Page 10 of Beauty and the Bosshole

“Maybe you should try to take a nap because I think you’re going to regret saying all of this out loud to me later.”

The plane wobbles as we fly through some turbulence. Her hand grips my thigh. Her short nails dig into my muscles and my dick grows even harder.

I’m not going to survive this flight.

Her hand loosens, but she doesn’t move it from my leg. “Did you know that all the women in my family have been married by the time they turned twenty-four?”

“I did not know that.”

“My birthday is Monday. I guess I’ll be breaking the trend.”

Chapter Four

Ava

Shit.

I have to pull myself together.

I’m pretty sure I just implied to my boss that I want to get married before Monday.

I mean, that’s not what I meant, but that’s sure as hell what it sounded like.

Double shit.And I told him I thought he was sexy.

Taking Xanax was a bad idea. Taking Xanax when I’m traveling with my too sexy boss was areallybad idea.

Reese has turned in his seat and he’s staring at me so intensely that I can barely breathe. I know I should change the subject—maybe talk about exactly what we’re going to Vegas for and why the urgency—but all I can do is stare at his luscious full lips and imagine what it would be like to kiss them.

“Ava.”

It takes me a second to process the fact that Reese is saying my name.

I shake my head, but it doesn’t clear any of the dirty thoughts that are raging up there. I bite my lower lip and let out a gasp when I do it a little too hard. The sound that comes from me sounds sexual in every way, and I can feel the heat rush through my body. I do everything I can to sound normal. “Uh, yeah?”

His hand comes to cover mine, and it’s then I realize that I still have my fingers digging into his thigh. I try to pull away, but as soon as I start, he’s wrapping his hand around mine and holding on to me.

I can’t do this. I’m weak. From the first second I laid eyes on Reese, I was attracted to him. Somehow, I had convinced myself I could put up my guard, and up to this point, I’d succeeded. Yeah, I lusted after him from afar. And yeah, maybe I had an orgasm or two while thinking about him. And I confess that when I dream about him, they are X-rated dreams… but he was never in the room. Now, it’s like I pop two pills and I can’t seem to stop running my mouth.

All I can do is backtrack. “Sorry, boss.” With my free hand, I start to fan it in front of my face. “I’m not sure what’s come over me. The anxiety, the pills, the…” I wave my finger between the two of us. “This. Well, it’s just a lot.”

He’s not smiling. I’m not sure what to make of the look he’s giving me, but it makes me want to squirm in my seat. He repeats my gesture and points between the two of us. “This. What does ‘this’ mean?”

My eyes widen.Shut your mouth, Ava. Do not say it.“Uh, you know.”

He scoots closer to me. His spicy, manly scent envelops me and causes a rush through my system. This is not fair. He shouldn’t be able to look like he does and also smell so delicious. Have mercy. What’s a girl to do?

He leans down until I can feel his breath on my cheek. “Enlighten me. What does ‘this’ mean?”

He’s going to make me say it. I could argue with him and refuse to say anything. Heck, I could tell him that his closeness borders on harassment, but I'm not going to do any of those things. “This… This thing between us. We’ve danced around it, but it seems pretty obvious to me.”

He blinks once and then again. His voice is deep and commanding. “Tell me.”

I clench my eyes shut because, somehow, it’s easier to make this confession without looking into his eyes. “This thing. You know… the attraction.”

When he doesn’t say anything, I start to ramble. “I’m not a good actor, Reese. It’s obvious that I find you appealing and that I’ve thought things that I shouldn’t be thinking about. Things I have no business thinking about.”

He releases his firm hold on my hand, and for just a second, I feel bereft, and just as quickly, the blood starts to race through my veins when he wraps his hand around the base of my neck. He undoubtedly feels my racing pulse under his thumb but he squeezes just a little harder. The whimper escapes me before I can even think to keep it in.