Page 7 of Claiming Lily (Claiming 2)

Her tears dampen the front of my shirt. This is a side of Lily I’m not familiar with. She’s usually so composed, so together, but her vulnerability and the reason for it almost wrecks me.

My hand continues to smooth from her silky hair down her back in a soothing rhythm until her tears eventually subside.

“I keep going over it, wondering if I did something or said something to make him think he could put his hands on me like that,” she says, her voice husky from her tears.

I shake my head. “Men like that don’t need a reason. They don’t need encouragement. They see what they want, and they take it. You were just unfortunate enough to become the target of a sick, arrogant fuck.”

Lily lifts her head to look at me, giving me a watery smile. “Thank you. For believing me. It means a lot.”

“You don’t have to thank me. And you don’t have to justify yourself to anyone. Like you said earlier, you know the truth, and that’s all that matters.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I should’ve been honest with you from the get-go. I only worked for Miller Corp. for a few months, and it just seemed easier to pretend it never happened,” she says, her mouth twisting with a bitter smile.

“Well, his loss is my gain,” I reassure her.

Goosebumps break out along her arms, and I suddenly realize my hands are absently smoothing up and down her soft skin. Energy crackles between us as I gaze down at her. I know she’s feeling it, too, by the way her eyes dilate and her breath catches in her throat. My rock-hard cock pressing against her hip might also give her a clue.

Her eyes widen, but I don’t see rejection in their hazel depths. I see curiosity tinged with desire, and I wonder if she knows what she’s revealing with that hungry look.

“Doesn’t this make me a huge hypocrite,” she asks uncertainly, waving a finger between us.

I move my hands to cradle her face, smoothing my thumbs across her cheeks. “Because I’m your boss?” I ask, my voice a low rumble.

“Yes. And because I’ve just told you what happened with my last boss.”

I frown. Am I really that different from Miller Cooper? After all, I took one look at Lily and knew she was going to be mine. My thoughts about her over that last month haven’t exactly been innocent—far from it.

But I’d never put my hands on a woman without permission, and I’d certainly never force her, never take what wasn’t given willingly. The thought of Miller Cooper doing that to Lily makes me want to break things—namely his fucking face!

“I know you, Lily. There’s no way you did anything to make that asshole think he could treat you like that. We’ve spent almost every day together for the last month, and I know the kind of person you are. I see your passion and diligence for your work and the kindness you show others. You get the best out of people without abusing your position, and everyone in the office loves you.”

Including me.

I want to say the words, but I bite my tongue. She’s not ready for that yet. I’m still letting that fact settle in myself.

Her eyes fill with tears at my words. “I love working here. I love working for you.”

I’ll settle for that. For now.

I slide my hand through her hair, massaging her scalp with my fingers. She closes her eyes with a sigh of pleasure, and when she opens them again, there’s no denying the desire in their hazel depths. Her eyes drop to my mouth and her lips part, her head moving closer to mine as if pulled by an invisible thread.

“I’ll never hurt you, my little office angel. Will you let me kiss you?” I ask, my voice rough with emotion.

“Yes. Please!” she whispers, her eyes fluttering closed again.

My mouth touches hers tentatively, lightly grazing her lips. The light contact sends a shock of desire coiling through me, stalling my breath in my lungs and tightening my balls. I pull back slightly to gauge her reaction, giving her the opportunity to move away. The last thing in the world I want to do is scare this beauty in my arms or overstep her boundaries.

But she doesn’t move away. Instead, her hands fist in my shirt, and she lets out a small moan, lifting her mouth blindly towards mine. It’s such a small sound, but it tells me all I need to know. It tells me that this chemistry between us isn’t one-sided, that there’s a passion simmering inside her that matches my own. It tells me that I stand a chance—no matter how small—of making her fall in love with me.

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