moral standpoint, it wouldn’t be right for me to stay on. And besides, I have other plans, and I’ve been using my job as a crutch not to pursue them.”
“Really? What sort of plans?” I asked, curious.
“The next stop is ours,” Neil said in a flat voice before standing and joining the group who were waiting to get off. I followed, a little miffed that he refused to answer my question. I stood next to him, making the mistake of not grabbing hold of a bar as the train came to a stop, which meant I fell right into Neil. His hands came up to my shoulders, steadying me, and I got a waft of his familiar scent. It was so powerful I had to close my eyes for a second.
“Afric, are you okay?” he asked.
I nodded and opened my eyes, glancing up at him. Our gazes locked, and I couldn’t look away. We’d been apart for less than a day, and it already felt like a lifetime. I missed him so much. The emotional wall he’d thrown up was the worst part. I wanted my Neil back, the one who tried not to smile too hard when I teased him or said something funny. The one who I’d catch looking at me with worship in his eyes when he didn’t know I was paying attention.
“I’m fine,” I whispered, and he nodded, eyes running over me.
Then he glanced to the side and swore. The doors had closed, and the train was on the move again.
“We can get out at the next stop and come back this way,” he said.
“Sorry. I distracted you,” I whispered.
He cast me a soft glance. “You have a habit of doing that.”
Tingles skittered down my spine at the husky note in his voice, at the glimpse of warmth. We fell into silence again and stayed by the doors until we arrived at the next stop. We got off then hopped on the train going in the opposite direction. When we finally got back to our intended destination, it was only a short walk to the archive. The building was old and rundown. I took the lead and did all the talking, and the archivist, a cranky old guy in a green jumper, admitted us entrance. He led us down a narrow, musty hallway and into a dank storage room lined with filing cabinets.
“You should be able to find what you’re looking for in here. I clock off in an hour, though, so you better be done by then.”
“We will be. Thanks for your help,” Neil said, and the man shot him an unimpressed look, grunting as he left.
Neil went to the first cabinet and pulled it open, flicking through folders.
“Can I help?” I asked.
“No, thank you. It shouldn’t take too long to find the schematics, so long as they’ve been filed correctly.”
I nodded and leaned against one of the cabinets. Neil’s back was to me, and I noticed he was wearing jeans. Most days, he wore slacks, especially while he was working. It was a rare and wonderful occasion to see him in jeans; his cute backside encased to perfection in the dark denim.
“I can feel you staring at me. Stop it,” he said gruffly.
“Well, what am I supposed to do? There isn’t anything else to look at in here.”
He heaved a sigh. “Just … I don’t know … Look at your phone or something.”
“I don’t want to look at my phone.”
“You are so bloody irritating,” he huffed.
“And you’re so easy to wind up,” I shot back, not expecting it when he swiftly turned around. A millisecond later, he was on me, backing me up into the cabinet as his hands cupped my face. “Infuriating woman. Why am I so obsessed with you?” he asked in a gravelly voice that had me clenching my thighs.
I didn’t have a chance to respond because his mouth came crashing down on mine, his tongue an invading army I was helpless to defend against. He groaned into the kiss, and I melted, my pulse racing. Neil’s knee came between my legs, nudging them apart as his mouth practically drank me in. I felt thoroughly consumed as I brought my hands up to rest on his shoulders. I had to admit; his kiss was an onslaught I wasn’t prepared for. It was an angry, passionate, punishing kiss. It was a kiss that said, I’m not ready to forgive you, but I am ready to take things out on you in a