He reached out and felt my forehead. “Your face is red.” He brushed the back of his hand over my cheek. “And you’re clammy.”
I tried to hide my embarrassment, but I felt my face heating even more. “I was under the covers. That room gets warm.”
Again, he was quiet, and I continued to stare down at his feet.
Seriously? Even his stupid feet were sexy.
Tension built in the room with every second that passed. Eventually Merrick set his drink on the counter. He slipped the glass from my hand and set it next to his. My eyes darted up, but I quickly looked away.
“Look at me, Evie.”
Fuck.
The moment was already awkward, and all I wanted to do was run back to my room and hide under the covers. But that would make things even worse. So instead, I put on my big-girl panties and took a deep breath before looking up.
Our gazes locked, and I watched as Merrick studied me. Long seconds ticked by as my heart ricocheted against my rib cage. I watched in fascination as his pupils grew darker and larger, and a ghost of a devilish smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. Merrick shifted from next to me to in front of me, putting one hand on either side of the counter.
“You want me as much as I want you, Evie. I can see it.”
I felt like a deer caught in the headlights with a car barreling down the road. Yet I couldn’t seem to get my feet to move. Maybe they didn’t want to.
Merrick’s eyes were filled with so much heat, I actually started to sweat.
“Tell me I’m wrong,” he said.
“You’re…” It felt like he could see right through me, so rather than lie, I told him something that was true. “You’re my boss, Merrick.”
He looked down for a minute before locking eyes with me again. “Is that the only reason?”
“Isn’t that enough?”
A wicked grin spread across his face. He held up one finger and then took a few steps to grab his cell from the kitchen table. Looking at me, he swiped and tapped before holding his cell up to his ear.
“Who are you calling? It’s after one in the morning.”
He held my eyes as he spoke into the phone. “Hi, Joan.”
My eyes flared. He was not calling the head of HR in the middle of the night, was he?
Merrick listened for a minute and then nodded. “Yeah, everything is fine. I’m sorry if I woke you. But I’ve been struggling with something and wanted to run it by you.”
I couldn’t hear what she said, but I was positive we were both thinking the same thing: Our boss is a damn crazy person.
He continued. “I think it’s best that we build a wall between myself and Evie Vaughn. If employees are supposed to be able to confide in her, they should know her boss can’t pressure her to reveal anything they might disclose. The best way to do that is to not have her report to me.”
My mouth dropped open.
Merrick looked over and covered the phone. He motioned with his hand for me to close my mouth and whispered, “Rest that jaw. I’ll need it open later.”
Oh
My
God.
He continued on the phone without missing a beat. “I think it’s best she reports to you for day-to-day issues. And since the board brought her on, they should have hiring and firing authority.”
Merrick’s eyes sparkled as he stared at me, still listening on the phone. After a minute, he smiled. “Perfect. Except this can’t wait until next week. I’d like it to be effective immediately. Thanks, Joan. Sorry again for waking you.”