As soon as my green eyes meet his blue ones and I see the concern and softness in them and I cave, “Look, about yesterday…” My cheeks heat instantly, and I fidget with my hands nervously. “I’m sorry. I know you didn’t mean what you said... in the way you said it. I’m just…”
“This is new for both of us, but it doesn’t mean that I regret what happened. You’re not like all the other women I’ve fucked. You’re my best friend.”
“Am I?” I cringe, my eyes moving to my ballet flat covered feet. I look so out of place, and nothing like the woman that Elijah typically goes for. I’m more of the girl that stays holed up inside with a floor to ceiling book library, not the kind that has designer handbags hanging off her arms and more shoes than she knows what to do with. I prefer to get my clothes from thrift stores, not because I don’t have the money to buy designer, but because I like vintage, and I like the colors I like, when I like them and not because they are in style that week.
While Elijah goes for magazine cover beauty, I go for fresh, no makeup beauty.
He lifts an accusing brow. “You are, and nothing will ever change that, nothing either of us says or do will change our friendship. I won’t let it, but we do, however, need to talk about what happened.”
“I don’t know if that’s—” I don’t get a chance to finish what I’m saying because Elijah places a thick finger against my lips, halting me. The touch though subtle and hardly a touch at all, sends a lightning bolt of pleasure through my body.
“We’ve already crossed the line, and dove head first into uncharted waters. I’ve had a taste of you, Bailey, but it’s not enough for me. I want more. I need my fill of you. I just need to figure out how to get it without hurting either of us.” At his words, I freeze. The seductive tone of his voice makes me shiver, and his darkened gaze tells me he’s not lying.
He wants more, but I suppose the growing question is, can I give him more? We’re supposed to be just friends… and he doesn’t do the whole dating thing, so where would that lead us? Toward further heartache? I know there’s no way I’ll survive getting my heart broken by him, just like I’ll never survive losing him as my best friend.
“Come on, Bailey, we both know there is no going back. Not completely anyway. I don’t know how to fix us right now, but I know that I want you again, and I know you want me too.”
“Elijah…” I whine, knowing damn well at any second I’ll give into him. The thought of letting him have his way with me again is too tempting, and we really do need to talk about all of this, face to face, whether that be over dinner, or well he’s deep inside me.
“Dinner, Sunflower… and maybe a kiss or two. It’s not a date, it’s nothing at all, so don’t freak out on me, okay?” His finger moves, trailing over my plump bottom lip, his hooded eyes honing in on the motion of his finger as he skims over it. “I just can’t stop thinking about what happened between us. About the sounds you made, the way you said my name as you came. I can’t stop thinking about…” He trails off, the elevator dinging behind us. My eyebrows pinch together and I damn near frown at the sound.
He pulls away a second later, and I’m left gaping up at him, my stomach twists, and my heart beats furiously. I blink a couple times, pulling myself from the trance his touch put me in. He moves as if he’s unaffected, heading toward the elevator to greet whoever just got off.
“Mrs. Rosen, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” I hear him say, but still remain standing where I am. I can’t believe he said he wants to kiss me again, that he can’t stop thinking about... well he didn’t finish his sentence, but I can only assume he was going to say our night together.
“Oh, you’re too sweet, Mr. Westbrook,” a woman gushes behind me and I twist around, my eyes landing on a woman that has Elijah written all over her.
She’s tall, toned, and tan, with a face painted with makeup on it. She’s wearing a designer pencil skirt and blouse that shows off her assets, if you know what I mean. Her pointed heels look like they might snap if she steps to hard on them. She’d make the perfect suburban housewife. Inky black jealousy digs its claws into my skin when I see him place his hand at the small of her back and guide her toward his office.
“Let’s go discuss this arrangement in my office,” he says, the sound of their footsteps sounding off in the distance.
Gritting my teeth, I walk over to the little desk I had him get me to do the work he needs me to do. I fall into the office chair and squeeze my eyes closed. Jealous. As if. I’ve never been jealous before, and I’ve seen Elijah with a lot, and I do mean a shit ton of women. All of varying degrees, and from many different walks of life. They only had one thing in common, model-like beauty.
But this time it feels different, like he’s cheating or something, and I can’t shake the ache slicing through my chest no matter how much I try. Why is this bothering me so much? It’s not the first time he’s taken a woman in his office and did God knows what with her.
Trying to calm myself only enrages me more, because with each deep exhale, I’m reminded of the silence that surrounds me and the fact that he’s still in his office with her.
This is bad, very bad. The loud thumping of my heart fills my ears. Pff, I have no reason to be jealous. He told me he wants me, that he wants to kiss me again. The thoughts make me smile, no matter how wrong they are. Friends cannot be lovers and still be friends. It’s humanly impossible and still, we’re toeing the line, pushing the limits.
Seconds tick by and my eyes move to the heavy wooden door leading into Elijah’s office. I can’t focus on anything, not with him in there with her. Not while I’m wondering what the hell they’re talking about or doing. What’s taking them so long? Warmth flushes through me, and with each minute that passes and the door remains closed, that jealousy sinks deeper inside me, eating away at all the good thoughts wreaking havoc on my mind.
Finally, and thankfully so, the damn door opens, and the woman comes out, a bright smile on her face. Looking away and down to the papers on my desk, I pretend to not notice her, or even Elijah as he exits his office behind her, showing her to the elevator. Once inside, they say their goodbyes, and the elevator doors close with her inside.
I tap the pen in my hand against my desk repeatedly, telling myself that I’m not jealous… no way, there has to be another reason as to why I would want to claw that woman’s eyes out of her face.
“So dinner?” Elijah bellies up to my desk, his presence is overwhelming, his warm scent tickles the fine hairs of my nose and I wish like hell I could ignore him.
“Can’t. I have a date,” I say without even looking up at him. A deep chuckle resonates through the room and against my better judgment, I look up at the bastard through my lashes, seeing the widened grin on his face.
“A date?” His laughter continues, his smile showing off his perfectly straight white teeth and the adorable dimples on his face. Stupid dimples. Stupid smile. “No offense, Sunflower, but you don’t date. Like ever. Asher told me so and we’ve known you for a long time, since like...” He taps at his chin and I have half a mind to slug him for being a smug asshole. “Since kindergarten.”