Something tells me that Missy isn’t allowed in here because if she were, she would have taken care of that pile of clothes already.
I was expecting a fancy walk-in closet lined with expensive shoes and clothes, maybe a crazy tie-rack and stacks of matching shirts. But there’s just one unassuming wooden wardrobe in here. I walk over to it with my heart beating wildly. I open it and stare at the neat row of a handful of shirts and a few sweaters.
The moment I open it, I am hit with the smell of him. His cologne. It’s a woody scent, pinecones, and a forest maybe. I know I shouldn’t be doing this but I reach out and touch his sweaters. They’re soft like butter, he was wearing one of these that night in London when he held me in his arms.
I can feel a stirring in the pit of my stomach. I can smell him, touch him, feel him, and…
“What are you doing?”
Now I hear him. My heart literally stops. I had a sixth sense about this. From the moment I walked into his bedroom, I knew I would be caught. Then why did I do it? It’s like I wanted to be caught. It was too delicious to not do it. I wanted to be alone with him here in his private room.
Now I turn around slowly and find him at the door. He’s in a suit today with his hands tucked into the pockets of his pants. I realize I still have that half-eaten peach in one hand. Its juices have started to run down my fingers and palm.
“I’m sorry. I just wanted to have a look.”
“At my personal things? In my room? Is this a part of your research?” He speaks firmly, but he’s not accusing. He comes into the room, and his presence fills up all the empty spaces. He fits right in here. This is who he is. The rest of the house is not an accurate representation of Reed Silvers.
“I guess I was just curious. I shouldn’t be here, I know,” I say.
He comes closer to me, close enough that I can touch him. His eyes fall on the peach in my hand, and a soft smile crosses his face.
“Are you going to finish that?” he asks, to my surprise.
“Umm…no, I mean, I don’t know,” I mumble. He’s still smiling as he reaches for the fruit and takes it out of my hand.
I watch him in awe and amazement as he takes one big bite of it. The juice smears his mouth. I know exactly how that peach tastes, what his mouth probably tastes like now. There’s a fire in my belly that I’ve never felt before. I can feel my knees buckle, and I only thought it happened in movies.
Reed continues to eat the peach, slowly and deliberately working on the luscious flesh. When he reaches the fuzzy pit, he throws it over his shoulder expertly, and it lands with a ding in a bin.
My mouth is dry, and I have to slowly smack my lips. Reed hasn’t taken his eyes off me this whole time. I want him to say something. Anything that will tell me what’s on his mind. Is he mad at me because I’ve been snooping?
“Again, I just want to say, I’m sorry,” I begin. Reed clenches his jaw tightly and takes another step towards me. I take a step back. “I shouldn’t be here.”
“No, you should be working on your actual job,” he states. He doesn’t sound mad but I don’t know if he is or not. I have my hands clasped together in front of me. I’m nervous. Maybe he can smell the desperation on my skin. Maybe he knows exactly how much I want him.
“Yeah, I should go,” I mumble, and I try to brush past him, but he grabs me by my waist and pulls me back. I want him to pull me in, kiss me, punish me for being here if he has to. But instead, Reed just stares me down. He’s already taken his hands off me. My breasts are rising and falling.
“What were you looking for, Ella?” he asks.
“Nothing in particular.”
“Then why are you in my bedroom?”
“I was just curious. I’m sorry. I’m an idiot.”
“Curious about what?”
“About you, I guess.”
I dare to meet his eyes. They’re so blue. His stubble looks darker now; his face too. He lets out a disgruntled sigh.
“You can ask me any questions you have, and I’ll try