“It’s okay,” he growls. Those beach-kissed eyes connect with mine. “I told you I wouldn’t allow any idiotic comments. Promise kept. That’s the least I can do for you.”
My eyes drop from his eyes to his lips.
I wish I could kiss him.
For the briefest, scariest second, I contemplate what he’d do if I did.
What would happen if I played his fiancée, right down to the physical level? Would it be just like that night we met, where he told me to get lost? Or would he give me the force of a thousand suns like he did at the hospital?
“When’s the wedding?” Reese asks.
“Not sure yet,” I say. “We haven’t quite picked out a date.”
“Go easy on her, Reese. We just got engaged last night,” Ward says.
“Oh! Can I see the ring?” she asks.
Forcing a smile, I stretch my arm out and lean forward.
Ward’s arm stays hooked around my waist, and he pulls me back to the seat. “This would be safer after she’s parked.”
Reese lets out a whistle worthy of a lifeguard when she sees my rock.
“Marvelous! You outdid yourself, bossman.”
He did. Just not the way you think, lady, I think to myself.
“This is such a surprise. I see you both every day. I’m kinda pissed neither of you said anything,” Reese says. “Is it too much to give a girl a few details? Like, how did it happen this fast? Was it romantic? Did you cry, Paige?”
“Save it for another time,” Ward answers.
Then he pushes a button on the door and a privacy screen goes up between us and Reese.
“I forget the damn thing exists sometimes. Should’ve done it sooner,” he tells me.
I giggle and look up at him. “Was that really necessary? You had to know we’d be having these conversations today.”
“Yeah, but we’re having them on our terms. I’m not fielding an entire press conference with the driver.”
I nod because I get it.
This is barely an appetizer of the whirlwind to come. If I don’t pace myself, I’ll be dead from embarrassment ten times over before I ever get to enjoy my new riches.
Ten minutes later, we step out of the elevator together.
Nick is walking toward his office on the other side of the lobby.
He looks over his shoulder at us, grins, spins around, and closes the space between us. His mellow green eyes have a shine to them today that really stands out from Ward’s teal-blue.
“Have a good night, bro?” He punches Ward on the arm.
For a second, I pause, tuning them out.
I don’t have an enclosed office. I have a desk in an open space in the lobby.
Yeah, I’m not ready to have every random person on payroll stopping by and dying to know about our not-engagement until I have my bearings.
I grab my laptop from my desk.
“Hey, Ward, I’m working in your office today.”
He nods at me. “I’ll be there as soon as I kick Nick’s ass. Go ahead and send the email. We’ll have the all-staff meeting in twenty minutes. It won’t take me longer than that to pulverize my brother.”
Nick stays silent, an amused smirk pulling at his face.
I disappear into his office with a grin and a memo to set up.
Someone knocks at the office door a few minutes later.
I open it to find a woman I recognize, but can’t quite name from the quality assurance team.
“I think he’s in a meeting with Nick,” I say.
“Congratulations!” She grabs me and hugs me so tight it knocks my breath away.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
“I had to stop by and give Ward my best. He needs you, lovely lady. I’ll catch up with him later.”
The elevator dings. A graphic designer with cat-eye glasses—Chelsea, I think—steps off of it before I can close the door and hide again.
“Paiiige!” she squeals, barreling toward me like a human cannonball.
I wave at her from the doorway. The quality assurance woman hasn’t left yet, and her lips turn up when she sees the designer.
So much for hiding.
She comes up to us. “Okay! Dish. You have to tell us how it happened.”
“I was wondering the same thing,” Miss Quality Assurance says. “It’s totally out of left field. None of us knew any fairy tales were happening around here. Was it the stress since Beatrice’s breakdown?”
“Oh, um, not at all. I’ve been crushing on Ward since we met.” Or at least crushing on his body since the weird night at the museum. “I wasn’t feeling well and he kind of took me under his wing, brought me water and Tylenol.