In bed with my boss

CHAPTER 10

EMILY

The crack of thunder shattered through the night like a gunshot.

I lurched awake with a sharp gasp, my shoulder colliding with the passenger door hard enough to sting. My heart hammered against my ribs as I blinked into the darkness, disoriented for a brief, terrifying second.

Then reality settled in.

The steady drumming of rain on the roof.

The heavy rain poured so intensely against the cracked windshield that it was impossible to see through the abandoned road somewhere beyond the storm.

We were still stranded.

A sigh escaped me before I could stop it.

So much for hoping the crash had been some horrible dream.

Lightning flashed across the sky, bathing the inside of the SUV in a cold, bluish light. For the briefest moment, I caught the sharp profile of the man beside me.

His head rested against the driver’s seat, his eyes closed, though I could tell he wasn’t sleeping. One hand lay loosely over the steering wheel while the other absentmindedly rubbed the bridge of his nose. A small cut along his temple had dried into a thin crimson line.

Then the realization caught me off guard.

I’d never seen him look like… anything.

At work, he was always immaculate. Every strand of dark hair in place. Every word measured. Every expression buried beneath an icy calm that made most employees avoid him unless absolutely necessary.

Tonight, the storm and crash had stolen that polished image.

His coat was no longer on him, his shirt was creased, and the sleeves were rolled up to his forearms. His tie was nowhere to be seen. And his hair looked like he’d been running his fingers through it for hours.

He looked… human.

The thought annoyed me more than it should have.

Outside, the wind howled through the trees, rattling the branches so violently they scraped against on another like skeletal fingers.

I snuggled into the soft wool draped around my shoulders.

My eyes were drifting shut when they snapped wide open and dropped to the coat around me.

I froze.

I wasn’t wearing a coat on this trip, and worse, I hadn’t packed one. Then the expensive masculine scent of cinnamon and oud hit my nostrils.

It was his coat.

He must have put it on me while I was knocked out.

I should have given it back, but instead, I curled deeper into it, silently appreciating the warmth it trapped around my body while pretending I wasn’t.

“You’re awake.”

His voice was quiet enough that it almost blended with the rain.

I turned toward him.

He hadn’t moved much, but his eyes were open now, watching me through the dim light filtering across the dashboard.

“I wasn’t sleeping,” I murmured automatically.

One of his eyebrows lifted just enough for me to notice.

“No?”

“I was… resting.”

His gaze lingered on me for another heartbeat before he looked back through the rain-streaked windshield.

“If that helps your pride.”

I blinked.

Was that supposed to be a joke?

Before I could decide, another flash of lightning spilt from the sky.

Every muscle in my body tightened.

My mind went to the only thing it knew how to do in moments like this.

One…

Two…

The thunder exploded overhead.

The sound tore straight through me, making me jump as my fingers latched onto the first thing they could find.

“You’re scared.”

“No. I’m. not,” I said between hard breaths.

Not caring about my answer, he said. “While you were knocked out, you kept flinching and mumbling randomly words every time thunder struck. Do you know what triggers that fear?”

My eyes widened at his revelation.

Did I really do what he just said?

I tried tightening the coat around my body, but when I moved my left hand, I couldn’t.

It was stuck.

I looked down to see why I couldn’t move it, and my breath caught.

It was Cole’s hand.

I’d been holding onto it when the thunder rolled in.

I immediately jerked my hand away from him like I’d just been zapped.

“It’s honestly nothing, Mr. Calloway. I’m fine,” I assured him as I shifted farther away.

Beside me, the leather seat squeaked.

He didn’t say anything.

He didn’t press for an answer like he normally would.

But I felt his eyes on me.

Not curious.

Observant.

As though he’d just noticed something he couldn’t quite explain.

I turned my attention to him and instantly regretted it.

The way his eyes held mine...

The way he looked at me made me feel as though he was silently reaching into the dark place I’d buried so deep inside me.

He wasn’t someone to be trusted with the darkest parts of me.

Not after how he’d treated me six years ago.

So I’d be damned if I let the look in his eyes make me open up to him.

Unable to take it anymore, I looked away.

After a while of sitting in an uncomfortable silence filled with questions I didn’t want to answer, I decided to change the subject.

“What about your meeting?”

There was a long pause before he answered.

“I’m sure Sara has rescheduled it since I was able to send her a text earlier.”

All thanks to me, I wanted to say.

But I stayed quiet.

Silence settled between us again, but I couldn’t stop thinking about the possibility of things not working in our favor.

Then what?

Would we spend the whole weekend stuck here?

“What if the rain lasts until tomorrow and the network doesn’t come back? Then what will happen to your meeting and the gala tomorrow evening?” I asked before I could stop myself.

“Ms. Carter,” he said as he adjusted in his seat, “I’m sure my staff back at the hotel are doing a good job by locating me right now since I haven’t checked in. So you do not need to worry.”

I rolled my eyes.

Of course, he’d be the owner of such an expensive hotel.

Getting the assurance that everything was going to be okay, my adrenaline finally faded, leaving nothing but exhaustion behind.

Wrapped in the warm coat and surrounded by the soft hum of the wind and rain outside the car, I leaned against the window, letting my eyes drift shut as sleep slowly began to take over.

Suddenly—

A massive clap of thunder ripped through the sky, making me yelp as I jumped into Cole without thinking.

My trembling body slowly began to relax.

The moment I realized what I’d done, embarrassment rushed through me.

I started pulling away before he could beat me to it.

Instead, he wrapped an arm around me.

He said nothing.

Somehow, that made my head spin a thousand times in a second.

There was a shift in his behavior tonight, but I knew this version of him wasnt’t going to last.

By morning the real Cole Calloway would be back.

So instead of letting this unfamiliar side go to waste, I carefully nestled against his chest, his warm, masculine scent filled my senses.

His heartbeat was slow and steady beneath my cheeks.

For the first time since the storm began, the fear inside me quieted.

My eyes slowly drifted shut.

Above my head, he muttered two words,

“You’re safe.”

Then he placed a light kiss on the top of my head.