Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 138526 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 693(@200wpm)___ 554(@250wpm)___ 462(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 138526 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 693(@200wpm)___ 554(@250wpm)___ 462(@300wpm)
I smile at him, feeling elated because I was worried he’d be upset with the situation. “Thanks, Ezra.”
“No problem,” he replies, sounding strained.
“Are you feeling okay?” I ask, laughing gently. “You sound off.”
“I’m fine,” he replies, his eyes still on his tablet. “Can you just focus on your job and less on me?”
My lips part at his harshly spoken dismissal.
“Of course, Mr. Conti,” I mutter and see him flinch, but he doesn’t say anything else.
After around ten minutes of near silence, I broach a new work topic, “What’s on the agenda for the rest of the day?”
“You need to book your annual leave; the year is almost over.”
“Do I have to?”
“It’s the law.”
“Says who?”
“Law people.”
I laugh, throwing my head back with it. “Law people.” We share a smile. I love it when he graces me with his boyish side, he doesn’t display it enough and he can be so much fun when he wants to be. “Can’t I transfer it to next year?”
“You’re going to have to because your twelve months of employment are up.”
“Good point. Also…” I chew on my lip. “My contract ends in six months.” This has been a topic I haven’t dared bring up because I’m terrified he won’t keep me on. I don’t want to start somewhere new all over again. I love my job.
“You’ll be signing another as soon as it does, don’t you worry about that,” he murmurs, still looking at his tablet but he only seems to be scrolling through emails without actually looking at them. Is he just trying to look busy?
When his phone rings I’ve never seen him look so relieved.
He’s so weird sometimes.
I tap my fingers on the leather interior as he has his conversation but he reaches for my hand with his and squeezes it so I can’t move it at all. It’s not that it annoys him, he’s just trying to help me curb the habit. I do it a lot less in his presence because of it.
When I start tapping with the other one, he gives me a pointed look and I stop instantly. But his hand doesn’t lift from mine and I wonder if he even realizes he’s still holding it.
“Get it to Rose by the end of the day,” he tells whoever is on the phone and then hangs up. I wish I was listening to his call. I have no idea what I’m being sent or what I’m supposed to do with it.
“My fingers are numb,” I utter, and he looks down at my hand trapped beneath his against the leather between us.
“Sorry.” After finally letting me go, he starts on his tablet again and doesn’t make conversation at all while I flex my fingers and fight the urge to start tapping them again.
“I’ll take a week soon, okay? I’ll sort the office out too and get everyone in order but I’m not letting anybody use my desk. Understood?”
“Yes, boss,” he jokes, grinning at me now and not his tablet. “It’ll be hard without you.” He quickly corrects himself with wide eyes. “Work… work will be hard without you. You’re an excellent PA.”
What else could he have meant for him to correct himself?
“If you need me, just call. I’ll be bored anyway. I might steal your child.”
“I’m sure she’d love that.”
“I’m not kidding,” I respond, laughing. “You think I’m kidding but I’m not. I’m going to be bored out of my mind.”
His tone is warm and kind when he says, “You’re so good with Maria. I can’t remember if I ever thanked you for that.”
“I love her. I really wish she was mine.” I close my eyes with exasperation at myself and count to six to gather my thoughts. Then I ramble, “Not that I want to have your babies or anything… I just meant that because she’s and I’m… I love her. I hope when we have a daughter, she’ll be like her.” FUCK. “Not we as in you and me… but we as in… I don’t even know what I’m saying anymore.”
Mouth meet foot.
“What’s wrong with me that you don’t want my babies?” he jokes to lighten my embarrassment.
I smack him on the chest. “Don’t tease me.”
“Don’t be so easy to tease.”
I stick my tongue out at him and tap the tablet on his lap. “Go back to mindlessly scrolling through emails in a bid to ignore me.”
“I wasn’t ignoring you.”
“Lies.”
He chuckles and does exactly what I told him to do until we pull up outside of the office and get back to work. Little does he know I’ve got something super special planned for him on Tuesday.
Little did I know that Pax had something special planned for me too, except today, not Tuesday.
Waiting on my desk is a huge bouquet of flowers, a box of expensive-looking chocolates, and a large wrapped box that I daren’t open.