Torrid Little Affair (Forbidden Desires #3)

I cleared my throat in the hope that I could keep my voice from dropping into that husky tone it did when I was turned on. “Corinne,” I murmured, sidestepping as someone pushed into the elevator beside me, forcing me close enough to smell Corinne’s delicate scent.

Her cheeks went pink and her throat worked for a second before she nodded in greeting. “Good morning, Cooper.”

I glanced at the people surrounding us in the elevator. I wasn’t about to put her on the spot in front of an audience, but I couldn’t help myself entirely.

“How was your evening?” I asked, keeping my tone light.

She swiped a hand above her upper lip. When I realized it had broken out into fine beads of sweat, the coiling dread in my stomach instantly began to unwind.

Corinne could run, but she couldn’t hide.

She had been just as affected by last night as I was. Maybe that was why she’d been afraid. This thing between us-whatever it was-was powerful. Overwhelming. I could understand the urge to back away.

The only question now was whether I should let her.

“My evening was fine. Just fine.”

“Anything fun happen?” I asked innocently.

“Um, nope,” she said, her tone shrill, and she shrugged. “Just hung out at home, mostly.” She glanced from me to the corner of the elevator and rocked back and forth on her heels.

A second later, the metal doors slid open with a ding. A tall man in a blue blazer stepped out, leaving us alone with a severe-looking older woman.

“Me too,” I said when the doors had closed again. “Nothing interesting at all.”

Corinne turned to face me, her eyes wide with something like confusion and possibly even hurt.

Damn it.

I was confused myself, but I certainly hadn’t meant my teasing to make her feel bad.

She seemed like she wanted to say something when the elevator jolted to a stop again and the doors opened. The woman strode out, leaving the two of us alone. Corinne craned her neck, looking around with wide, desperate eyes, clearly considering getting out to hike the stairs the rest of the way, but before she could bolt, the doors closed again.

She leaned back against the metal handrail and gripped it for dear life. I could practically hear her counting the seconds until we reached our floor and were surrounded by people again.

“Corinne, look,” I said, but she gave me a faint shake of the head.

“No. I really don’t want to talk about it.”

“Don’t you think we should, though? We have to work together, and this awkwardness is going to be evident to anyone looking on.”

“We’re almost to our floor, and I need to get my head together,” she said in a rush. I could almost feel the desperation rolling off her. “Besides, anyone could get on, and this is private.”

I paused. That was a fair enough point, but it didn’t stop the curiosity burning its way up my throat. One question. Just one.

Why did you run?

“Come to my office after you’ve gotten your things settled. I want to make sure we’re on solid ground. I promise, I won’t pressure you for . . . anything. We need to clear the air, though. For both our sakes.”

She nodded, though she refused to look at me.

And I wished like hell I knew what to make of that.

The doors dinged again, and she gripped her purse tighter against her as she made a beeline for her desk at a near sprint.

“Hey, good morning! Someone’s ready to get to work,” Alyssa teased, but Corinne just smiled weakly as she unpacked the few items in her bag and powered up her computer.

I exited the elevator more slowly, glancing around for any sign of my brothers before making my way to my own office and flicking on the lights.

The place was exactly as I’d left it, but it felt different somehow. Like something had changed in the hours I’d been gone.

I settled into my chair and turned on my computer before making a pot of coffee, staring at the clock as the sounds of boiling water and rising steam filled the air around me.

It wouldn’t take long for Corinne to get her things in order. I knew that much. The real question was whether she’d have the courage to come in here at all.

When the coffee had finished percolating, I poured myself a mug and returned to my desk, opening a blank document to stare at, if only to pretend I was doing actual work. Instead, I contemplated writing down everything that had happened between Corinne and me-as if the factual recounting might show me something I couldn’t see from my own subjective place in the story.

God, please don’t let her quit.

The thought surfaced out of nowhere and was so strong that I nearly typed it out, but I restrained myself. It was just that she was fitting in so well here and catching on so fast. After everything that had happened with Sonja, we hadn’t been sure we’d be able to find anyone who would meet the needs of the position, but with Corinne? It felt like we finally had the full package again. And with some training, I could see her moving into the still-vacant office manager role.

Sighing heavily, I gripped my fresh cup of coffee tighter and lifted it to my lips for a sip as I heard a gentle knock on my office door. A timid, familiar knock.

My pulse stuttered, and I straightened as I called out, “Come in.”

Corinne stepped inside, entrancing me with her wavy hair, creamy skin, and lethal curves.

Gently, she closed the door behind her, and I took a moment to admire the way her sweater dress clung to her before she took a few more steps toward my desk and seated herself opposite me in one of my leather office chairs.

“Good morning again,” I said, wishing I could lean in and taste that pretty mouth. Fighting the need to lift her onto my desk and test those petal-soft folds to see how quickly I could get her wet and panting for me.

No, Cooper. Bad Cooper.

I was like a child who needed my hand slapped.