No Kissing Allowed (No Kissing Allowed #1)(16)
“Thanks. It sounds like they liked yours, too.”
Aidan shrugged off the compliment. “Ah, it was a throw-in. Yours is the keeper. It’s good. Great, actually.” He held my gaze, the energy between us building by the second.
I smiled, unable to hide my joy at his praise. Aidan knew advertising. He wouldn’t say my idea was good unless it was truly special. The thought made my heart warm, despite my best efforts to stay levelheaded, to remember that he was my boss. He could compliment my work and it meant nothing extra. But this didn’t feel like nothing.
Our eyes met once more, the moment so intense it was almost painful, and then he ran a hand through his hair again and started for the door just as I turned around to trash the bottles I’d picked up. I waited until the door closed before turning back around, my heart a noticeable presence in my chest.
Somehow, UT Guy and Aidan were blending together in my mind. I needed to put a stop to these thoughts before my heart opened up to him. Even if he weren’t my boss, this wouldn’t work. He didn’t date, and I didn’t do the casual thing. We would never work.
Chapter Nine
I spent the rest of the afternoon going back and forth between creative and my desk, taking the longest way possible to avoid Aidan’s office, afraid to feel that connection between us again. Finally, I closed down my laptop and tucked it into my laptop bag, then grabbed my gym bag and tossed it over my shoulder, eager to head to kickboxing to work off some of this pent-up energy.
The office was quiet, the sounds that filled the air during the busy day now replaced with nothing more than the gentle hum of the air-conditioning. Clearly, early morning and late evening hours would prove to be the best times to work without distractions. I had just turned the corner toward the kill-me-now elevators, right past Aidan’s office, when I noticed him standing in front of the Pawel Kuczynski painting, his arms crossed. Beyond the rise and fall of his shoulders, he wasn’t moving at all. I watched him, curious what he was thinking, when, as if he could feel my stare, he turned, and our eyes locked, and I swear, even the AC went silent.
Aidan started for his door, and I contemplated turning and going. Nothing about this felt right, yet everything in me told me to stay. “Kickboxing?” he asked.
I lifted the bag. “Yeah, heading there now.”
He glanced out his windows, to the darkness that had already set in. “Is your gym close by?”
I shook my head. “No, but it’s okay. It’s not a terrible walk.”
He considered me, then the window again, hesitating. “I don’t like the thought of you walking by yourself at night.”
The sentiment was sweet, but this was the city. Everyone walked everywhere, and at all hours. It wasn’t a big deal. “I’m okay.”
He bit his lip, and I wondered what he was struggling with, when he said, “We have a small gym here. A punching bag and gloves. You could practice. Or I could spar with you.” His voice dropped as he said the last few words, like he wasn’t sure he wanted to say them aloud.
I glanced down the hall to where I knew the gym to be located. This had to be the worst idea on the planet. There was no one else here other than the cleaning crew. No one to see the look Aidan was giving me, equal parts temptation and desire. He took a step toward me, then another, then reached for my laptop bag, easing it off my shoulder. “You can leave your things in my office if you’d like while you go change. I’ll meet you in the gym.”
“Aidan…” I began, but somehow the words I should say wouldn’t come. I eyed the hallway again. Was it my imagination or had it suddenly turned dark and red? The devil stretching out his long fingers and waving me home. Sighing, I said, “I’ll see you in there.”
I shut myself into the ladies’ room and began to change into my workout clothes—a fitted pink aerobic tank and black yoga pants. The outfit was more than appropriate for the gym, but somehow here, with Aidan, it felt like I had nothing on at all. Every curve I had, both ones I loved and those I hated, were on display for all to see. It’s just a workout, I told myself as I swept my long blond hair into a high ponytail and glanced at my reflection in the mirror.
My skin was too fair, the few freckles on my cheeks too pronounced, but I had always been the sort of girl who was comfortable in my own skin, grateful for what God had given me. Maybe that was my upbringing coming out, but living in New York could make a perfectly healthy girl feel heavy and a casually dressed girl feel downright tacky. It was exhausting at times, so I’d decided back at NYU that I wouldn’t fall prey to those things. I might be fair, but my skin was clear and vibrant. I might be curvier than girls like Alexa, but my large breasts made up for the swell in my backside and hips, giving me an hourglass shape.
Yet somehow all that coaching I’d given myself over the years flew out the window when Aidan looked at me. He made me feel self-conscious and beautiful all at the same time. And knowing he’d seen me naked did little to help.
I pushed open the door at the end of the hall and flicked on the light, exposing the company gym. It was a large room with wall-to-wall mirrors. The treadmills and ellipticals sat to the far left in front of a wall-mounted flat-screen. To the right were free weights and benches for lifting. And then to the right of the door were miscellaneous items, including the punching bag and gloves, yoga mats, jump ropes, and exercise balls.