“Yes, but with you, it doesn’t seem to matter. Does it bother you that I’m talking like this? Because if it is, I’ll back off.”
“No, for some reason, it doesn’t scare me or anything. I like that you think of me like that. Is that bad?”
“Not at all. Sometimes people connect immediately, just like we did. We instantly felt easy with each other. I can’t explain it. If I come on too strong, let me know.”
“But you said you’d spank me?” She wanted to be angry, but the emotion going through her wasn’t even close to that. If anything, it made her hotter.
“Oh, Lord, baby. Don’t look at me like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like you’re begging me to pull down your panties and handle your luscious little ass.”
Her mouth dropped open, and she tried to take a step back, not because she was scared of him, but because the way it made her feel was intense. It made her hot. She hadn’t realized she’d actually took a step closer to him until her breasts touched his chest.
“I… We don’t know each other…”
“I know, and I’m going to make sure you’re comfortable with me and trust me enough to take care of you, but I know it will take time, and I have to be patient. I’ll give you time to get to know me, if that’s even what you want to do. You might just want to be friends.”
“Oh, no. I don’t want to be just friends.”
“Good. Then I’ll go at your pace.”
But does he really have to wait? God, what was she thinking? She couldn’t be pondering going to bed with a man she’d just met?
“I… Thank you for being patient.”
He kissed the tip of her nose. “You’re welcome. How about we hit one more store before we head back to the office. The things we bought before should have been delivered. We could maybe get some of the things done before five.”
She nodded. “I’d like that.”
He grasped her hand. “Good.” He led her around the corner to a store that sold office supplies.
They spent a little over an hour in there before heading back to the office.
She stopped short when she got a look at all the stuff they bought that crowded the large office. “This is so much. Did we really get all of this?”
“Yes, and we’re going to keep it, so quit worrying and get to work.”
She glanced over her shoulder to see the grin on his face. “Where do you want to start first?”
“Let’s get the furniture where it needs to go and then maybe work on the art we bought.”
She had no idea how long they’d worked when someone knocked on the open door.
“Oh, hey, Vic. Come here and meet Eli.” She rubbed her hands down her thighs. “Eli, this is my cousin, Vic. And this is one of the new partners, Eli.”
Vic walked forward and shook his hand.
“You work in the computer department?”
Vic smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I’m one of the eggheads.”
Eli snorted. “Who gave you that name?”