Page 65 of By A Thread
Fuck me against office equipment?I’d put that in the “Obsess About This Later” folder.
We were both quiet for a long beat. Him still gripping my wrist. Me still staring at him as if he’d just announced he had four testicles and dreamed of someday raising miniature donkeys.
“I wanted to clear the air,” he said, pressing on. “If Harry was picking up on something between us, then others will also. That’s not the kind of environmentLabelis. Not anymore.”
My brain was still wading through his speech. There was something real, something vulnerable in there, and I needed several uninterrupted days to process it all.
“Say something,” he demanded gruffly.
“Well, the first thing that comes to mind is: I look great naked,” I told him. The man put his head down on the table, and I almost laughed.
“Dammit. I knew it,” he said mournfully.
“Did Dominic Russo just crack a joke?”
“Maybe. I don’t know. Being around you feels like a never-ending boxing match, and I keep getting hit in the nuts.”
I did laugh then. “You are really, really bad at this, by the way.”
“Forgive me,” he said dryly as he lifted his head. “I’ve never had this conversation before.”
I flipped my hand over and wrapped my fingers around his wrist. “I think you’re making this more complicated than it has to be.”
“If anyone is overcomplicating things, it’s you,” he said, his tone grumpy.
“Stop being a baby. Just because we’re attracted to each other doesn’t mean we have to act on it. We’re adults, not oversexed teens with no comprehension of consequences. I’m not your type. You’re not my type—though in other circumstances, I’d be happy to broaden my horizons.”
He growled at that. I grinned.
“But neither one of us wants to rock the boat at work. I like my job. And I don’t fuck men who don’t like me. I’m not going to lock your office door and show you that I’m not wearing underwear.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” he muttered, swiping his free hand over his face.
He looked tortured. I liked it.
“Never in the history of my adult life have I been so overcome with lust that I couldn’t control myself. And I’m willing to bet the same is true for you,” I guessed.
“Don’t overestimate my control or underestimate your appeal, Ally.”
And just like that, I was back in Put Your Dick in Me Town.“Geez, Dom.”
“I’m serious,” he said. “I’m not putting any responsibility on you. But I am infatuated with you, and I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about… things that I’m not going to repeat.”
I really, really, really wanted to know what kinds of things.
I took a breath and let it out slowly. “We want the same thing.”
His eyes narrowed, and I was overcome by a fantasy of him ripping open my cowgirl shirt and shoving my skirt up to my waist.
For one long second, I had the distinct feeling he was thinking the same thing. The temperature of the air between us rose to a smolder.
“What I mean to say,” I said, clearing my throat, “is that neither one of us is up for a workplace affair. So we won’t have one. It’s as simple as that.”
“What if I keep wearing vests?”
I leaned in and I noticed his gaze dipped to the first closed snap on my shirt. “Then I’ll just learn to control myself. Also, if you don’t stop wearing vests, I’ll stop wearing underwear to work.”
He clenched his jaw and swallowed hard.
