I have to do something. I’m just not sure what.
Moreno is my boss. If I can’t fix this, I’m royally screwed. It’s not like after my work shift I can go home, unwind, and escape work.
I live with the man. And while we don’t share a bedroom, we live under the same roof.
Talk about complicated.
I intentionally step a little louder as I approach, my heels clanking over the wooden floorboards, but the music is too loud for him to notice.
“I’ve never seen you order whiskey,” Ashlee says as she pours him a fresh glass. “Hell, I’ve never seen you order alcohol.”
Ashlee’s eyes widen, and then she steps away to give us privacy.
I’m not sure whether to thank her or wrestle her back over to keep things civil between us.
“Can we talk about Nova?” My voice is soft, gentle, and non-threatening. I don’t want to fight with him. I feel like he’s a ticking time bomb and will explode at any second.
His silence scares me more than anything.
He downs his drink and gestures the bartender back over. “Just leave the bottle.”
Ashlee grabs the top-shelf whiskey and leaves it on the counter before she’s out of sight and earshot.
“What do you want to know?” Moreno asks, but his question comes out more like an accusation, and I have the sneaking suspicion if I ask what I’m desperate to find out, it’s not going to end well.
“I noticed she doesn’t have any friends.”
He foregoes the glass for the second drink of whiskey and brings the bottle to his lips instead. “She has Luca.”
“He’s almost six,” I remind him. “She needs friends her age.”
He turns quickly to face me, and I can feel a warmth flood through me at his proximity. It doesn’t stop there.
No, he steps closer, forcing me to take a small step back, except he grabs my hip and traps me between him and the bar.
I inhale a sharp breath.
“I let you take her to the park.” There’s no kindness in his words and no amount of warmth in his dark stern gaze that towers down at me.
I don’t push him away.
Maybe I should and head outside for some fresh air. The thought rattles through my brain, but it’s gone when he lands his lips down on mine.
His breath is hot, fiery. His hands pull at my hips, clutching me against him. He’s rough and demanding, but his forcefulness is met only with my eagerness.
“Moreno,” I whisper, surprised by the single word that spills past my lips.
What are we doing?
Why is he kissing me?
His hand is positioned at my lower back. He pulls me tighter, letting me feel his desire as his other hand snakes down my thighs and up my skirt.
No. No. No.
He’s my boss.
I shouldn’t be doing this with him.