Page 17 of Hate You Up Close

God, I wish those lips didn't look so pillowy and soft. They are rudely distracting.

“Look,” he exhales, slowly dragging his eyes back to me. A hint of regret flickers in his gaze. “I’m sorry. I just…I wasn't expecting…you.”

I furrow my brows, completely offended by his comment. What the hell is that supposed to mean? Is my presence that disturbing to him?

“Well, this definitely wasn't the warm welcome I was expecting either,” I retort, crossing my arms over my chest.

He narrows his eyes before stepping around the desk andswiping his badge from the polished wood. His long legs stride towards the door, his nostrils flaring as his steps halt less than a foot away from me.

I quickly realize that the distinctive smell of whiskey and leather is coming solely from him. A heavenly aroma that I wish I’d never discovered, coming from a man that I wish I’d never met.

Christ.He’s even more beautiful up close, and I hate him for that.

He swallows thickly, his Adam’s apple bobbing as his hazel eyes roam down my body. It’s as if I can physically feel his stare branding me with searing warmth. He’s so close that I can see his pulse fluttering beneath the tan skin of his neck, picking up speed when he realizes that he’s staring.

“If you’ll excuse me,” he rasps. “I have something I need to take care of. Please ask Evie to show you around the office while I’m gone. I’ll be back shortly.”

Before I have a chance to respond, he exits the room in a flash, leaving me standing alone in his barren office. My heart drops to the pit of my stomach, solidifying that I should have never accepted this job.

FIVE

Elliot

Fuck.

Fucking hell.

Fuck me straight to hell.

There is no way that Skylar hired that twenty-something, bombshell of a woman as my assistant. Aren't admins supposed to be in their fifties with names like Gertrude and Beatrice?

Not Roxanne fucking Taylor.

God, even her name has all the blood in my body rushing south.

Dammit, why didn't I take Skylar’s advice and interview her first? This problem could have been taken care of weeks ago. Skylar hired her to get back at me, I just know it. She’s probably in her office with a stupid grin stretched across her face as she waits for me to barge in.

I could haveneverbeen prepared for the woman who walked into my office less than five minutes ago.

It’s rare for me to admit this, but Roxanne Taylor has got tobe one of the most gorgeous, breathtaking women I haveeverlaid eyes on. My breathing stopped at the sight of her smooth legs and four-inch heels striding into my office. The form-fitting, black dress she’s wearing hugs her petite body in a way that should be against company policy. Her outfit is the biggest cock-tease of my entire life, with her plump tits and round ass on full display beneath the dark material.

And her face. My God, don’t even get me started on her face.

Her piercing eyes are like a sea of emeralds hooded by dark lashes. Her cheeks and nose are dotted with delicate freckles, standing out like glitter against her perfect skin. Beneath her button nose are the most seductive, heart-shaped lips I have ever laid eyes on. And of course, they’re coated in red lipstick, which would bring any man to his knees.

Her inky-black hair resembles silk, tumbling in soft waves around her shoulders and down her back, darker than ocean waves beneath the midnight sky. I wonder how it would feel to run my fingers through those satiny locks.

Christ.What the hell did my barista put in my coffee this morning?

Darker than ocean waves beneath the midnight sky?

I don’t think about women poetically. Hell, I didn’t even think about my ex-fiancée like that.

For the first time in a long time, I feel my control being pushed outside the bounds of my comfort zone.

I don’t like this feeling. I don’t like it one bit.

Fuck, I am so fucked. I need to get this handled immediately.