Page 47 of Haunt the Mall

He stepped up to my level, his shadow sheltering me from the soft lights above. “I meant as a manager, Miss.”

“Oh, shit.” I touched his chest where the ‘V’ of his button-down connected, seeking his pulse, his heat, and a hint of hair. “I guess it’s not my favorite part of the job description.”

“Think of it as empowering: giving people the boundaries and consequences they need. It’s guidance. A kindness.” He slowly corralled me against the balcony railing, closing in with his body until the metal rod prodded my tailbone.

I gasped and pushed gently on his chest, his sternum hot under my fingertips. What the fuck? We were on a second story with tons of people below us—and an expensive animatronic to crash into on the way down. There wasn’t any real threat he’d do anything unsavory, but the situation swung between sexy and intimidating. Seriously, how the hell did he go from pacing and pulling his hair to sultry domination?

I rubbed a circle over his shirt. “I’m not breaking any rules, am I, Mr. Sterling?”

He shook his head, his eyes softening around the corners.

“Good. Because I have no doubt you’d be sweet enough to punish me,” I said, flicking open one of his buttons.

He inhaled sharply and gripped the railing.

Feigning innocence, I stroked his bare skin before working on another button. “See, as a manager, I tend to be more forgiving. I understand the allure of giving in to temptation. Some people do it at home. Others do it at work. Whether it be sleeping or flirting or—”

“Kat,” he rasped, clutching my wrist.

“What?” My lips tingled with untapped lust.

His gaze flicked to the spider behind me. “I didn’t mean to imply you weren’t managing things properly. Or I’m some model employee.”

“I know.” I smiled, though my chest tightened along with my cheeks. “You were flirting.”

He sighed and ran his thumb across the top of my knuckles. “I could’ve said it sucked you had to come in early.”

“Yeah, but I did appreciate the Dom energy.”

“Really?” His face brightened, though he glanced away. “I, uh, appreciate you coming to see me.”

I lowered my face and stepped closer. “You’re nice to see.”

Oh my god, this was so embarrassing. Heat flooded my cheeks.

He chuckled, then delicately kissed the back of my hand, blinking slowly enough to register as pure, catlike affection.

Fuck the spreading warmth in my chest, lighting me up like a human jack-o-lantern.

I liked him.

But I’d seen movies like this. Hot, trickster guys with formal vocabularies didn’t make great steady boyfriends. And I didn’t need one. But I wanted…more of him.

22

Chilly

We held hands while he walked me to my movie. It was nice, something adjacent to a girlfriend experience.

Down the aisle, our former date spot’s marquee remained empty. “What’s the deal with theater thirteen?” I asked.

“Oh, we only use it for private showings.” He squeezed my hand.

Private showings. So, that meant dates, hookups, and what, birthday parties?

“Do a lot of people use it?” I asked.

“Yep.” He fumbled with the buttons on his shirt, nonchalant.