Page 46 of New Girl in the City
He gave me a nod. Just one quick jerk of his chin. “Yeah.”
“And that’s it?” I asked with a raised eyebrow. “That’s all you’re gonna give me?”
“For now,” he said, and raised my hand to his lips, kissing my knuckles, “you’ve got work, babe. I’ll tell you after if you want.”
“Yeah, I’m going to want that.”
“After work then.”
I nodded, and then leaned close to kiss him. There was no way I was going to last until after work for a kiss. I took my time and kissed him slowly, just a gentle and sweet one, that hinted at more.
It hinted at more because I knew what it was like to be under this man and I poured that promise into the kiss When we pulled apart Liam was shaking his head at me. “You’re trouble,” he murmured and then kissed my knuckles again. “I’m getting the door. Stay there.”
“You’re too bossy!” I called out to him as he got out of the car, but he paid me no mind. I didn’t tell him that I liked the demanding persona he had going for him, but I suspected he knew it. When he opened the door for me, he wasn’t smiling, he was smirking which told me that he definitely knew I liked that side of him. When he gave me his hand to help me from the car, I was wishing I’d given him more than a single kiss.
“Thank you,” I demurred, playing at the grateful client and not the woman that’d been kissed thoroughly by him.
He squeezed my hand, fingers lingering a beat longer than necessary, but I didn’t move to pull away, not even when we got a couple of looks from others rushing into the building. I really didn’t care what any of them thought. It was New York City, after all. Me and the driver were small potatoes compared to what they were bound to see by lunch time.
“Anytime, Princess.”
We stayed like that for a minute, eyes locked on each other, our hands pressed close, only inches between us. It was electric, the tension and sense of gravity that nearly dragged me forward, but finally, regrettably, I stepped away and gave him a wink.
“See ya, after work, handsome,” I told him with a smile.
He laughed at that and nodded. “Sure thing.”
I was still smiling when I entered the building and rode the elevator up to my office floor. My smile was still in place when I went through the day’s workload, an immense undertaking with Arington deciding to move forward with us. My smile didn’t even fade when the copier jammed, and I had to help my assistant replace the toner while trying to rip a wrinkled and wadded piece of paper from the damn thing to get it up and running again.
It only faltered when my eyes locked on the intern I’d seen earlier that week. She was hurrying down the hallway looking pale. Her eyes had something in them, a sense of sadness that I hadn’t seen there before. I saw the executive she’d been with a few feet behind her and went on alert.
Something was up.
I bit my lip watching them pass by. It was only when they had rounded the corner that I turned to my assistant and asked, “What’s going on with that?”
“With what?” she asked, though from the slight tightening of her mouth, I knew she knew what I was talking about.
I jerked a thumb in the direction the couple had gone. “That. Them. You know what, Lydia.”
She sighed and then shook her head. “It’s a mess.”
“Spill.”
“Do I have to?” she groaned, slumping back on her desk.
“I’m covered in toner and sweaty from trying to climb inside of this thing,” I pointed at the printer and then crossed my arms at her, “so yes, you do have to. Otherwise you’re on your own again when this thing goes south.”
“You’d really leave me to fend for myself with the printer?” she asked with baleful eyes.
“Oh you better believe it if you’re holding out on me.”
She pouted and crossed to the recycling bin dropping the used toner cartridge inside with a thud. “Oh, alright. I’ll spill.”
“A solid choice. Now tell me everything about that train wreck.” I came closer and hitched a hip against her desk.
When I was beside her she glanced around to check that we were alone and then said, “She’s young. College senior.”
My heart stopped. A senior. I had thought she’d at least graduated but no. She was still in school.
