Reed’s blue eyes pierce into mine. I realize I haven’t tasted the coffee yet and I take a big hurried sip that chafes the inside of my mouth.
“Okay, good, you can start now. You can tell me what you need, and I’ll try and furnish them for you. This will be your office.”
He looks around the room and I follow his gaze. Business has been established. He is officially my boss, and now I’m really working for him. But what about the other thing? That night in London when we kissed.
Reed looks at me, and my chest heaves.
“We don’t have to talk about that night in London if you don’t want to. I’m eager to keep this professional. I don’t want you to feel threatened in any way.”
I nod. I’m glad to hear it, but there’s a part of me that wants to ditch the professional distance between us. I just want to relive that night with him. Kiss him again. Experience that feeling of turning in my seat at the bar and seeing him for the first time and being totally floored.
But Reed is serious about this job. He wants me to find his family, and I don’t want to disappoint him.
5
Reed
Ella’s face is framed by her bronze shimmering curls. She has tied her hair up in a neat bun and it’s changed the shape of her face, or rather the way I remember it from that night. Neither does she smell of that neon strawberry slushie. But she still has those magically green-brown eyes and a full figure, accentuated by the tight skirt and top she’s wearing.
Her lipstick is a dark wine red to match her top. She’s not in heels today, unlike that night in London. In many ways, this is a completely different girl standing before me, but the way she looks up at me and how her full lips part slightly when she stares are the same.
It’s the same girl I’ve been dreaming about every night for the last six months.
Maybe I should feel guilty.
I’ve lied to her already and told her I didn’t hunt her down, that her role at the college just happened to cross my desk. But I don’t feel guilty at all. I know what I wanted.
I wanted to see her again. And I got what I wanted. Nobody is hurt. Why should I feel guilty about that?
And now she’s even agreed to dig up my family history. It’s literally a win-win situation.
But I still don’t know what she wants. At first, she seemed angry and then horrified when she saw me. Now she seems more relaxed, but not like she wants to be in my arms. I can’t kiss her now. Not like this. I can’t invite her to follow me to my bedroom for an afternoon of rollicking delight.
I don’t want to scare her away.
Instead, I watch as she makes herself comfortable behind my desk. All she has is my name and the social services agents who used to work with me when I was growing up. For now, she claims she needs nothing more. She has a lot of digging to do, especially if the government agencies don’t want to work with her on this. I know it’s not going to be an easy ride, but she seems eager to do it. Something tells me she’s going to be good at this job.
She’s a beautiful young thing, but Ella Davies knows how to take care of herself. She’s not someone you mess with. Heck, from the information Tom has given me, she went backpacking all over Europe by herself.
I watch her in silence as she tinkers around on my computer; her head is bent over the keyboard. I still can’t believe she’s really here. Right here in my study.
“I think I’m all set,” she finally says, looking up at me with a smile. “I’m going to do my best.”
“Thank you. I’m sure I don’t have to remind you but you have already signed a confidentiality agreement.”
“Yes, I remember signing that. Mary Delaney made sure to go over each point in great detail. I’m aware of what I signed up for, I just didn’t realize you were on the other side.”
“There is still time to walk away from all of this, Ella, if you’re too uncomfortable. I’m sure the college can arrange for someone else to take your place.”
“I think I’m going to like this job, and maybe I’ll enjoy…working alongside you,” she says, and that gives me some hope. When Ella smiles at me, I know she means it. She’s not the kind of girl to put on a show. She’s a straight talker and expects everyone else to be too.
“I will certainly enjoy having you around,” I reply, and she stands up slowly. “And my assistant, Tom, whom you’ve met already, is going to be at your disposal for anything you need. I’ll get him to come in here and formally introduce himself to you.”
“Cool. He seems like a nice guy.”
“He’s good at his job.”
Ella walks around the desk and comes towards me. I know if she comes any closer, I’m going to have to pull her to myself. I’m going to have to feel her against my body. Why did she have to wear this skirt? All I can think about is having her thighs wrapped around my face.
“I’m sorry about my initial reaction, Reed. I didn’t think I would ever see you again. I guess I was just in shock.”
“I understand.”
“I’m really happy to see you, believe it or not.”
“I’m glad to see you too.”
She takes a few more steps in my direction, and I rub a hand over my face. A few more inches and she’s going to set me off. I’m not going to be able to keep these electrically charged urges under control. I have to step away. So I head to the door of the study.
“I have some phone calls to make. Feel free to explore the house. Tom will be with you shortly. I hope you have a good day.”
I rush out of the room and I know I’ve been too dismissive of her. I don’t know what she wants and I don’t want to step over any boundaries. I’ve already stepped over plenty.
If I’m going to get Ella in my bed, I have to take my time and play the game right. Or she will slip through my fingers the way she did the last time.
This time I’m going to have to make her see that she really has no choice. The two of us are meant to be together.
I’m on the phone in the kitchen when Ella finally emerges. I haven’t seen her in over two hours, but I can see that she and Tom have hit it off. He is not the kind of guy to smile during office hours, but here he is, laughing at something Ella said.
I end the call quickly and look up at their smiling, glowing faces. I can sense a tinge of envy when I see the way Ella looks. I really shouldn’t be upset about her spending time with Tom. They need to work together. It’s part of their jobs.
“How did your first day go?” I ask. Tom busies himself on his phone, standing aside. Ella nods, looking around the kitchen and still smiling.
“I can’t say I’ve made much progress. I’m just trying to work out a timeline first and make a list of everyone I want to call. Tom has been very helpful with the process.”
I see the way they exchange happy glances at each other. Clearly, Ella has this effect on people where she’s able to put them at ease. I’ve never seen Tom this comfortable around a new person before.
“Good. That sounds great. Looks like you know exactly what you’re doing.”
“Do you have any preference for what time you want me to get here to start the day? How many hours I should spend in the office?”