Page 30 of Fun Together (Make Romance #1)

Eli

I’m waiting in the stairwell for Faye.

It’s the only place I could think of in the office where we can have some semblance of privacy, and neither of us have time to trek down to the duck pond. I didn’t plan for the interview to take the direction it did, so I wanted to talk to her about last night.

She opens the door and steps inside—and it’s hits me again, just how bad I have it for her.

She’s wearing a blue dress with buttons that run down the front, and all I can think about now is the fantasy we conjured up last night.

I could slowly undo all those buttons. I could hold her up against the wall and kiss her and touch her in all the ways we fantasized.

“Hey,” she says, shyly looking up at me through thick lashes.

I smile. “Hey.”

“How are you?” she asks with a nervous laugh.

“I’m great. How are you?”

She crosses her arms. “I can’t complain.”

“Your hair is down,” I say.

She reaches up and moves her hair to one side over her right shoulder, a slight grin on her face. Her eyes shine. “Yeah, I just felt like wearing it down today.”

I love when she flirts with me. Those moments are few and far between, and I catch them like a greedy dragon to hoard in my lair forever.“You look pretty today.”

She blushes and says, “Thank you.”

“I just wanted to see you. Make sure we’re good after last night. And to say that we can do a real practice interview sometime this week . . . without the other stuff.”

She chews on her bottom lip. “Yeah, we’re good. And that sounds good.”

“Did you like what we did?” I have to know she liked it. I know I did, but I don’t want her to be questioning anything. I hope she enjoyed it as much as I did.

She looks up at me and grins. “It was fun.”

I wrap my arms around her waist, unable to keep from touching her. “I’d like to have more fun, if you’re interested.”

“I’m interested,” she says.

“Come with me to my parents’ anniversary party next weekend.”

I meant to ask her to come over for dinner and swimming tomorrow night since I’m still dog-sitting, but this came out instead.

She furrows her brow. “Um, not exactly my idea of fun.”

“Why not?” I move her hair so that her shoulder is exposed.

“Would I be, like, your date?”

I press my lips against her shoulder. “You’d be my guest .”

She rolls her eyes. “Semantics.”

“You’ll like my family.” And my family will like her. I’m starting to think I know why I’ve never brought anyone home to meet them.

It’s because anyone else has never been Faye.

“I don’t do well in those situations.”

I caress the column of her neck, wanting to follow that pale blue vein snaking down under her jaw with my mouth. “Please?”

“You’re not playing fair. I’d do almost anything you say right now if you keep doing that.”She moves her head to the side, like she wants me to continue.

“So, you’ll come with me then?”

Her eyes are almost shut, and her skin is hot beneath my fingertips. I need her so badly. “I didn’t say that.”

“Let’s play a game. If I win, you come with me to the party.”

“And if I win?”

I slide my fingers into her hair and massage the base of her scalp. “You won’t win.”

“What’s the game?”

Great question. I hadn’t thought that far ahead. “Can we kiss while I figure it out?”

She gives me playful shove and then rests her hands against my waist. “We can’t kiss in here. What if someone sees us?”

She’s right. Probably wouldn’t be a good idea to get caught making out with a coworker on company time. “I just can’t wait to kiss you again.”

I feel her fingers hook inside the waistband of my pants. “Later,” she says, with a new type of smile that I seem to have unlocked. A naughty smile. But why wait until later to be naughty?

“Here’s the game. Go to the bathroom right now and take your underwear off. Hide it somewhere in theoffice where only I would find it. If I find it, you’re my date.”

“You are bad! When did you become such a deviant?”

“You haven’t said you won’t do it,” I challenge.

“You can’t be serious about this. What if someone else in the office finds them?”

“Then it’s their lucky day.” We laugh together.

“We’re at work. You work in HR for Christ’s sake!”

“If you’re too chicken, then forget it.”

We stare at each other for a couple of seconds, and I think she might actually be considering this. “How much time will you have to find them?” she asks.

My pulse quickens. Is she really going to do it? “Let’s say three hours?”

