His tired voice rips my attention from the paragraph I’ve been reading repeatedly, causing my stomach to do a backflip. Graham strides into our now-abandoned section, his smile widening with each step and as soon as he’s within arm’s reach, every doubt and insecurity about last night has all but disappeared.For now.

Without any sort of trepidation or hesitation to the fact that we are not entirely alone in the office, he kisses my cheek. The burn from his scruff radiates over every inch of my skin and I can’t hide the smile it causes. Lingering ever so slightly, I feel and hear him exhale, releasing the tension he must have been carrying all day. “Hi, handsome…I hate how little I got to see you today.”

“I…I thought maybe you had—.” I glance down,

Graham isn’t stupid. I’m sure what I’m trying to say is written all over my face. He reaches for my hand, firmly taking it in his. The simplest of gestures, yet one that anchors me through whatever leap we are about to take together. “Do you want to get out of here and grab some dinner?”

Meeting his warm gaze and devilish grin, I rise with my hand still in his. Relief, so intense and welcome that it nearly brings tears to my eyes, rushes over me. I know how ridiculous I am sometimes, especially when I get in my own head, but over the last few years, I’ve tried so hard to stop punishing myself for the way I feel. Even if I could change the immensity of my heart, I wouldn’t.

---