Maverick slides his hands along my lower back, tracing them along my spine, before swooping under my arms and bringing them to my face. “God, you’re beautiful,” he says, his hands resting softly on my face. “Can’t remember if I told you that on the weekend.”
“You did,” I whisper. Not only with words but with the way he made me feel. I take a breath. “You’re…” Mentally, I’m seesawing between making a crack and not holding back. I go with my heart. “Beautiful, too.”
His face lights up, like I’ve made his freaking day. His fingers thread through my hair as he gently pulls me down.
Our lips meet.
“Is this okay?” he murmurs.
“I’m sure HR would have thoughts.”
He lets out a husky snicker. “I am HR.”
“Then you tell me. Is this okay?”
“It is by me. But I remember what you said. About the weekend being a one-time thing. I want to respect your boundaries.”
There’s no sarcastic emphasis when he says boundaries, only what sounds like a genuine respect for my limits.
“It’s fine by me, too,” I whisper, cradling his jaw in my hands. “Just don’t go getting any ideas, okay?”
His stare turns intense, the muscle in his jaw popping like it does whenever I piss him off. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
And then he draws me in and kisses me.
Passionately.
Forcefully.
And completely unlike a guy who is cool with this being nothing more than a brief workplace fling.
Like I said to Pip, the only sure thing is that whatever Maverick and I have is bound to end soon. So what’s the harm in enjoying it while it lasts? My last hurrah before my life changes completely.
I know it’s selfish, and I know it’s wrong, but I just want things to be normal between Maverick and me for as long as possible.
“I should get back to the horses,” I say, easing myself out of the kiss.
“What if I don’t want to let you go?”
The deeper layer of his question hits me straight in the heart.
“I…” I don’t know how to respond to that.
“You’re dirty.”
My brow scrunches in confusion. “Excuse me?”
“Your clothes. They’re filthy.”
“Well, yeah. Kind of comes with the territory, Mr. Suit Man. Not all of us sit around all day in an air-conditioned offi?—”
“I can’t let you go out there looking like that.”
“What?”
“Workplace safety. I’m going to have to get you cleaned up.” A smile blooms on his lips as he tips his head toward thebathroom door. “Luckily, I have the place and the means to do just that.”
“Oh, really.” I run my hands through his hair when I finally get it. “What did you have in mind?”
