Chapter 18
908 Words
The moment they pulled apart, the air between them was still trembling—charged, warm, and impossibly intimate. Emily’s breath came in soft, uneven waves, and Brody’s chest rose and fell like he was fighting to steady himself.
He didn’t step back.
He didn’t look away.
He just looked at her like she was something he’d been waiting for without realizing it.
“Emily…” he said quietly, voice still rough from the kiss. “I want to see you again tonight.”
Her heart lurched. The words hit her like a rush of heat and panic all at once. She blinked, overwhelmed, her fingers curling slightly at her sides.
“Brody… can we just take this a bit slower?” she whispered.
He froze—not hurt, not angry, just surprised. His brows lifted a fraction, and for a moment she saw something vulnerable flicker across his face.
“Of course,” he said softly. “When I said I wanted to see you tonight, it’s because I wanted to spend more time with you. Nothing more.”
Emily shook her head, trying to gather her thoughts. “Brody, you’re my boss.”
His voice dropped, gentle but earnest, the words barely above a whisper meant only for her. “Please don’t shut me out.” His eyes searched hers, soft but intent. “Emily, I really like you. Just… don’t shut me out.”
Her breath caught. The sincerity in his eyes made her chest tighten. She wasn’t used to someone like him—confident, powerful, composed—looking at her like she was the one who could break him.
She swallowed hard. “I should get back to work.”
Brody’s lips curved into a small, knowing smile. “Of course.”
He didn’t push. Didn’t reach for her again. He just watched her with that quiet, devastating warmth as she turned toward the door and walked away.
Brody sat in his chair, leaning back, a slow smile spreading across his face. He ran a hand through his hair, still feeling the imprint of her lips on his.
He didn’t need to hear her say it.
He already knew.
She felt it too.
While in her office, Emily tried to work.
She really did.
She sat at her desk, opened her laptop, pulled up the spreadsheet she needed to be working on before Brody kissed her… and stared at the same cell for ten straight minutes.
Her brain refused to cooperate.
Every time she blinked, she felt his hands again—one warm and steady at her waist, the other cradling the back of her neck like she was something precious. Every time she inhaled, she swore she could still smell him. And every time she shifted in her chair, her lips tingled with the memory of his mouth on hers.
It was ridiculous. It was unprofessional. It was completely out of control.
And she couldn’t stop replaying it.
The soft beginning. The way he deepened the kiss like he’d been holding back for weeks. The way he whispered her name like it meant something.
Emily pressed her palms to her cheeks, trying to cool the heat rising there. “Get it together,” she whispered to herself.
But her traitorous heart whispered back: You don’t want to.
She was still trying to force her attention back to her screen when a soft knock sounded on her open office door.
Emily looked up.
Elijah stood there.
And he was watching her too closely.
Too quietly.
Too knowingly.
“Hey,” he said, stepping inside. “You got a minute?”
Emily straightened in her chair, trying to look normal. “Yeah, of course. What’s up?”
Elijah didn’t answer right away. He just studied her—really studied her. His eyes flicked over her flushed cheeks, her slightly swollen lips, the way she kept smoothing her hair like she was trying to hide something.
His jaw tightened.
“You look… different,” he said slowly.
Emily’s stomach dropped. “Different how?”
Elijah shrugged one shoulder, but the movement was stiff. “I don’t know. Distracted. Flustered. Like something happened.”
Emily’s breath caught. “Nothing happened.”
Elijah raised a brow. “Emily.”
She looked away, her heart pounding. She wasn’t ready to talk about Brody—not with Elijah, not with anyone. Especially not when Elijah’s feelings for her were… complicated.
He stepped closer, lowering his voice. “Can we talk after work?”
Emily blinked. “After work?”
“Yeah.” He shoved his hands in his pockets, trying to look casual, but the tension in his shoulders gave him away. “I just… I need to talk to you. About something important.”
Her pulse jumped. “Elijah, is everything okay?”
He hesitated.
Then he forced a small smile. “Yeah. I just want to talk. Later. When it’s just us.”
Emily nodded slowly. “Okay. After work.”
Elijah exhaled, relieved. “Thanks.”
He turned to leave, but paused in the doorway, glancing back at her with an expression she couldn’t quite read—hurt, hope, jealousy, all tangled together.
And then he walked away.
Emily sank back into her chair, her heart twisting painfully.
Brody’s kiss still lingered on her lips.
But Elijah’s words lingered too.
And for the first time, she realized—
This wasn’t just complicated.
It was about to get messy.
- Writer