“Two,” she says.

“Two and a half,” I counter.

“Fine. Shake on it?” She holds her hand out.

“Kiss on it.” I grab her hand and bring her wrist up to my mouth and kiss it the way I want to kiss all over her body. I watch her watch me. I kiss her palm, and then the tips of each finger. “Just let me know when you’re done.”

It was way too easy to find them. So easy, I wonder if she placed them where she did because she knew it would be a no-brainer for me.

“Good update, Katie. Sounds like you’ve got some good leads. Eli, how are things going? Eli?”

Melissa’s question snaps me out of my daydream, and I force myself to be present for our weekly team meeting. We’ve been going around giving updates on current projects and I guess I missed that it’s my turn.

“Sorry about that, didn’t sleep well last night.” Because I was fantasizing about my best friend’s ex-girlfriend masturbating in the bath, as one does. In fact, funny story. I have her underwear in my pocket right now.

The first place I checked was behind the espresso machine, which was a stupid place to check because Faye would never put them in a high traffic area. Then I started thinking of places in the office where we’d interacted. The elevator? No. The stairwell? No.

Eventually, I went downstairs to the lobby and asked Tom if he had seen Faye down there at all since that morning. He said he saw her leave and head toward the back of the building a couple of hours ago, and that’s when I knew.

The duck pond.

And there they were, taped beneath the picnic table, sealed up in a sandwich bag and wrapped in a paper towel with the words “Return to Sender” written on it. This detail, for some reason, majorly turned me on. Something about her taking the time to do that, knowing that I would unwrap them.

I resist the urge to touch them in my pocket.

They’re pale pink with little hearts on them, and it’s like they’re burning a hole through my pants, begging me to take them out.

I can’t stop thinking about her sitting at her desk in that blue dress with no underwear on.

How nice it would be to kneel down and slide my hands up?—

“. . . heard there was an interview set this week with an internal candidate?”

“Uh, yeah, yes. Faye Wilson. She’s worked here for several years, and the team is eager to speak with her.”

“Excellent. Can’t wait to hear more next week.” She stands up, indicating that the meeting is over. “And hopefully you’ll be able to get some sleep tonight.”

I doubt it.

I haven’t told Faye the game is over yet because I like the idea of her wondering what I’m doing. She’s so shy in person about anything sexual, but after last night, I want so badly to draw out that part of her.

After the team meeting, I get back to my desk and send her a text.

Eli: Too easy.

Faye: You found them already??

Eli: I think you wanted me to find them.

Faye: I would rather die.

Eli: Don’t be so dramatic.

Faye: Where are they now?

Eli: In my pocket.

Faye: Need them back now thanks.

Eli: Finders keepers.

Faye: You are a scoundrel.

Eli: A scoundrel? What is this the 1800s?

Faye: You’re being one!

Eli: All joking aside, I would really love it you would come with me to the party.

This whole game was all in good fun, and if she really doesn’t want to go, I’ll be disappointed—but I’d understand. She doesn’t like situations where she doesn’t know what to expect, so I need to ease her mind.

Eli: Let me give you the details and if you decide you really don’t want to go, you don’t have to.

I text her all the details, from how many people will be there to what kind of food will be served. I send her a screenshot of the invitations Evie sent out.

Faye: Will Andrew be there?

I don’t mention that Andrew was invited, but he won’t be there since he’s still gone on his trip.

Eli: No, it’s just family and some close friends of my parents.

A few minutes pass and I wonder if she’s going to reject me. My phone lights up.

Faye: Okay I’ll go.

I’m smiling so hard it almost hurts.

Eli: Can’t wait

Eli: I meant to ask you something else earlier. Want to actually take a summer Friday afternoon off and come swimming at my parents’ pool tomorrow?

Faye: Should we do a scavenger hunt for your underwear to determine if I’ll go?

Eli: Would totally do that but I’m not wearing any sadly.

Faye: Liar.

Eli: I’ll make dinner too. I’m a great cook.

Faye: I’ll have to be the judge of that.

Eli: So that’s a yes, then?