“My job.”
I wave her away. “No matter what happens, it won’t affect your employment here. If you feel you can’t work with me afterward, I’ll find you a comparable role elsewhere in the organization.”
“I appreciate that. And if you can’t work with me, I’ll understand if you send me to another department. But what about my dignity?”
“Do you want to know the things you outlined in your email?”
The awareness in her hazel eyes melts me. Somewhere under her self-consciousness, she feels desire. I see it all over her face. For sex in general? Or for me specifically?
She hasn’t laughed at me for offering to help. In fact, she’s lingering in my office when her head probably tells her she shouldn’t. She hasn’t said no. And the way she’s looking at me…
I think she wants me.
How intriguing. How did I never notice?
Because you’ve been trying hard not to look at her for fear you’d jump her somewhere between her desk and yours.
The silence between us stretches on. Her head is obviously racing, and she’s struggling to breathe. She’s absolutely torn. And she looks so goddamn beautiful.
“Kiera?” I prompt softly, closing half the distance between us. This is the first time I’ve spoken her name like a friend would. Like a lover would.
The walls of my office seem to close in until there’s only the two of us in a tight space filled with my rough breaths and her racing heart. It feels thick and intimate. It’s all I can do to keep my hands off her.
But I need to hear her say yes to me.
She wrings her hands. “Mr. Knight…”
“Jonathan,” I correct. “If I’m potentially going to touch you, it won’t be as your boss. Do you want me to teach you, yes or no?”
“Why would you agree?”
I grapple for anything logical. “There are a lot of dangerous people out there. I wouldn’t want you to fall prey to one.”
That part is true. I’d hate for Kiera to ask someone else and end up hurt—or worse. But even if I lie to her, I can’t lie to myself. The thought of her in the arms of another man makes my stomach knot.
Her gaze falls to the floor. “I didn’t think about that.”
“I’m willing to help you, Kiera. In fact, we can help each other.” I close the last of the distance between us, fighting the urge to lift her chin and make her meet my stare.
But she’s a fever in my blood. If I touch her now, I may not be able to stop.
“How?”
“I have a bit of a dilemma myself. You see, my ex is getting married in six weeks. She invited me to attend, and I need a date.”
That surprises her. “Why me? You can find a date anywhere.”
The horizontal kind, sure. But I’m looking for more. “I need someone to help me navigate a potential business opportunity. Who better than my assistant?”
Slowly, she nods. “But why would your ex invite you to her wedding?”
“Isn’t that a great question?”Because she wants to rub my face in her marriage? Or to see if I’m downtrodden and miserably single? With Amber, either is possible.
“And why would you go?” Kiera frowns. “Unless you still have feelings for her?”
“Oh, god, no. I dodged a bullet with that one. I’m only going for the potentially lucrative business contact I need to make.”
“Right. So you have to deal with the ex, and you don’t want to go alone.”