I nearly jump out of my chair when Trish taps me on the shoulder. I hastily drop the page onto the top of my stack.
“Sorry,” she says with the hint of laughter in her voice, “but you have a guest.”
For a split second, I’m embarrassed, wondering which of my friends has come down to take pictures of me like it’s the first day of school or prom night. Then I catch the dazed expression on Trish’s face. My gaze moves from her wide eyes to the front door, already knowing exactly who I’d find. Sterling is standing near the door, looking a bit too much like a male model for his own good. Glancing around the office, I realize that everyone is staring at him. But Sterling? He’s looking directly at me and the intensity of his gaze scorches through me.
“Thank you. Is it okay?” I ask Trish, half-hoping she’ll tell me about some heretofore unmentioned visitation policy preventing hot men from distracting the entire office during work hours.
“Look, if you don’t want him to visit you, he can come and hang out at my desk,” she whispers.
I wave him over and she flashes me a quick smile before she disappears back to her own desk. I can’t help noticing that she’s still watching him. Sterling winds through the maze of desks with the confidence of a man who knows exactly where he’s going and sees no obstacles in his path. He let his five o’clock shadow grow a little longer, leaving a sexy bit of stubble on his jaw. His hair is slicked back, showing off the strong line of his nose and his almost unnaturally blue eyes—eyes that haven’t left me yet. Each step closer sends my heart rate ratcheting up.
“Lost? Or did you feel the need to distract the entire workforce from their jobs?” I ask, dropping my chin into my hands and staring up at him.
“Me? A distraction?” His head swivels around like this is news to him. Throughout the office heads drop, trying to avoid being caught ogling him. He shrugs when he looks back to me. “Everyone seems busy. Maybe I’m only distracting you, Lucky.”
“Fat chance.” I snort and hope it comes off believably. The truth is, as much as I want to return to the manuscript, my body is actively rebelling against me. I squeeze my thighs tighter, trying to control the ticking pulse that started between them when I saw him. I need to get Sterling out of here before I leave a puddle on my seat. “Why are you here?”
“It’s your first day. I brought you a present.” He holds up a brown paper bag.
“You didn’t have to do that.” I hesitate and lean back in my seat. I need to be more direct—more forceful. I can’t let him think that he can smooth talk his way into my heart. “You shouldn’t do that.”
“I know,” he stops me before I can ask him to leave. “I’ve been thinking about what you said and maybe you’re right.”
I clutch the arms of my chair because I need solid proof I’m not dreaming. “Come again?”
“There are things I need to tell you,” he lowers his voice so that no one can hear us. “I can’t tell you everything—” I open my mouth to protest, but he shakes his head, “—not every story is mine to tell.”
“But you’ll tell me about the guy in the hotel and the last five years?”
“Yes,” he says.
“And you thought, hey, this isn’t a big day for Lucky, I’ll just pop by and be as distracting as possible while she tries to make a good first impression…?” I open a desk drawer and rifle through the papers in it.
“Err, sorry,” he asks, looking boyishly sheepish, “What are you doing?”
“Looking for a contract. I want this in writing,” I say.
“Very funny.” He drops the present on top of the manuscript on my desk. “What are you doing tonight?”
I bite my lip. I want answers and I don’t want to wait for them, but Sterling often promises more than he delivers.
“Don’t overthink it,” he says. “Just say you’ll have dinner with me so that we can talk.”
“Okay,” I agree slowly, “but on one condition. Not your place. Not my place. Neutral territory.”
“Deal.” A wide smile steals across his face, momentarily rendering me awestruck. It’s rare to see him genuinely happy, but when he is, I can’t help the swell of joy I feel. He seizes the opportunity to lean down and brush