What I should have been worried about is the situation Stan got himself into and the way Richard covered it up. I should also have been worrying about my promotion and how me not going out with them has probably made them question my loyalty. But instead of thinking of all those things, I tracked down the company and hired Lux as a temp.
“Um, okay,” she says and then comes farther into my office to take a seat at the chair in front of my desk. I wait as she sits and crosses then uncrosses her legs. She settles on placing her hands in her lap, and yet she still manages to fidget with them once they’re there. “This isn’t a coincidence, is it?”
I love her honesty and how she’s getting right to the point. I feel the corner of my lips try to turn up, but I keep from smiling.
“No, it’s not a coincidence. But I have hired you.” I sit back and look over her whole body, while thinking of how completely exposed she was the last time I saw her. She’s not showing any skin in her long-sleeve blouse and long pants, but somehow she’s just as sexy without revealing anything.
“Why?”
“Why what?”
She looks around the office and then back to me. “Why me? I mean, you seem to have the means to hire anyone. Why hunt down a cocktail waitress in a slutty costume for a corporate job?”
I can’t sit this far from her any longer, so I get up and go to the other side of the desk. I want to take the chair next to her, but right now it’s too close. I lean back against my desk and cross my arms over my chest. Mostly so I can keep myself from touching her.
“You were a terrible waitress.” She looks as though she’s going to protest but then shrugs like I’ve got a point. “So if I were to base your work performance solely on that job, objectively I wouldn’t say that was the reason I hired you.”
“Fair enough. So why then?”
“Because in the time we spent together I knew that you’re looking for an opportunity. Maybe it’s not this job or in a corporate job at all, but I’ve got the vacancy and you’re capable. I know that with a little experience under your belt you would have your pick of jobs.” Now it’s my turn to shrug because it’s all true. “With Balman and Pierce work experience on your résumé it will get you into any interview in the city.”
She thinks this over a second and then nods as if agreeing. “Then, I guess, thank you.”
“And there’s another reason,” I quietly admit as I can’t hold back anymore and take the seat next to her.
Lux goes completely still, but her eyes watch every move I make as I lean forward and put my elbows on my knees. It puts me so close, and even though it’s not enough, it’s enough for now.
“Which is?” She swallows hard as I run my index finger over my lips.
“I don’t like how we left things Friday night.” Hearing my words makes her shoulders slump. “I didn’t like what happened out there, and I’m working on dealing with it, but what I mean to say is—”
“It’s fine, I haven’t told anyone,” she cuts me off and looks down at her hands.
“That’s not why I brought you here.”
“I’m just saying, if that’s the reason, I haven’t said anything.”
“No, that’s not the reason.” She looks up from her lap like she’s surprised by my answer. “Lux, I didn’t want our night to end like that; I didn’t want it to end at all.”
“Oh.” Her cheeks heat as she twists her fingers together, and I can’t stand it anymore.
I reach out and place my hand on top of hers, stilling her fingers and making her look at me. “I wasn’t done with you Friday, and I’m not done with you now.”
“What is it you want?” Again a direct question that I’m not sure she’s ready for me to answer.
“More,” is all I can say, and it's the most honest thing I can give to her right now. “I need the help here at work, so you’ll get that, but I also want you, Lux.”
“And if I say no?” She waits, and I have the feeling she’s asking because she needs reassurance, and not because she truly will.
“Then I’ll have to see what else the temp agency can get you to do for me.” When she tries to hide her smile, it makes my heart swell. “How are you at cooking?”
“Not bad.” She raises her chin, and I see a hint of smugness in it. “I can throw down some biscuits.”
“Have dinner with me tonight at my place,” I say before I have time to think the words through. It’s exactly what I want to happen, but I’ve just gotten her here. What if I scare her off?
“Um, I kind of promised my roommate I’d be home for pizza.” She hesitates and then her next words come in a rush. “But maybe I can cancel.”
I look down to where my hands are still on top of hers and I graze my thumb along the silky skin of her wrist. She’s so delicate and still somehow there is strength under there like a current.
“I want you any way I can get you,” I admit, and it’s like confessing my deepest secret.
When I look up, she’s leaned closer and we’re only a breath apart. I wait, giving her a chance to move away or to tell me to stop. Three heartbeats pass and when she licks her lips, I have no choice but to close the distance between us and press my lips to hers.
Her mouth is soft, and the taste of her is like mint and chocolate combined. I sweep my tongue along her bottom lip, and when she opens, I slide it against hers. Breath catches in her throat and then it’s followed by a moan so soft I don’t think she meant to let it out. But I heard it, and it’s all the encouragement I need before I hold her face in both hands and kiss her like it’s the last one we’ll get before the world ends.
This should have happened Friday night. The moment she left me, an ache began to grow in my chest, and right now, the knot is finally coming undone.
Everything around us fades away, and it’s like I’ve been waiting my whole life for this. Thoughts of before and after cease to exist, and all that’s left is Lux. She’s the center of my universe, and for once in my life, my heart and my soul are open.
“Hey Bastian, can you—”
My sister's words cause Lux to jerk away and for a moment I’m flooded with anger that she’s been taken from me. I have to blink a few times to come back to reality, and when I see Selma standing in my office staring at us, I realize I may have made a mistake.
Chapter Nine
Lux
Heat rushes to my face because I’ve just been caught kissing my boss. Could I be any more cliché? I haven't been here five minutes and I’m already messing up. I’m really starting to think that moving to the city was a big mistake.
The woman at the door looks genuinely shocked while Bastian looks pissed. My stomach tightens, and with all the emotions surrounding me right now, it’s hard to read the mood in the room. I can’t tell if the woman is about to lose it or not, but either way I need to get the heck out of here.
I’m in desperate need of space between Bastian and me for a moment. One second alone with him and I fell under his spell. When he’s close, I lose all control, and even now it’s taking all my control to not reach up and touch my lips. His kiss has left an imprint on me in a way I’ve never felt. I didn't know a kiss could be that powerful as it literally took my breath away.