“Can this be an email?” he asked. The way his eyes looked like they were about to bulge out of his head made her think that it was not, in fact, a good time.
Too bad,she thought. “Considering today is my last day, I need to pin you down.”
“What?” His mouth dropped open, and she wondered if there was any way he was picturing the same dirty thing she was. Something in the way that the gruff man said it made her tingle between her legs. She tried to ignore it and entered the room, sitting in the chair opposite Richard. The chair seemed small. Or perhaps it was just her feeling that way, sitting so close to her new crush.
“I’m trying to finalize the last CRAP. I’ve sent you requests for the paperwork but haven’t received them.”
“I must admit to you I’m horrible with paperwork,” Richard said, digging through desk drawers to pull out different receipts and invoices. “Quinn always reminded me of that.”
As he handed her the papers, their fingers brushed. Electric heat shot like a bottle rocket from her fingertips through her arm and tightened her nipples. She bit the inside of her lip to squelch a moan. Embarrassed by her reaction, she looked through the bundle because she didn’t know what else to do. When her gaze finally met his, she saw his eyes darken with desire.
Impossible. Truly impossible. There was no way this guy wanted her. She was Amira, a thirty-year-old lamb with a little crush on the hottest man on campus. And with the extra cushioning on her curves, and being a botched science experiment, why would Richard want someone like her? He was gorgeous, like a Greek-god-gorgeous kind of gorgeous. He could have anyone he desired. At least, that was her opinion, and she was sticking to it. So why would he bother with making the sexy eyes?
Her breath hitched as he stood from his desk and stepped around to stand next to her. He extended his hand, and when she clasped it, he brought her hand to his lips, all the while never taking his eyes off of her.
“It’s been a pleasure to have you here, Amira.”
Heat poured over her hand as if he were branding her with his very essence. And fuck, her panties were now drenched. How the fuck was he doing that to her? No man ever had in the past!
“Thank you.” The words came out huskier than she’d ever heard in her own voice before. She gave him a half-smile and reluctantly retracted her hand from his grip after his sexy heat proved to be a little too much for her. “I’ll get right on this CRAP for you, sir.”
Crap was right. She needed to get out of there before the llama’s keen sense of smell picked up on her arousal. She turned on her heel and practically ran out the door. Once she was at the comfort of her desk, she dumped the papers there and then headed straight out of the office to the bathroom to splash water on her face.
Amira returned to her desk to work on Richard’s CRAP. She had to have it finished and turned in before the end of the day—before her temporary term in the office was finished. She wondered if Richard had found a replacement for her. She hadn’t seen him interviewing anyone else. Was he assuming that she’d be back after her mission with Stan? If he was, he hadn’t mentioned anything.
I’ll bring it up with him before I leave,she thought, just as Richard’s office door opened, breaking her train of thought. His brows knitted as he looked at the full container of salad on her desk. She hadn’t touched it. She’d gotten so focused on the CRAP report that she'd forgotten to eat.
“Oh!” Amira said, noticing his annoyed look. She closed the open container and shoved it back into her briefcase to keep it out of sight. “Sorry!”
“It didn’t look like you ate. And why were you eating at your desk?” His tone was as incredulous as the question.
“Why wouldn’t I eat at my desk when I have work to do?” she asked. “I have to get this done for you by end of day, and I need every minute I can spare. Besides, the only other place to eat is the campus cafeteria, and Maudie’s Meatless Meatballs aren’t on the menu for the day.”
“How is the CRAP coming along?”
“Actually, I made good progress,” she was pleased to report.
“Great. That means you can spare some minutes and join me for a late lunch.”
“Uh…” She looked at her computer. “I made progress, but it’s still not complete. I should really stay?—”
Richard cut her off. “I demand it. It’s your last day, and I’d like to take you out to thank you for all you’ve done around here. I’m blown away by how much you managed to do in such a short time.”
She blushed at the compliment. “I think the cafeteria is closed now,” she pointed out.
“I was going to drive into town,” he countered. “And before you try another excuse, just know I’m not taking no for an answer. Everyone needs a good meal.”
“Oh, okay.” She nodded, realizing that the real reason she was hesitating on going to lunch with him had nothing to do with the report—it had to do with the way her core warmed at his mere presence.
The two headed to the elevator, and both of them pressed the lobby button at the same time. Heat coursed through her again. God, how was she ever going to get through lunch? She gave him what she thought was a half-smile, but the heat in his eyes almost burned her own retinas when she glanced his way.
Once they were inside the elevator car, it felt as if he was crowding her with just his gaze alone. The gaze that now seemed to brand her soul.How can a guy have this much of an effect on me? Especially when I’m supposed to be a bird of prey! He’s just a guy!
Maybe it had just been too long since she’d had a relationship. It wasn’t easy for her to find a man who was interested. She was curvier than most of the gals she knew, and she had been told she was boring. After a few dates, she was the one to blame for becoming comfortable too quickly.
Who knew guys didn’t like a gal who enjoyed staying home and binge-watching all the shows Josh Gates put out? Sure, Josh was her favorite because she got to see all the sights she’d most likely never see in her natural-born shifter life! She’d never see the Pyramids, the Eiffel Tower, or the Great Wall of China because she couldn’t afford to travel much past her hometown without worrying about gas. How could she ever afford thousands of dollars for plane tickets on an assistant’s salary?
That was why she wanted the promotion. What was the point of working if you couldn’t enjoy yourself every once in a while? She’d been putting all her free time into work, and not any time at all into dating. That might also be because her last relationship had ended badly. How did it seem like she always chose the guy who would cheat? She’d really thought Seth was on a different level—like anotherplanetlevel. They started finishing each other’s sentences by date four. Why he ended up telling her that she just wasn’t enough woman for him was beyond her.
