Page 84 of A Forbidden Arrangement

Maybe it’s already too late.

I push the thoughts away, not wanting them to take over, and find myself walking down the familiar hall, like a magnet pulling me toward him. My breathing doesn’t even out until I spot Xander behind his desk, his sexy glasses slipping down his nose.

His gaze meets mine, and he slides his chair back and gestures for me to come.

“You’re busy.” Even as the words leave my mouth, I know I want him to deny it. “I just wanted to check on you. See if you need anything.”

He rests his cheek in his palm, giving him an almost boyish look. “I do. I need you to come here.”

“You’re supposed to be the responsible CEO who works night and day. Now you’re slacking off?” I say it while I make my wayaround his desk and let him pull me onto his lap, burying his nose into my neck.

“Whose fault is that?” His breath fans over me, warm and calming, chasing away all of my thoughts. I melt into him as the tension leaves my body.

He lifts his head, searching my face. “Are you okay?”

“Fine. A window broke in the greenhouse, and some of the plants died. Nothing to worry about.”

There’s a tick in his jaw, hand squeezing my hip closer, and then his expression softens. “Another thing for the list.”

It’s been weeks since we started fixing up the greenhouse. At first, I thought he’d be too busy to join me. How could I expect him to find the time when he’s constantly being chased by his employees, always needing one more thing?

Still, every night, he’d appear in the doorway, hair pushed back as if he’d run his fingers into it over and over again. He’d start out stiff, like he was wearing the weight of the world, but as the night progressed and more tasks were completed, he relaxed, the strain disappearing, and changed from the cold businessman into someone warm, who would rather spend his nights with me.

“I have a surprise for you,” he says, a smirk pulling at the corner of his lip.

Heat pools in my stomach, and I swallow hard. It’s really not fair when he’s simultaneously playful and wearing those glasses. I gently remove them, trying to regain some of my senses.

“What type of surprise?”

He hums, pressing his lips into my jaw. “Wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you.” The low rumble causes a shiver to roll through me.

Before he can pull away, I kiss him. I run my tongue along the seam, and he opens for me willingly. Raking my nails up his neck, I tug him closer. He deepens the kiss, taking over, as hisfingers sink into my hips. He grips my nape, tipping my chin up, and devours me fully.

There is a pulsing ache in my core, and I move to straddle him, but he holds me firmly in place. A frustrated whimper escapes me, and he bites my bottom lip, closing his eyes and growling low, before he lifts me firmly off his lap.

He rests his head just below my rib cage and takes ragged breaths.

“You aren’t playing fair, pretty girl.”

I huff and run my thumb over his cheekbone, loving the way he snuggles into me. “I thought it was going pretty well.”

“You have no idea how close I am to saying ‘fuck it’ and locking you in my room until you’re thoroughly ruined.”

I’m about to tell him that it sounds good to me when he firmly pushes me back and stands, placing a simple kiss on my forehead. “God knows I want that, but I want to give you your surprise more.”

“You sound confident that I’ll like it.”

“That’s because I’ve been paying attention, Dahlia. There isn’t a second you’re in a room that you don’t capture all of my attention. I note every smile, every frown. What you like and don’t like.”

“Is this a part of your big scheme to coax me?”

My toes curl when a soft pink flushes his cheeks.

Xander drops his forehead to mine, brushing our noses together. The tension that surrounds him pulls me in.

I don’t fully understand any of it, but his heartbeat thuds steadily beneath my palm, and its rhythm matches my own.

He steps back, putting space between us, and the air feels cold without him. I want to drag him back to me, but his words cut me off.