Iwas a liar, liar, pants on fire. I had freaked out. But now I was freaking out even more in fear my freak-out may have jeopardized the entire thing. I’d never get over my crush if I didn’t take this opportunity now. Not to mention I’d have to give up spending time with Reid. At this point, that sounded like a very lonely option.
Misdirection. It was the cornerstone of my survival. Therefore, I was turning his concern back on him.
“If you’ve changed your mind about wanting me to go with you because it’s too uncomfortable for you, then I guess I understand.” There was a good chance that after hanging out with me every day and learning about my background, he’d reversed his thinking about introducing me to his family. I didn’t exactly come with the upbringing his wealthy family would expect. And although I’d mastered faking it over the years, this wedding would be a whole other league.
“No. But I don’t want it to be weird between us. Not just because I’m your boss, since we’re only in Dubai together for a short time longer, but because we’re friends too.”
This was the fundamental sweetness and flaw of Reid. He always put others first. And I’d bet his fiancée had used this to her advantage many times.
“I promise it won’t get weird. It’s natural to be awkward at first, but like you said, we’re friends. It’ll be fine.”
Okay. I could do this. It would be a simple kiss, not a life-changing orgasm. Dammit, don’t think about orgasms.
“If it’s too awkward, or you’ve changed your mind, my offer stands. We can opt out.”
“No. No. It’s not too awkward. Pfft.” Jesus, this pfft thing was getting out of control.
He smirked, stepping closer to me. “You certain you don’t have anywhere else you have to be? No forgotten appointments this time around?”
Oh, damn, his voice did this husky thing, making my tummy flop.
“Nope, no appointments.” My pulse leaped the moment his fingers touched my chin. Guess it was a better reaction than throwing up.
“Good.”
Please, please let this suck.
The moment his lips met mine, I knew my wish would go ungranted. With no more than the chaste brush of his lips, I was fucked. And not in a good way.
He pulled back after the brief touch. “So far so good?”
“Mm-hm.” My answer was as fried as my brain.
“Again?”
“Mm-hm.” Apparently, I’d been reduced to a copy-and-paste answer.
He moved forward, touching his lips to mine again but this time not withdrawing. Instead, he pulled me closer and deepened the kiss. Suddenly, instead of standing there stunned, my body woke up to say, “hey, dumbass, how about you kiss him back?”
I tilted my head in order to allow him better access, barely stifling a moan when his tongue met mine. Just my luck. Reid was a terrific kisser. I wasn’t sure my heart could take it. My body, on the other hand, was ready for more.
But abruptly, he stepped away. “Um. So, yeah. There’s kissing.”
“Mm-hm.” Dammit, vocabulary, get it together.
His blue eyes trained on mine. “Was it okay?”
Nope. Not at all. I was in serious trouble.
But I vowed not to answer another question with “mm-hm.” “Um, yeah.” Jesus. I’d been rendered completely ridiculous. My brain stammered back on track. “I mean yes. I think we’ll be convincing.”
My crush had decided to amplify to twenty times its previous size, entering a place we’d label the danger zone. The area where I could no longer contain my feelings, and I ended up getting my heart broken.
He expelled a breath, appearing relieved the kiss hadn’t sent me running. Who could blame him, considering the way I’d bolted the last time.
But other than relief, he seemed absolutely unaffected by the kiss. It had been practice for him. Going through the motions. It had been earth-shattering for me. Okay, so maybe earth-shattering was an exaggeration, but it had been a really great kiss. One which left me wanting more.
Irritation that I was the only one affected fueled my motivation to change the subject. “Um, so what’s on the agenda for this week?”
He stepped back, moving to take a seat at his desk. “You need to go shopping for clothes.”
Sigh. I was not a shopping kind of girl. “Sounds great.”
He chuckled. “Great is not what your face is saying.”
Busted. “I’m not much on shopping, especially for clothes.” Growing up poor, I’d mostly relied on hand-me-downs. Shopping was always a depressing endeavor where all I saw were things I couldn’t afford.
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard a woman say she didn’t enjoy shopping.”
“It’ll be fine. Just tell me what I’ll need. I already have a cocktail dress and a long floral dress.” I didn’t have a lot of coin to be spending on new clothes, but I could find some stuff on sale and make it work.
His hesitation wasn’t lost on me.
“What?”
“This crowd. My family. They’ll be paying attention to which designers you’re wearing. Especially Vanessa. She’s into fashion and up on all of the trends.”
My clothing wouldn’t cut it, I supposed. I tried not to let it sting or allow my old insecurity about not feeling good enough rear its ugly head. “Makes sense.”
“How about we go tonight after work?”
“You’re coming with me?”
“Yes. Of course. I’m paying.”
I didn’t like the idea of him paying for my clothes. But I definitely didn’t have the money for designer threads either. “Okay. Tonight it is.”
