comes any closer, I’m going to have to pull her to myself. I’m going to have to feel her against my body. Why did she have to wear this skirt? All I can think about is having her thighs wrapped around my face.
“I’m sorry about my initial reaction, Reed. I didn’t think I would ever see you again. I guess I was just in shock.”
“I understand.”
“I’m really happy to see you, believe it or not.”
“I’m glad to see you too.”
She takes a few more steps in my direction, and I rub a hand over my face. A few more inches and she’s going to set me off. I’m not going to be able to keep these electrically charged urges under control. I have to step away. So I head to the door of the study.
“I have some phone calls to make. Feel free to explore the house. Tom will be with you shortly. I hope you have a good day.”
I rush out of the room and I know I’ve been too dismissive of her. I don’t know what she wants and I don’t want to step over any boundaries. I’ve already stepped over plenty.
If I’m going to get Ella in my bed, I have to take my time and play the game right. Or she will slip through my fingers the way she did the last time.
This time I’m going to have to make her see that she really has no choice. The two of us are meant to be together.
I’m on the phone in the kitchen when Ella finally emerges. I haven’t seen her in over two hours, but I can see that she and Tom have hit it off. He is not the kind of guy to smile during office hours, but here he is, laughing at something Ella said.
I end the call quickly and look up at their smiling, glowing faces. I can sense a tinge of envy when I see the way Ella looks. I really shouldn’t be upset about her spending time with Tom. They need to work together. It’s part of their jobs.
“How did your first day go?” I ask. Tom busies himself on his phone, standing aside. Ella nods, looking around the kitchen and still smiling.
“I can’t say I’ve made much progress. I’m just trying to work out a timeline first and make a list of everyone I want to call. Tom has been very helpful with the process.”
I see the way they exchange happy glances at each other. Clearly, Ella has this effect on people where she’s able to put them at ease. I’ve never seen Tom this comfortable around a new person before.
“Good. That sounds great. Looks like you know exactly what you’re doing.”
“Do you have any preference for what time you want me to get here to start the day? How many hours I should spend in the office?”
“Ella, I have put this task into your very capable hands. I’ll leave it with you to make the right decisions. Do what needs to be done,” I say.
She smiles at me, and I feel the excitement in my veins. I’m going to be sorry when I watch her walk away today, but I don’t want to push it. It’s just her first day. She still has to get used to the idea that she’s now my employee.
She waits for a few moments, looking around the kitchen. Tom is still here. If she has something to say to me, it seems she’s not going to say it in front of me. Okay. So they’re not best friends yet.
“So…I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“I don’t know if I’ll be around when you come over, but Tom will be here. In any case, we should give you a key.”
Her eyes widen, she looks surprised, but then she gulps and nods.
Nobody other than Tom has ever had a key to my house. What am I doing? I’m not too sure of it either.
“I hope you have a good evening,” she says, and just as she turns, Jay walks in. He’s in work clothes and looking busy. Missy, my housekeeper, must have let him in.
He looks up from his phone and locks eyes with Ella. She blushes lightly when she sees him and is about to walk past him. I hope she does. I don’t want Jay asking any questions and poking and prodding.
“Whoops!” he exclaims when she tries to get past him, but he blocks her way. Ella laughs lightly and they lock eyes again; she tucks