I licked my dry lips and watched his eyes follow. And let me say, the words I spoke next cost me dearly because I knew in that moment, I could have anything I wanted in Lachlan’s arms. “You can release me now.”
Regrettably, he did just that, but the air between us remained charged, as if tension imbued the particles.
I resumed my seat, took three deep breaths, and mentally recalled our agenda. “Let’s discuss eye contact. If you’re speaking to a screen, look at the camera. I’ll tape an arrow to your camera before your next interview.”
“I can find the camera, Olivia.”
“It’s easy to forget midconversation.” He looked a little testy now, so I moved on. “If you’re doing an in-person interview, look at the speaker.”
His newly tamed eyebrows pinched in a frown. “Don’t look at speaker if virtual, but look at speaker if in person.”
“Correct. Imagine I’m the television personality interviewing you. Eyes on me.” As soon as Lachlan complied, my pulse quickened and my throat went dry. His steady gaze dared me to look away. There was a depth there I’d never noticed in our college days. All I’d seen then was the haughtiness and condescension. I knew now that it had probably hidden some pain.
“Do I have it?” He asked, his voice deliciously husky and rumbly.
Heat infused my entire body. “You certainly do.”
I spent the next hour throwing out more tips than one evening should contain. By ten-thirty Lachlan yawned three times in a row, signaling our session was over. “Let’s stop here for the night,” I said, feeling the fatigue creep in myself. I still had at least an hour of work for another client.
We walked upstairs together, each of us quiet with our own thoughts. I wondered if this felt like something married folks would do. Lachlan was probably thinking of gaming chairs and finding desk space for more monitors.
“This is your stop.” Lachlan paused at my bedroom door, the dim lights of the hall casting shadows on the floor.
I reached for the doorknob and gave it a twist. “Thanks for walking me home.” If Lachlan moved one more step in my direction, he’d be within arm’s length. There was something about nightfall, two weary bodies, and the close proximity that had me imagining things I shouldn’t. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Breakfast is at six-thirty,” he said.
Had I noticed how regal Lachlan’s chin looked since his makeover? That chin was made for touching.
“You’re giving me that look, Olivia.” Lachlan did take that one step.
But so did I, retreating smack into the wall. Oh, this was just like the romance novel we’d read in the summer. I’d never been kissed against a wall. Was it better in fiction than reality? In real life it probably pinched the back and stressed the knees.
“I’m looking at you because you’re standing so close,” I said, quiet as a hush.
“You’re right.” Lachlan planted one hand on the wall over my head and leaned, the most perfect incline of forty-five degrees that brought his mouth achingly close to mine. “I wanted to tell you…”
“Yes?” That he couldn’t get me off his mind? That he wanted to kiss me until the sun came up? That he also felt a pull that defied gravity and any semblance of logic because we were obviously so terribly wrong for one another?
“Thank you for helping me.”
I blinked, ridiculously disappointed. “You’re welcome.” At the risk of being a complainer, this conversation seemed like a waste of a wall. “Anytime.”
“Because it’s your job,” Lachlan said.
It was becoming so much more, and I needed to rein that in pronto. “Because I care if you succeed.”
Lachlan watched me in one long, tease of a moment. “Don’t care about me too much.” He inched closer, then pressed his lips to my cheek. “I hear I’m quite a bit of trouble.”
With that declaration, Lachlan retreated to his room and shut the door.
ChapterTwenty-Six
OLIVIA
Lachlan
Watched your voice coaching video. Did you make that just for me?
