Page 145 of Fifth Avenue Fling

He twitches slightly, then tries to cover it with a smile. “Clodagh,” he says, stopping in front of me. “Lovely to see you again.”

“You too,” I say cheerily. “I never got to thank you properly for giving me a chance.”

He looks at me wearily. Has Killian told him about us? “I hope you’ve enjoyed your time in New York so far?”

“Yeah.” I start to tell him about the things I’ve done on my bucket list, but I cut it short when I sense he wants to run away from me. He’s practically edging away while we talk.

“That’s… nice,” he says with a nod. “Just make sure you make the most of it.”

He sets off in a trot down the hall. He was way more composed the last time I met him. The man can’t get away from me quick enough.

Very weird, indeed.

I follow Mandy to the offices around the corner from the open-plan area. I’ve never been in Killian’s office before.

I smooth out my T-shirt and fix my hair as Mandy knocks on his office door.

“Come in,” a deep, husky voice calls out after a minute.

Killian stands staring out the window when I enter, his feet spread apart and a palm pressed against the glass. An ass begging to be squeezed by me.

My knees buckle inward ever so slightly, and my spine shivers. So this is what a physical swoon is.

Pull yourself together, woman.

“Hi, Killian,” I say brightly.

He doesn’t turn his head to look at me. Maybe it’s a requirement of the job to be aloof and distant in the office. It would fit with all the movies I’ve seen.

I didn’t even think “film.” I’m so American.

Without glancing in my direction, he orders me to take a seat.

Since he’s not even looking at me, I assume it’s the seat on the other side of his desk.

I take a seat, crossing my legs, and Killian finally turns to meet my gaze. His expression is entirely blank.

I shift in my seat, feeling a tad uneasy. What’s wrong with him? I thought he was quiet this morning, and last night, he told me he wanted me to get a good night’s sleep, so he didn’t come to my studio.

I know this is his office, but no one is here, and he is the boss, after all, so I’m surprised I didn’t get a kiss. Or ideally more, because he looks so handsome in the dark-blue suit.

He takes a seat behind his large desk. Maybe he’s really strict on upholding his own company policy? His eyes wander to the bunny on my T-shirt, then return to meet mine.

“What’s up?” I ask, a bit of fear creeping into my voice as my female intuition sounds off.

“How’s your wrist?”

“It’s fine,” I reply, not for the first time. I suppress the impulse to roll my eyes because he’s being sweet. He asked me if I wanted to go totherapyyesterday to get over what happened with Alfred. He’s being a tad dramatic.

“Look.” He tents his hands together on the table. “This may seem callous to do here, and for that, I apologize. I’m not trying to hurt you. I thought it better to do this away from the house.”

“Do what?” I ask in a strangled voice.

He pauses. “Clodagh, you knew this wasn’t going to be a long-term arrangement. You understand that, don’t you?”

I blink at him, confused. “Are we talking about us… or my job?”

He doesn’t answer. A brief flicker of emotion passes across his face before settling into a stern mask.

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