“What exactly does that mean?”
Despite the bubbling heat in his stare, the words were icy.
“I may work at your desk, from time to time, even though I should stop doing that, but I should not be sitting there like the desk is mine when you are in the room. You should be seated here. This is your office, after all.”
“This is not stopping for a five-course meal, Fyre. This is us eating while we work. You are set up there and while I may be, okay, I am an asshole, I am not going to make you move.”
“This is not proper.” She lifted the plate and edged around the chair, freezing at the low growl that filled the room.
“I will tell you what is not going to be proper, me picking you up and putting you back there. Trust me, Fyre, when I have you in my arms, there are plenty of things I have in mind and none of them involve you working on that book or eating the food on that plate. If you are not inclined to learn what those are at this moment, sit in the goddamn chair and eat.”
Her instincts screamed for her to run but her muscles were locked and she couldn’t move. She lowered herself back to the chair slowly and, without looking at him, she reached for one of the sandwiches he’d placed on the plate for her. Nibbling at it, she kept her eyes forward until she’d swallowed the last bit.
Only then did she adjust herself to look at him. He stared at her, blatant hunger in his gaze, but he didn’t move from his seat.
“You are making me crazy, Fyre. You know I would never hurt you, right? And if you tell me no or to back off, I will.” He scrubbed a hand over his jaw. “Do you know this?”
“I trust you, Lord Edais. And yes, I know that.”
“I want to make sure, because while I am going to give you fair warning, I am coming after you. I do not want you to feel like my title makes it so you cannot say no to me.”
His tone was low and earnest. He had leaned closer to her, not moving the chair, but still, she felt him closer.
“When the time comes and you trust me enough to take you to bed.” A wink. “Or the desk, outside by the water, against a wall, everywhere, the minute you say no, that will stop it. I will never take advantage of you like that.”
Heat surged through her. She wanted that. To be consumed by this man. To have the courage to allow the spark between them to explode into the raging inferno she knew it would be.
Unable to hold his gaze, she put hers back to the desk and picked up the pen once more. Seconds later it was plucked from her hand.
“Eat.”
There he went being all growly again and her body reacted. Her nipples tightened, rubbed against the material of her clothing, and she struggled not to slide on the chair. The ache between her legs only grew.
Tipping her head up, she found him scowling down at her.
“Why are you scowling?”
“One tiny sandwich is not enough for you. If you do not want to eat, then perhaps we should talk about the dead man who dared to put his hand on you.” He blinked and gave a mocking smile. “I did not forget I saw the mark that someone hit you. Do you want to confirm who it was? I do know, Fyre. I have people all over this island who tell me things, but I want to hear it from you.”
She remained mute but shook her head. That wasn’t something she wished to get him involved in. It was her mess with her own brother. Not this man’s business. How the hell had he found out anyway, and who were his ‘people’ he had all over this island? Her home, not his.
“My lord,” Keating interrupted and Fyre yanked her gaze away from him, not wanting to risk the butler seeing her affection for his boss.
She sat back in the chair and took another sandwich even as she picked up the pen again.
Phillip narrowed his gaze but turned to face the butler. The second those intense eyes were off her, she took a deep breath, needing the break. The earl’s presence was a lot for her.
The man in question had walked over to speak to the butler and she didn’t even attempt to listen. She allowed the world of numbers to pull her back in, calming her nerves and making things right once more. Even as she ate the food on the plate, she worked.
Only after looking up once she had finished did she realize that they were once again the only two in the room. Phillip leaned back in the chair he’d dragged closer and had his ankle resting on his other leg as he watched her unabashedly.