Boss I Love to Hate: An Office Romance(77)

“I’m sorry …” she started again.

“No, don’t …” It was too much of a blow to the ego to hear her apologizing for not feeling anything when I felt everything.

She stubbornly lifted her face. “No, I’m going to say what I have to say. See?” She motioned between us. “It’s this whole charade. Our feelings aren’t real.”

“I feel everything,” I insisted, eyes steady, voice sure.

“You don’t.” She pushed her finger into my chest. “You’re still confused, and I get it. I’m confused, too. Like earlier, when I pictured you with your shirt off, and I was like, What?” She scrunched her face, confused. “Why would I want to see him with his shirt off? Then, you came closer, and I was thinking, Goodness, he does have nice shoulders, and he really needs to take off his shirt. Now, really?” She tilted her head and let out a low laugh. “If we were both in our rational minds, would you really want to kiss me, and would I really want you to take off your shirt?”

She was looking at me like it was all supposed to make sense, and I was trying my damnedest not to laugh.

Sonia has been thinking about me shirtless, possibly naked?

She kept babbling, like she always did when she was trying to prove a point, but when I undid the top two buttons of my shirt her breath hitched, and all humor slipped from her features.

And, now, I was back in the game.

“What are you doing?” She raised both hands as though she were under arrest, and dirty little thoughts of handcuffs and police outfits filtered through my head.

“I’m taking off my shirt.” It was getting harder not to smirk.

The panic was back. “Why? What? Okay, this is getting ridiculous.”

“You did say you were picturing me shirtless.”

“I told you how absurd it was,” she yelled.

My shirt was completely unbuttoned now, and her mouth slipped slightly ajar. I’d been shirtless that wedding night, but she’d been too drunk to remember.

“Uh …” Sonia was speechless.

Ding. Ding. Ding. I could hear the winning bell faintly in the background. Now, how could I make it ring louder?

I reached for her hand. “Here. Touch me.”

“No!” She tried to retrieve her hand, but my hold was tight and kept her hand between us.

“You accommodated my kissing experiment, and now, I’m accommodating yours.” My tone was soft, calm, but I felt anything but.

She shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut, as if she couldn’t handle my naked chest. “I never said I wanted to kiss you or touch your body.”

My cock jumped to life at her words because, shit, did I want her to touch my body.

“Just humor me here.” I tugged her closer and placed her fist across my chest. Her touch awakened every horny cell in my body, and I swallowed. “Nothing?”

“Yep. Nothing.” It seemed as though she was holding her breath.

I didn’t believe her for a second. “Listen, Sonia. I tried. I really tried with that kiss a minute ago. You’re not giving this experiment a real shot.”

I opened her fist and pressed her palm flat against my chest, and she let out one low sigh. Her hand trembled as it trailed slowly down my abs, and my body was flooded with warmth. Shit, I felt her touch everywhere.

“You could iron on this thing. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six.” She counted every single ab muscle and swallowed. Hard. Then, she tucked her hand in her armpit. “See, nothing.” Her smile was strained and forced, and she had to be the worst liar I’d ever met.

Her eyes trailed the length of my body, and I felt victorious.

Drink it up, baby, because I’m going to romance the hell out of you.

I wasn’t giving up that easily. I wanted to take her on a real date, where we could be ourselves and not pretend.

“Don’t lie, Sonia. It’s not like you.”

She blew the bangs away from her face “Fine. I’m attracted to you. There. Happy? Really though, you’d have to be blind not to be.”

“I never thought you noticed before.” I wished I had.

She frowned. “Because you were a jerk. Now, you’re being all sweet, and it’s confusing me.” She pushed out her lip in a signature Sonia pout.

God, all I wanted to do was hold her and kiss her and do naughty things to her. But the latter would have to wait.

“Come here.” I pulled her by her forearms, and she landed on my chest. She relaxed into me, and I was thankful she hadn’t pulled away. “Why can’t we just see where this goes?”

“Because everyone—everyone—knows this is a bad idea.”

“Who?”

“Your brothers and …”

I grinned. “Your parents love me.”

Even her dad had warmed to me by the end of the evening. Or, at least, he glared less.

“They do not,” she argued.

“Your siblings love me.” I tipped her chin with a light fingertip. “Don’t lie.”

“Fine,” she said. “They do, but still … that doesn’t mean a thing.”

I gave her my most serious face. “Just give me a chance, Sonia. One date, and I’ll never ask you for anything again.”