Page 104 of Everything She Wanted

He doesn’t step away from me or even respond but gives her the briefest glance before turning back to me.

“Whatever, asshole.” She huffs down the street, leaving us alone again.

“I want this, I want you. So badly.” I can see the longing, the fire, the desire in his eyes. They mirror my own. He brings his knuckles to my cheek, touching me tenderly as his eyes unravel my defences. I swallow hard, knowing I need to turn away, but I can’t move. Desire replaces the panic. I place a hand on his solid chest, and I close my eyes as he brushes my lips with his.

Run, I need to run. To stop this from happening again.

His lips meet mine. Softly at first and then with a desperate hunger that I easily match. His tongue slips inside my mouth, and he takes my wrist and holds it on the wall next to me gently, pinning me in place as if he’s afraid I’ll run away again, from him, from this.

The door opens again and a large group exits. He pulls away, but he doesn’t stop looking at me with his eyes full of lust as their loud voices try to pull us out of this vortex. He has no intention of letting me escape that easily. He grazes my bottom lip with his teeth, rousing desire where I’ve been desperately trying to extinguish it. My body takes over, and I tingle as I think about him biting and teasing every part of me.

“Come home with me.” His grip is still soft, but now possessive, as if I’m his and his alone, or at least he wants me to be. “No one has to know.”

I want to smack my palm into his face at his suggestion. A moment ago, he’s talking up someone else, and now he’s saying this.

I don’t get the chance.

The door swings open and I see Jess from the corner of my eye. Her eyes widening as she sees Nick’s hands on me and mine on him. I shove him away more forcefully than intended, and I turn to her, trying to look calm and collected.

I smooth down my hair as the panic returns. We’re being too careless, and now his date isn’t the only one who’s seen us together.

“Oh, hey. I thought you had left already.” She looks at me with a cloud of confusion.

I take a rapid inhale of breath and bring my hands together to stop them from shaking. “I had to make a quick call, and Nick came out to ask me something.” My voice quivers, and this time, even I can’t make this lie sound real.

“Oh.” She looks at us questioningly, her mind filling in the blanks. My heart races, worried that she’ll figure it all out.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have taken up your time outside the office. We can catch up on things tomorrow.” He sounds composed but runs his hands through his hair and his eyes shift from me to Jess like he’s rattled. “I’ll see you both tomorrow.” He gives me one last glance and walks across the street. We both watch him go.

“I’d better go try to catch the next train.” I give Jess an easy smile even though my heart’s hammering, my lips are tingling, and my cheeks are inflamed.

She looks perplexed, but she says nothing. I hope she’ll never figure it out, but at the same time, I wish she knew everything. Maybe she could make sense of this because I sure as hell can’t wrap my head around it.

36. What Just Happened?

I walk by Jess’s desk in the morning and I’m relieved to find it empty.

I spent the evening stressing about how much she had seen.

I breathe a little easier as I arrive at my desk, check emails and create my to-do list for the day, prioritizing tasks in order, when a message flashes on the screen from Jess.

Coffee in 15?

I quickly reply, wanting to avoid discussing last night with her. I let her know that I’m swamped and suggest tomorrow instead.

It’s important.

I tell her I just have to finish an email, hoping to buy myself some time to calm down.

I’ll go now and order for us.

There are no emojis or GIFs—none of the Jess-isms I’ve gotten so used to—making worry claw itself back into my chest. Something’s wrong. I walk to the coffee shop, lost in thought. There’s no way she knows anything. I haven’t told anyone what’s been going on and I know Nick wouldn’t either. I find Jess seated in our usual booth around the corner with our drinks.

“Hey, Jess. What’s up?” I hold my breath as I take a seat.

“I know what’s going on with you and Nick.”

Fuck. I’m fucked. But I can’t let her know that. “What do you mean? There’s nothing going on.”