No Kissing Allowed (No Kissing Allowed #1)(34)
“But then what do you do over the holidays? Where do you go?”
“I work.”
My heart clenched as I watched his face flicker with hurt before he cleared it of any emotion, and I knew the conversation was over.
“Let’s grab lunch. We can go somewhere private, outside our norm, no one we know anywhere around.” Standing, I reached for his hand, helping him up. Hopefully getting out would pull his mind from his father. “Please?”
“I know just the place.”
We started out the door when I glanced over at him, unable to hold my tongue. “You know you would never be that kind of father, right?”
Aidan locked his door and then reached for my hand. “I don’t plan to find out.”
“What do you mean? You don’t want kids?”
“No wife, no kids. Kind of need the first to get the second, right? Stairs?”
A sinking feeling worked through me, refusing to settle. “Yeah…the stairs.”
Chapter Seventeen
I started for my cube Monday morning, my mind still on the weekend, when Gayle motioned for me to come to her office. Immediately, my pulse sped up, even though I knew I was being ridiculous. We hadn’t left Aidan’s apartment except for lunch on Sunday, and surely no one saw me go into his building, right? And even if someone had, I could have been visiting a friend, a relative, anyone. This was nothing. Nothing at all.
So why couldn’t I stop shaking?
She motioned for me to close the door, and I sat down in one of the chairs in front of her desk and crossed my legs, then uncrossed them, threaded my fingers, then rested them flat in my lap. My mind was a frazzled mess, and she hadn’t even spoken.
“Doing okay this morning?” she asked. She was smiling. That had to mean everything was fine. Everything was absolutely fine. Totally fine. Absolutely, totally fine.
“Sure. How about you?”
She bobbed her head. “Good. So, look, I saw the Blast mock-up this morning. Aidan said you were behind most of it, and I have to tell you, Cameron, it’s genius. They’ll love it. I know it.”
I released a breath. Thank God, this was about work and nothing more. I sat back in my chair, telling my heart it was okay to settle down. No heart attacks on the agenda for today.
“I’m glad you like it. So, you just wanted to talk about the campaign?”
Her face went serious and she leaned in closer. “Well, actually, no.” Oh shit, this was it. I swallowed hard and prepared to hear some ultimatum—if it happens again, you’re fired. Or maybe she would fire me now, cut her losses, and find someone who could work without falling for her boss. Oh my God. Maybe Aidan was in a similar meeting with the partners right now. Shit, shit, shit.
“I called you in here to tell you that you’re getting a bonus for coming up with the idea. If Blast takes it, you’ll get a five-thousand-dollar bonus and likely be promoted to account executive at the first of the year.”
“A bonus. Seriously?” So not the direction I’d envisioned in my head.
“You deserve it. And Aidan seems to really like you. He’s very picky, but he’s always going on and on about your potential. It pays to get in with the boss.” She winked.
My eyes widened. I couldn’t tell if she was joking or serious. Either way, we had to be more careful, but how could we be more careful than keeping our relationship to abandoned stairwells and our apartments?
Gayle checked her watch and then stood abruptly. “We better get in there. The meeting’s about to begin.” I followed her into the conference room, intentionally keeping my eyes in front of me, on the floor, then my chair—anywhere but at the front of the table, to where I knew Aidan sat. Once we were settled, Aidan conference-called Trevor from Blast, and we waited for everyone on his end to arrive.
“All right, then,” Aidan said. He started into his presentation, both addressing the Blast Water team and our own, his tone and his movements growing more enthusiastic as he spoke. He loved his job, that much was clear, but it was more than that. This was a challenge to him, and his competitive side needed the win. When he finished talking, he pressed his hands against the table and leaned in closer to the phone. “We believe this campaign can take your brand to the next level with not only college football, but sports in general.”
There was silence on the other end, followed by assents and discussion. We waited. I took the opportunity to look at the final mock-up. It had Aidan written all over it, but it was also me. My notes. My details. I stared at the picture of the child on the left and the man on the right, and I wanted the drink in his hand. If that drink turned a kid into a hero, on the field or not, I wanted that drink. In short, it was perfect. I smiled and glanced over at Aidan before I could help myself, only to find him watching me. Our gazes held for a moment, a half second, no more, but the sensation was immediate. My chest became numb and my legs felt weak. I was back there, feeling his firm body against mine, his breath on my neck. I wondered if he was there, too. If we shared this moment of dual realities. And if so, which one did he prefer? His eyes cut away before I could guess.
Finally Trevor broke the silence. “Aidan?”
Aidan focused back on the phone, his face completely at ease, as though we were talking about lunch instead of a multimillion-dollar business deal. “I’m here.”