Page 95 of Bossy Romance
“Then I’ll keep being wrong,” he says stubbornly.
“Adam.”
“Nova, when did you start dating Jax?”
I shut my mouth immediately. Throwing my arms over my head, I pretend to yawn. “It’s getting late. I should go to bed now.”
A strong hand grips my wrist and keeps me from running. “No,” Adam says, his eyes darkening. “I answered your question. You answer mine.”
I shudder at the firmness in his tone. “Why does it matter?”
“You’re so intimidated by this guy that you’d rather drag yourself to a social event than stay at home and risk dealing with him. That tells me a whole lot about him. And it’s nothing good.”
I point my gaze on the ground.
Adam’s voice drops to a scary whisper. “Did he hurt you?”
“No. No, he didn’t. He’s just… persistent. And shrewd. I knew I wouldn’t have the energy to deal with him tonight.”
Adam’s finger dips under my chin and I prepare myself for an instant wildfire. But he only tilts my head up and scours my eyes as if he’s a human lie detector.
As we stand there, prickles of awareness froth in my stomach. My breath betrays me, catching like a thorn at my throat. The heat in Adam’s gaze and the warmth of his touch isn’t helping matters. The longer he stares at me, the harder my heart starts thumping.
Is it me or is this more than a boss being concerned about his employee? I’m so confused. For the past seven years, Adam has been nothing but professional.
Kind, yes.
Caring, yes.
But over-all, it’s always been clear that I am nothing but a prized worker bee, filling his honeycomb to the brim.
Ever since I handed in my resignation, his gaze has started to change. So has his touch. The pressure is different. Firmer. Lingering. Even his voice, rather than simply teasing and mischievous, has a ring of heat. Like lava flowing just under the surface, erupting in every low whisper and with every smolder of those deep, brown eyes.
He steps a little closer.
Tilts my head back a little further.
His body heat envelops me, coiling tightly around me like a cobra, a trap, tempting me to come closer.
Kiss him. Kiss him.
My mind and body areracing.
I need space.
Forcing slow, deep breaths, I step back and resist the impulse. If it were just mere animal attraction between me and Adam, I could probably risk devouring those two extra steps between us and giving into the need that’s throbbing in my core.
But I can’t.
Adam knows me in ways that no one else does. There’s something much deeper between us than I could ever express.
I don’t want to go near that cliff because the moment I dive off…
Wiggling my arm out of his grip, I shoot Adam a narrow-eyed look and gesture between us. “Don’t try to whammy me, Adam. It’s not going to work.”
“Whammy you?”
I can’t escape his mesmerizing gaze nor can I escape his grip as he reaches for me to keep me in place. There’s no hiding how I tremble when he gently strokes a circle in my wrist. Does he even realize he’s doing it? Does he realize what he does to me? His touch is so light, but it’s like fire. Every inch of my skin tingles.