Amusement lit his eyes as he dropped his arms to his sides. “The horizontal mamba? What, are you suddenly too shy to say it like it is? We fucked.”
I grinned. Finally, I was getting somewhere with him. “Yes, we did. We’ve seen each other in all our naked glory, and that seems to have changed the way we work together. I don’t want to ruin what we have, Marco. I don’t want to feel awkward when I need to talk to you at the office.”
The skin around his eyes softened, and he dropped his head, running his hands through his hair a couple of times before lifting his gaze back to mine. “You’re right. I’m sorry I was absent this week.”
“Were you really that busy, or were you avoiding me?” This was no time to pussyfoot around the issues. “You know that I can’t afford to lose this job. More than that, though, I don’t want to lose it. I like the challenge and I like my new office. I don’t want to feel like I’m on the brink of losing it.”
His entire upper body jerked at my words. Spine shooting ramrod straight, he scooted to the edge of his chair. “That’s what you think? No. God, no, Addy. That wasn’t my intention. I didn’t mean to make you feel like your job is in trouble.”
“What did you mean to do then?” I asked, my voice quieter than before. “Because I also liked the way things were between us before. You said that what happens off the clock wouldn’t influence that, but it has.”
He sighed. “Once again, you’re right. Look, I was only keeping my distance because I thought it was for the best. I didn’t want to give you the wrong idea.”
“The wrong idea?” My eyes narrowed. “What? You thought I was going to think that just because I know what your cock feels like inside me, I was going to assume we were in a relationship? I’m not like that, Marco. To be honest, I’m kind of offended that you think I am.”
“No.” He shook his head. “This is coming out all wrong. I didn’t think you would assume we were together now. I just wanted to avoid a situation that would only end with both of us getting hurt.”
My eyebrows climbed up on my forehead as I tucked my chin in. “Yeah, I think that came out wrong, too. Because how else would one or both of us get hurt if we’re not in a relationship? You’re going to need to spell it out for me.”
An exasperated growl tore from his chest. It resonated with some primal part of me, and for a split second, I wondered if he’d be amenable to angry sex. I pushed away the thought, though. Sex was what had gotten us to this point to begin with.
Until I knew the score, there was no way I should even be thinking about it.
“I can’t settle down with you, Adaline,” he gritted out. “I want you, but I can’t settle down with you. I thought it was best to put some distance between us, not because I thought you would assume we were in a relationship but because I wanted several repeat performances of last weekend. Who knows where we would end if that happens?”
I slumped back in my chair, shocked by his admission. As much as I wanted to be annoyed by his behavior, I couldn’t be. “I want it to happen again, too. I just don’t want it to be like this between us again. I’m capable of keeping things separate, Marco. I guess the question is, are you?”
He took a long minute before he replied. “Yes, I am.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
A slow grin spread across his full lips. “I guess there is no problem.”
“Good.” I smiled as my tense muscles unwound. “Can you stop being weird now?”
He released a heavy sigh, like he was really put out by my request. The humor sparking in his golden eyes gave him away, though. “Fine. I can do that.”
“Okay.” I nodded. “Where do we go from here then?”
He rocked his head from side to side. “My brother is running a marathon this weekend. Would you like to come with me to support him?”
“You have a brother?” I asked, surprised. “I didn’t know that, but I’m up for supporting Team Ricci.”
“Good.” He shot me a look with that wicked smirk tugging one corner of his lips up again. “Now get back to work. Panama isn’t going to explain its own regulations to you.”
I laughed but balled up a piece of scrap paper on my desk and tossed it at his head. “Sure thing, boss man.”
The sound of deep, masculine laughter rang in my ears long after he’d closed the door. Satisfied that I hadn’t fucked up my brand-new career my first week on the job, I let out a relieved breath and went back to my book.
Panama, you’re about to become my bitch.
Chapter 17
Marco
When she’d put it like that, I hadn’t been able to argue. The truth was that I had gone about the whole thing all wrong. I’d gotten so caught up in the fact that my mother wouldn’t approve of her that I’d forgotten who I was dealing with.
Addy wasn’t some crazed clinger with stars in her eyes and dreams of billions of Euros in her bank account. She was a woman who was perfectly clear not only on where we stood, but also on what she wanted out of her own life.
As far as I’d been able to tell, all she really wanted to do was travel. Sure, billions of Euros could help with that, but somehow, I didn’t think she wanted those by becoming some kind of trophy wife.
I hadn’t known her all that long, but it was obvious to me that independence was important to her. She wanted to stand on her own two feet and she was doing a damn good job of
