Page 62 of Fake Date with the Mountain Man

“The binder at the front desk. That’s my best guess, at least.”

Marlow nods but still looks like she’s contemplating something. My nerves start to knot up under my skin again.

I expected her to yell. I expected to have to shoulder some of the blame, even though I did my best to ward Kayla off. I expected…something different than this.

“Are you okay?” I ask.

Finally, her eyes flick to mine, but they still look a million miles away.

“Yeah,” she says, “I mean, I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised. Kayla’s been desperate for your attention for weeks.”

“She has…” I say cautiously.

“It’s just…fuck.” The last word comes out as a little growl that catches in her throat. She drops her head into her hands.

I want to scoop her into my arms, but I’m still not sure which way this conversation is going to go. Maybe she doesn’t want my touch right now.

When Marlow raises her head again, she exhales a slow, heavy breath.

“I’m not really sure how to handle this,” she says. “Honestly, I never really liked the idea of being anyone’s boss, but I thought I could handle a few summer interns. I wasn’t expecting to have to deal with something like this just a few weeks into my first batch of interns.”

I chew this over for a minute.

On one hand, Marlow’s emotional distance has never worked more in my favor.

On the other hand, I recognize the way she’s guarding herself against the heavier of the two problems at hand. It’s an acquired skill, and one that we both acquired long ago.

My best bet is to proceed with caution.

“So, we’re okay then?” I ask.

“Of course. I’m not going to hold the fact that you were sexually harassed by one of my employees against you.”

When I stay quiet, something finally registers in Marlow. Her face softens and her eyebrows wince into a short, apologetic scrunch. She takes a step forward, straight into my arms.

“We’re okay,” she whispers with her lips pressed to my neck.

When I tilt her chin up and slant my mouth over hers, I know she isn’t lying. Marlow used to be difficult for me to read, but she’s an open book in moments like this. She pours everything out and I lap it up, always hungry for more. It’s a type of hunger that I’ve never known before. I’m fully sated but unable to stop until I’m full to the brim with…with what?

When the words hit me, I can’t keep them from rushing out. I’ve known it for a while now, but it was just a hazy feelingsomewhere in my stomach before. Now it’s burning bright in my chest.

“I love you,” I say between kisses.

Marlow pulls away. Her spine straightens under my palms. For a split second, I wonder if I made a mistake. But then I realize that I don’t regret telling her, even if she doesn’t feel the same way about me yet.

Then her lips curl up into a smile. “I love you, too.”

I need to hear her say it again. This time, breathless and wild beneath me as she takes all of me as deep and rough as she can. She needs it too, judging by the way she’s pulling me back onto the bed and running her hands under my shirt.

We’re right there. Undressed and desperate. The weight of my need for her resting against her core.

Then she speaks again.

“I think it’s time to tell everyone about us,” she says.

“I couldn’t agree more.”

Chapter 23

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